Drink trends for ‘07 – Sparkling Vodka?
Vodka used to be just vodka. Remember those days? Vodka originally comes from Eastern Europe, and has been produced since the the end of the 9th century. First distilled around 1174 in Khylnovsk, Russia, the potent potable was used mainly for medicinal purposes. There was no vodka produced in the US until the 1930s, but it really didn’t start gaining popularity until the 1950s (the golden age of the cocktail). Sometime in the 1960s we Americans figured out that the basically colorless, odorless and tasteless alcohol was immensely mixable, and we’ve been crazy for vodka cocktails ever since.
Manufacturers (and consumers) couldn’t leave well enough alone, of course. In my mind, the meeting went something like this: “Why water down perfectly good vodka with cranberry juice when we can put the flavor right in the bottle?” So, in 1986, Absolut introduced the first of many flavored vodkas, Absolut PEPPAR. Other manufacturers followed suit.
Now apparently we want our vodka to be a little less… vodka-ish? Enter Vodka O2, the first sparkling Vodka. You read right. This stuff has bubbles. The manufacturer says that the “infused bubbles create a lightly effervescent texture that gently tingles on the tongue.” Oh. Kay. Right now, Vodka O2 is only available in Canada and the UK, but look for it in the US after the first part of ‘07.
This is predicted to be one of the big drink trends in ‘07. The holding company that distributes Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Seagram 7, Johnnie Walker and others, is developing a process to naturally carbonate other non-bubbly-beverages.
Well, I’ll be. Sparkling vodka. Make mine a single malt scotch. Hold the bubbles.
Vodka O2, Drink Trends, Sparkling Vodka, Absolut
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