If you think vodka is just any old clear firewater to be mixed with orange, tomato or cranberry juice, think again. There is a whole generation of high-class vodkas that deserve to be sipped with respect, not swilled with anonymity. And top-shelf vodka cocktails seem to have no limitations, in variety or price. Absolut from Sweden joined the fray in the early 1980s. Many also put the Dutch Ketel One in this category because of its center-batch method, which discards the early harsh and later weak products of distillation, resulting in a remarkably smooth and pure vodka.
Careful filtration cleanses the spirit without wiping out the flavor.
Smirnoff Black uses Siberian silver birch charcoal to filter the vodka and add flavor. Quartz is also used as a filter in some vodkas, such as Stolichnaya Cristall. The third stage of the gilt-edged vodka rocket is Stolichnaya Gold, which was introduced last spring and is replacing the brand's Cristall. According to Patricia Barroll, vice president of marketing communications for Carillon Importers Ltd., which imports Stolichnaya Gold, this vodka is made with special water from Russia's Lake Ladoga. Stoli Gold is also filtered four times, vs. three for Cristall, thus making it supersmooth.