The Dark Side of the Vodka Cocktail
By Micah Hanks
Recently, Culture of Spirits contributor Chris McCollum gave us a shake down on the best black shooters available among premium vodkas for this Halloween season. Chiefly, the English Blavod is one of the more popular varieties made available here in parts of the states, although according to McCollum this particular brand is becoming a bit more difficult to obtain. There are a few others however, ranging from dark berry and licorice-infused liqueurs, to those like Blavod which use a blend of herbs and spices (or sometimes just food coloring) to draw their otherwise neutral spirits to the dark side.
Halloween is right around the corner, and many people are looking for specialty drinks they can use to drain the light out of Halloween night. Thus, in addition to having a look at the original article Chris contributed, below are a few more varieties and links to sites where they can be purchased.
First up is a general article on Black Vodka, courtesy of AskMen.com:
Wine and Dine: The Dish on Black Vodka
Znaps Black Jack Shooter vodka is growing in poularity. Described as “the ultimate shooter vodka,” this brand offers a pitch black blend of vodka and salty liquorice:
Eristoff Vodka’s black offering is berry-flavored. Strangely, the site appears to resemble a trailer for the upcoming Benicio Del Toro remake of The Wolfman more than an alcohol site. Also, there is no option for United States users in the “Select Country of Origin” dropdown required to enter the site, so US residents will have to lie about their nationality and become British for a day. Hey, at least the vodka looks tasty:
Eristoff Black Berry-Flavored Vodka
And finally, for the secret agent in all of us, Smirnoff has offered a limited run of their Quantum of Solace James Bond 007 Black Vodka:
Tags: black vodka, Blavod, Smirnoff
