Adored by Russian czar Peter the Great, carefully controlled by Ivan the Terrible, vodka has a long and colorful history for a drink that looks just like water. It is an odorless, clear "neutral" spirit that can be made from barley, potatoes, molasses, wheat, rice, beets, or virtually anything that ferments.  Having endured for tens of centuries, it is now the most popular liquor in America, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Adored by Russian czar Peter the Great, carefully controlled by Ivan the Terrible, vodka has a long and colorful history for a drink that looks just like water. It is an odorless, clear "neutral" spirit that can be made from barley, potatoes, molasses, wheat, rice, beets, or virtually anything that ferments.  Having endured for tens of centuries, it is now the most popular liquor in America, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Vodka literally translates into "dear little water", a sweet endearment for such a potent spirit. The Russians say "voda", the Poles say "woda", both words meaning "water". Who actually invented vodka?  Russia and Poland both claim the honor. Russia boasts of vodka production since the end of the 9th century, Poland asserts they've been distilling since early in the 8th century.  In any case, the "dear little water" was a booming business in Eastern Europe from the mid-15th century onward. As technology progressed from the 15th through mid-18th century, the refinement process was improved through charcoal filtration, the invention of the still, and multiple distillations, creating vodka of a higher proof and greater purity, much more akin to the 21st century vodka we recognize. Vodka producers happily abandoned the mandatory camouflaging of primitive murky 14th century-produced vodka with herbs and spices.  Modern day drinkers might concur; as dubious concoctions like mountain ash, calendula, or horseradish vodka hold questionable mass appeal compared with apple or citrus.

Though beleaguered by bans, taxation, political monopolies, the nobility's exclusive rights to distilleries, and licensing difficulties in Eastern Europe spanning from the 16th through the 19th centuries, vodka's popularity soared, winning over the West in the 1940s and '50s. Unlike Old World vodka drinkers, who were fond of drinking vodka neat, accompanied by salty snacks like caviar and untarnished by mixers, America grew enamored of vodka's mixology, embracing cocktails like The Moscow Mule and the ubiquitous Bloody Mary.

Eastern Europe no longer has a monopoly on vodka. Ireland, England, Canada, Iceland, France, Italy, and Germany are al generating super-premium triple distilled vodkas. In the U.S., a handful of New England boutique vodka distilleries equipped with passion, ingenuity, and indigenous resources are making a name for themselves in the international market.
Triple Eight Distillery, operating with Cisco Brewers and Nantucket Vineyard on the island of Nantucket, has been producing vodka since 2000.  National sales manager Matt Lambo has been with Triple Eight for four years, "originally selling vodka door to door out of the back of the promotional Triple Eight van, a 1975 VW Camper bus." Dean Long, Triple Eight's head distiller, chose corn as "the best organic source" in making their distinctive vodka. Lambo says, "Triple Eight is extremely smooth with a subtle sweetness in the finish. The texture is soft and slightly silky. It has a very similar taste profile as Ketel One but Ketel has a spicy finish while ours is slightly sweet and the softness and smoothness is reminiscent of Grey Goose."  This modest distillery, which also produces and distributes microbrewed ales, wines, whiskey, rum, gin, cranberry vodka, and orange vodka, has beaten out the colossal Ketel One in the World Spirit Championships for three consecutive years.

Just starting out, "people loved the grassroots nature of Triple Eight's products and the fact that we were selling direct to the restaurants and liquor stores", says Lambo. In a market where literally hundreds of brands are competing, Triple Eight uses "creative guerrilla marketing strategies that are a lot of work to implement but far less expensive than mainstream print, television, or radio advertisements." Triple Eight sales increased 55% 2003,  67% in 2004 and 81% last year through inventive promotions. Lambo also taps into "the base of people who love quality local products". Operating out of Nantucket's idyllic island, Triple Eight's small batch, corn-based vodka is currently sold in eleven states across the country.

The basic steps in vodka making are fermentation, followed by distillation and rectification (distillation obtains the high-alcohol mixture from the fermented wash and rectification removes impurities) filtration and purification, dilution and bottling. Given that all vodka is produced through the same process, it's the fermenting base itself that yields the subtle distinctions in each. {mospagebreak}

Flag Hill, the first distillery in the state of New Hampshire, has been producing General John Stark vodka from a base described by even the president of Flag Hill himself, Frank Reinhold, as "off the wall": apples.

Flag Hill's General John Stark vodka has been gaining plaudits from vodka aficionados since its inception in 2004.  Rated in the March 2006 issue of Wine Enthusiast as "Very Good (85-89)/Recommended" and featured in Yankee Magazine, this small batch distillery out of Lee, New Hampshire is producing a vodka that's "beating out the elite triple distilled vodkas like Skyy and Smirnoff", says Reinhold.

Heather Houle, Marketing and Events Coordinator for Flag Hill since 2004, boasts that General John Stark "is rated as one of the top two favorites in blind taste tests with all others. There's no outright flavor, taste, or color, but there's a sweet nose or smell and a clean finish to our vodka. It's smooth and nice to drink straight."  Flag Hill isn't interested in producing flavored vodka at the moment, as Houle explains: "There are lots of flavored vodkas out there. When you're making a craft vodka on a smaller basis, it isn't too appealing to make flavored vodka. The cost is high and typically flavored vodkas are on a low to midlevel premium." Instead, using their trademark vodka as a base, Flag Hill offers a sugar maple liqueur using Grade A New Hampshire maple syrup, as well as a cranberry liqueur using Massachusetts cranberries. Once a small family operated vineyard in 1990, Flag Hill has extended its winery to include the Ferguson-Davis dining room, where four-course dinners are offered to the public, while the production of General John Stark is earning Flag Hill eminent standing in the sphere of super-premium vodkas.

"The Spirit of Maine" exists not only in its miles of coastline, scenic back roads, and hiking trails, but also in Cold River Vodka. This "authentic, complex, but not complicated" vodka is made from potatoes grown on the family-owned Green Thumb Farm in Fryeburg and the Cold River water that flows through Evans Notch, a town bordering both Maine and New Hampshire. Maine Distilleries, which produces the brand, is located in Freeport, Maine. It is the only "ground-to-glass" potato vodka distillery in the entire United States, meaning the harvested potatoes are processed to the final bottled spirit all in one location.

As owner and head distiller Chris Dowe, who has been with Maine Distilleries for three years, says, "Cold River Vodka is more than a drink - it's about an experience. It's a lot different than other vodkas. It isn't your Western palette vodka with absolutely no taste, vodka made for being covered up. Ours has a hint of flavor. It's a more traditional Old World Russian vodka."

Produced from potatoes, water, distiller's yeast, and little else, Cold River vodka is, consequently, totally gluten-free. Most potato vodkas "typically use wheat and barley with the potatoes in the distilling process" and grain-based vodkas are in greater quantity on liquor store shelves, leaving few options for vodka enthusiasts allergic to grain.

Dowe, who possesses both a degree in philosophy and an extensive background in brewing, proudly remarks, "We're finding that most people drinking Cold River are drinking it straight, drinking it warm. It makes me feel good. We're up against anyone out there in terms of smoothness. We've done blind tastings and we're being chosen eight out of ten times as the smoothest vodka."  The enthusiasm of Maine Distilleries' owners (all Maine-based friends and siblings from varying past vocations) and their exceptional attention to details, such as numbering each Cold River bottle by hand to reflect its specific batch, are exemplified in the end result: a handcrafted vodka embodying "The Spirit of Maine" since 2005.  Curious viewers are given a chance to witness the Cold River distillation process firsthand through free tours at the Freeport location six days a week.

Vodka's nuanced character is seemingly without limit, with super-premium versions becoming more predominant in their worldwide popularity. Donald Trump himself has designs to cash in on its allure with his Trump Super Premium vodka, hoping to overhear hipsters in metropolitan bars nationwide ordering a "T&T" (Trump and Tonic).  Flag Hill's owner Frank Reinhold discloses this bit of vital knowledge: "the vodka trade is a type in which scale does not produce quality." When reaching for the familiar vodka bottle on the liquor store shelf, consider New England's boutique distilleries: producers of vodka contending with a massive market and still making a dent in the system through innovation, creativity, and unfettered enthusiasm for what they do. Invite some friends over and conduct your own blind taste test, making a toast to the venerable victor. {mospagebreak}

Triple Eight Vodka Recipes

Man Over Board

1 ounce Triple Eight Cranberry
1 ounce Triple Eight Orange
1 ounce Stirrings Lemon Drop Mixer
1 ounce Stirrings Tangerini Mixer
Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass.

The Triple Threat

1 ounce Triple Eight Vodka
1 ounce Triple Eight Orange
1 ounce Triple Eight Cranberry
2 ounces of soda water
A splash of fresh lime juice
A splash of Stirrings Cosmo Mix
Serve over ice in a highball glass

Nantucket Tea

1 ounce Triple Eight Vodka
1 ounce Triple Eight Orange
3 ounce Stirrings Lemon Drop Mixer
A splash of cranberry juice
A float of Hurricane Rum
Serve over ice in a pint glass with a lemon wedge 

Cold River Vodka  Recipes

Pomegranate Martini

4 shots Cold River Vodka
2 shots Rose's lime juice or homemade lime syrup
2-4 shots of pomegranate juice Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
Pour into chilled martini glasses.
Garnish with lime wedge or lime peel.

Cold River Blue Cosmo

2 ounces. Cold River Vodka
1.25 oz. Cointreau
.75 oz. chilled blueberry juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
Garnish with cocktail pick skewered with dried blueberries and a fat twist of orange.

*Cold River Blue Cosmo recipe courtesy of the Test Kitchen Club at Atlantic Culinary Academy, a division of McIntosh College.

River Driver

1 1/2 ounce Cold River Vodka
1 part orange juice to 2 parts very dry ginger ale
Pour over crushed ice and garnish with small cinnamon stick.
Recommended: Use a quality orange juice or fresh squeezed.
*River Driver recipe courtesy of Christina Sklarz-Libby of Durham, ME

You want it? Here's where to find it!

Cold River Vodka - www.coldrivervodka.com
Maine Distilleries, LLC
437 US Route One, Freeport, ME  (207) 865-4828
 Shaw's - Falmouth, Maine
 Garden Street Market - Kennebunk, Maine
 Shaw's Northgate - Portland, Maine
 RSVP - Portland, Maine
 Shaw's Westgate - Portland, Maine
 Downeast Beverage Co. - Portland, Maine
 Shaw's - Saco, Maine
 Bob & Mike's Mini Mart - Saco, Maine
 Li'l General Store - Sanford, Maine
 Shaw's Millcreek - South Portland, Maine
 DiPietro's Market - South Portland, Maine
 Martini Lane - Westbrook, Maine
All Hannaford Supermarkets throughout Maine and Southern Maine.

Flaghill's General John Stark Vodka - www.flaghill.com
Flaghill Winery & Distillery: 297 North River Road, Lee, NH 03824
603.659.2949 (also the location of the Ferguson-David Dining Room)
Also available at the following New Hampshire State Liquor Stores:
Bedford, Belmont, Berlin, Bristol, Brookline, Center Harbor, Center Ossippee, Claremont, Colebrook, Concord, Conway, Derry, Dover, Farmington, Gilford, Goffstown, Gorham, Hampton, Hooksett, Hudson, Keene, Lebanon, Lee, Littleton, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, Newport, North Hampton, North Woodstock, Pelham, Portsmouth, Peterborough, Plymouth, Raymond, Seabrook, Swanzey, Somersworth, Winchester, and Wolfeboro.
General John Stark Vodka is soon to be distributed in select stores in Rhode Island, so look for it!

Triple Eight Vodka - www.ciscobrewers.com
Triple Eight Distillery and Cisco Brewers: 5 & 7 Bartlett Farm Road, Nantucket, MA 02584
508.325.5929
Available at the following New Hampshire State Liquor States:
Bedford, Claremont, Conway, Concord, Dover, Gilford, Glen, Hampton, Hooksett, Keene, Littleton, Manchester, Nashua, New London, North Woodstock, Peterborough, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Salem, Seabrook, Rindge, West Lebanon.
In Massachusetts: Commonwealth Wine and Spirits
In Maine: State Liquor Agencies

Ask your favorite watering hole whether they carry any of these boutique vodkas. The odds are good that they do. Happy vodka hunting!