There is another reason to get high. The finest Soviet vodka brand Stolichnaya is in India.
Vodka has outstripped other liquor segments due to greater acceptability in new age professionals. For many it is the first step towards the spirits. Vodka is the national drink of countries in East Europe and Baltic region. And it is now taking up that spot in India also, though unofficially.
Most of us had our first brush with this white spirit through cocktails like LIT, Sex on Beach, Martini etc. But very few of us know that it is traditionally consumed neat. Many such revelations were unearthed by the Global Brand Ambassador of Stolichnaya, Meagan Sacher on the launch event at Akira Back in JW Mariott Aerocity.
Most of us had our first brush with this white spirit through cocktails like LIT, Sex on Beach, Martini etc. But very few of us know that it is traditionally consumed neat. Many such revelations were unearthed by the Global Brand Ambassador of Stolichnaya, Meagan Sacher on the launch event at Akira Back in JW Mariott Aerocity.
Stolichnaya which means ‘capital city’, its heritage goes back to the early 1900’s. It is one of the very few ‘grain-to-glass’ brand where the company is involved in farming of the grains till the distribution of the vodka. The grains are grown in the company’s farm in Kaliningrad regionin Russia. The grain is then fermented for 60 hours and then the resulting liquid is distilled four times to strength of 96.4% ABV. The resultant liquid is then blended, filtered four times and bottled in Latvijas Balzams in Riga, Lativia. The building Latvijas Balzams was constructed in 1901 and is known as the ‘Cathedral of Vodka’.
Stolichnaya has many firsts to its credit. It is the first premium vodka to be exported from Russia. They are first to come up with flavoured vodka. The pepper and honey flavours were launched in the year 1962. They are also the first to produce world’s first ultra-luxury vodka – elit by Stolichnaya which was launched in the year 2003. It is 4 times Platinum winner at Beverage Tasting Institute, which is the most by any white spirit in the world.
The session was very enlightening but when Meagan Sacher took the strainer and shaker in her then the entire audience was spellbound with her bartending skills. She shaked some 7 cocktails, some classics and some innovative, which tasted brilliant. The best one which I loved the most was Masala Chai Martini served in Sencha tea cups. Here is the recipe :
Masala Chai Martini (Stirred and served in Tea Cup)
40 ml – elit by Stolichnaya
40 ml – Chai-Infused French Dry Vermouth
2 dashes – Orange or Cardamom Bitters
Stir and strain
Serve in Tea Cup with Orange Twist
Garnish plate with Orange Tea Biscuits + Cardamom Pods
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