White winter, white spirits
By Jun Kyoung-woo
There’s a season for drinks.
The white spirits, which are pure as snow and clear and cold as ice, are just the type for winter.
Among the transparent spirits are soju, baekju, Bacardi rum, gin and countless others but none matches vodka.
The increase in the volume of imports of vodka to Korea goes hand in hand with the cocktail fervor. Vodka is the main ingredient of the “Cosmopolitan,” one of the most popular cocktails in Korea and the one Carrie Bradshaw from the American TV series “Sex and the City” enjoyed drinking. Vodka is the perfect base for cocktails.
When observing the people with vodka at bars in Itaewon, Hannam-dong, Sinsa-dong, Cheongdam-dong, Hongdae and Sinchon areas, you’ll find that the majority of people mix cranberry juice and carbonated water to vodka. The next type is those who enjoy flavored vodka with ice. People who are used to vodka drink frozen vodka in shot glasses and throw it down their throats.
The Korean vodka market is dominated by Absolut Vodka followed by Smirnoff, but as people searching for special vodkas have increased recently, various brands are competing fiercely with each other.
“Products in the 20,000 to 30,000 won price range are regular sellers but super premium vodkas at over 50,000 won are also expanding their share in the market,” said Jeon Ji-hwan, the brand ambassador for Snow Leopard Vodka.
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Smirnoff Black, Ciroc, and Grey Goose were the ones that led the super premium vodka market in Korea when it opened. Snow Leopard Vodka, which was launched in May last year by Edrington Korea, is also establishing its place in the premium market with products in the 70,000 won price range.
Russian Standard Vodka, imported by Keumyang International, is also one of the super premium products which have recently gained popularity. The brand, which started producing vodka in 1998, follows a strict production system created by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who formulated the original Periodic Table. It also produces vodka entirely with Russian ingredients and distills the products in Russia.
The flagship product of Russian Standard Vodka is Imperia. After going through the extra filtration process with quartz crystal mined from the Ural Mountains, the undiluted vodka creates a supermolecule structure and thus has a velvety texture. The price is 100,000 won for 700ml which is triple the original version. There’s also the Russian Standard Vodka Platinum (59,000 won per 700ml) which has adopted the silver filtration system.
“If platinum is more of a masculine vodka, the Imperia is a feminine one,” says Lee Yoon-jae, the brand ambassador and a mixologist of Russian Standard Vodka.
“Platinum is good to drink in shots but it’s best when enjoyed as a vodka martini cocktail. You can feel the unique aroma of the platinum all over the mouth. As for Imperia, it is soft and clean to the point it can be called the ultimate purity. It’s perfect for women who don’t like the typical bitter taste of vodka.”
What is drawing attention recently is Crystal Head Vodka (130,000 won per 750ml) whose bottle is transparent and shaped in the form of a skull. After creating gluten-free alcohol by distilling peach, corn, and other grains of superior quality four times, they are mixed with water from Canada’s Newfoundland and distilled seven times in three layers of crystal filters. The softness of the flavor comes from this process.
Meanwhile, the most noticeable liquor among the white spirits (excluding vodka), is silver tequila. If the golden tequila suits the summer, silver tequila matches well with winter.
FJ Korea, which imports Jose Cuervo, recommends 1800 Silver. The super premium silver style tequila, which is created from 100 percent blue agave, goes through an aging procedure for about 15 days in an American oak barrel unlike the typical silver style tequila which is bottled immediately after distilling. The 1800 Silver gains a more flavorful aroma and taste compared to other silver tequilas due to this procedure. The clean and smooth taste and aroma makes it a superb base for cocktails or mixed drinks and can also be enjoyed straight or on the rocks.