8 Vodkas That Prove Vodka Is Cool Again

If you ordered vodka at a craft cocktail bar in the mid-2000s, the bartender might have begrudgingly reached for the one bottle they carried for such occasions, if they had one at all. The prevailing opinion around vodka in the cocktail world was that most were boring, even those produced by a then-new breed of boutique distilleries, if not nostril-searingly astringent.

To some, vodka wasn’t cool because it was intentionally neutral, over-distilled, designed to disappear in soda water or cranberry juice. Sometimes, it may have seemed better suited as a pricey glass cleaner.

“We notoriously did not stock any vodka for the first 10 years or so of our existence, in the interest of driving engagement with the spirits that form the backbone of classic cocktails: gin, Cognac, rum, and the like,” says Matthew Belanger, national beverage director of Gin & Luck, the group that owns Death & Co. locations across the U.S. “Nowadays, we are much less interested in policing guests’ tastes, and far more interested in presenting vodka drinkers with options produced with care and consideration.”

Good drinks deserve base spirits that taste and smell like something to support the other ingredients. Or spirits so delicious that they don’t need other ingredients to shine. Even vodka should have some character of its own.

So, bartenders and drinks experts are now telling us to drink vodka? The truth is, they always did, but only when it’s delicious and interesting. Here are eight unflavored vodkas worth ordering anytime, along with what drink industry experts have to say about them.

Haku

From Japan’s House of Suntory, this vodka is distilled from 100% white rice (the name in Japanese can mean “white” but also “elevated,” in the sophisticated sense).

“[Haku is a] good vector for lengthening other supporting players in a cocktail, without adding any astringency, and it really shines when paired with other rice-based distillates like shochu, or ingredients that have a touch of fruity or floral character,” says Belanger. “We’ve served it in a very elegant Tuxedo variation, with Fino sherry and a touch of passion fruit liqueur, and in a French 75 with a little shochu and yuzu.” He also enjoys it in a 50/50 Martini as well as the Flame of Love, a Los Angeles mid-20th-century classic popularized by Dean Martin.

Broken Shed

This elegant spirit, distilled from whey, is named for a beat-up old shed in New Zealand, where the brand’s founders say they came up with the idea for it. But it doesn’t taste like it was made in that shed, which is why it’s crossed over into fine cocktailing.

“To be honest, vodka had never been my go-to,” says Jacob Tschetter, head bartender at Allendale Social in Allendale, New Jersey. “Then I tasted Broken Shed, and it completely shifted my perspective. It made me start looking at vodka not just as a neutral base, but as something that could enhance and elevate the flavors I already loved.”

He describes it as having a “clean, quiet depth” and a “hint of real savoriness that gives it presence in a cocktail.” Tschetter uses it in a Caprese Martini made with tomato water, vermouth, and basil leaf, and he also likes it in the bar’s version of an MSG Martini.

The Reid

Another New Zealand-produced brand but in a completely different style, the Reid Vodka is a single malt that starts the way traditional farm-to-glass whiskey does, with 100% malted barley from local grain and purified water. It’s named for Desiree Reid, founder of Cardrona Distillery, where it’s produced with a 70-day fermentation process that uses proprietary yeast before being distilled in custom-built Jacob Carl stills.

It’s a luxuriously viscous vodka with what Reid describes as real “texture and weight,” as well as flavors akin to baked scones or Southern-style biscuits. She says that it’s “ideal for drinks where the lead spirit matters,” though it can easily be sipped neat or on the rocks.

Crop Green Additive Free

The brand’s new, certified-organic release is made without additional sugars, citric acid, sweeteners, extracts, coloring, or carbon filtering, which are sometimes used in traditional vodkas.

“Crop Vodka isn’t over-distilled, which allows the baseline ingredients to keep structure, and doesn’t leave you with the harsher and more astringent lingering tones,” says Dave Purcell, beverage director of LAM Ryan Hospitality Group. “It also doesn’t have so much texture that it becomes the main player in a drink. I like it in cocktails that are light and fruit-driven, as it lends its subtle sweetness to allow brighter flavors through.”

Purcell uses it for sours like a Vodka Collins and in Cosmopolitans, where he swaps out the traditional flavored citrus vodka.

Woody Creek

Most vodkas from the new wave of American distilling are made from grain, typically rye or corn. However, Woody Creek uses fresh Rio Grande potatoes grown either on its own farm or sourced from an agricultural partner in the San Luis Valley. The fresh potatoes are mashed and distilled just twice, then bottled unfiltered to allow the potato flavor to shine through.

Colorado-based food and beverage consultant Benjamin Alter says he works with multiple venues that have deemed it a fan favorite. 

“The flavor is a perfect foundation for infusions or for a straight Martini to showcase the simple beauty of the spirit itself,” says Alter. “I’ve used this vodka in several creative mixes over the years, including a Bond-style Vesper and a strawberry-infused Vodka Limeade.”

Sinpatch

Tenmile Distillery, in Wassaic, New York, makes this vodka, named for a nearby area that was once home to brothels, gambling houses, and saloons, with 100% locally grown rye. Ben Wald of the Flatiron Room, which has two locations in New York City, says it inspired him to offer a vodka tasting flight at the restaurants.

“There’s this hint of very lightly stewed banana that keeps me going back for more,” he says. “In fact, the first time I tried Sinpatch, I think I took a good five to 10 minutes just nosing it, which is not something I can say I’ve done with any other vodka.” 

On the palate, Wald says that he detects a “fancy, Cocoa Puff note,” referring to the breakfast cereal. One of the house highballs uses Sinpatch with club soda and splashes of amaretto and B&B liqueur to set it off. Wald recommends chilling it in the refrigerator, not the freezer, for neat sipping.

Chopin Potato

This Polish gem is the OG of the lineup. Chopin Potato Vodka has become a bartender’s darling in recent years for what Nate Capenos, head bartender at Cote in New York City, describes as “subtle sweetness and texture, allowing the alcohol burn to dissipate before the flavor does.”

He uses it in the house signature, the Cashmere, which is “infused with spare vanilla pods [from the kitchen], paired with Amaro Nonino, fresh pear purée, and lemon juice.” He also uses a “high-ratio coconut tincture to tie it all together. It’s smooth, seductive, and refreshing, much like the base spirit.”

Upstate Vodka

This is a new release from Sauvage Distillery in Charlotteville, New York, located in the Catskills region. It’s made from an unusual yet incredibly delicious base: the pressed juice of locally grown apples. At 40% ABV, the apples present a unique flavor profile akin to unaged apple brandy, but with a softer, heftier finish.

Its inherent apple character makes it a natural for drinks like Vodka Sours and Mules, but it also works beautifully in a twist on the Jack Rose or a Sidecar.