Posted by Trott

According to The Joy of Cooking, "Many consider vodka the perfect cocktail mixer because it doesn't impose much of its own flavor." I actually find this to be a reason to generally dislike vodka cocktails. Since vodka tastes like little more than alcohol, drinking a Screwdriver seems to me like drinking orange juice with an unpleasant aftertaste.

This fact—that vodka has no discernible flavor (to me) other than alcohol—has always caused me to cast a skeptical eye on the habit of some of my friends to pay a little extra to drink Ketel One or Grey Goose. My skepticism was further fueled in 2005 when a New York Times tasting panel, in a blind taste-test, selected lowly Smirnoff as superior to all the premium brands that were included in the taste-test.

Thus, my favorite Vodka Cocktails from The Joy of Cooking are the ones that mask their vodka-ness. I enjoyed the Greyhound (vodka, grapefruit juice) because the vodka aftertaste was masked by the grapefruit aftertaste.

My favorite, though, was the Joy Tea (tea-infused vodka, water, simple syrup, lemon slice). I infused the vodka with jasmine tea leaves that were given to me by Bill and Jess when they returned from a trip to China.

From here on out, I will try to emulate Underhill Lounge and other food-and-drink blogs that show pictures of the things they are talking about. I myself am getting tired of looking at that picture of The Joy of Cooking.

Next up: Infused Vodkas! At least they'll taste like something!

Labels: joy of cooking