Humbly, I must renege.A couple of weeks ago during all the hype and chaos surrounding Halloween, I got caught up in all things pumpkin and got all hot and heavy over Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie Vodka. This isn't a pumpkin pie-flavored cocktail like I just posted; this is a vodka infused with pumpkin and spices meant for sipping alone. A vodka that tastes like pumpkin pie! Could there be anything better for the Fall?!?!
I went to a local high-end liquor store and shelled out a cool $25 for a bottle. Sure, paying $25 for a bottle of vodka is a lot, but it isn't unheard of for premium vodkas, but this was a 375 mL bottle. For an equivalent amount, that's actually $50! I had high taste hopes for something so expensive.
I took the bottle to a friend's house for a bit of pre-Halloween marination before we went off to a proper Halloween party. Because Modern Spirits calls itself a "sipping vodka," we leapfrogged the usual routine of mixing with a little bit of club soda and went straight for the rocks. Before taking a sip, I sniffed the vodka straight from the open bottle, then over the rocks. Modern Spirits wasn't kidding. The stuff certainly had the familiar, warm spicy aroma of pumpkin pie.
My Slashfood friends, this is where I must go back on all the giddy ooh-ing and aah-ing and gushing I did. The vodka tastes horrible. The fragrance had deceived me. The vodka didn't taste anything at all like pumpkin pie. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be sweet (I don't like drinking anything sweet, vodka, cocktails, or otherwise), but the warm spiciness that my sense of smell had picked up was not there on the tongue. The vodka actually made me crinkle my nose, not from the usual bite and sting of straight vodka, but from how strange it tasted. I can't explain exactly what it tasted like but it was something like what I would imagine a can of pumpkin puree mixed with chicken broth that had gone sour and moldy would taste like.
It was disappointing to be let down by the flavor, but more than anything, I was a little more than angry that I had paid $25 for what is essentially a half-bottle of vodka. I guess I can look at that positively though, since I don't feel like we wasted as much when we decided not to drink anymore of it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-15-2007 @ 10:05PM
Rialtus said...
Based on your previous post, I special ordered two bottle of this vodka - one for my wife and one for her good friend who would enjoy it. Their thoughts were similar to yours, though my wife did say that it went really great mixed with rich vanilla ice cream.
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11-15-2007 @ 11:27PM
Melkon Khosrovian said...
Dear Sarah:
At Modern Spirits, we make vodkas that tend toward the savory (Black Truffle, Celery Peppercorn, Three Tea) so they can be paired with food, but are perfectly happy in cocktails with a few natural mixers. Our Pumpkin Pie vodka follows this philosophy, which is why on the labels we recommend pairing it with braised short ribs, as well as shaking up pumpkin cocktails with heavy cream and sweetening it with maple syrup.
Admittedly, it's a different approach to flavored vodkas -- capturing the taste of actual ingredients in spirits instead of synthesizing them with flavoring agents. With pumpkin pie, the expectation for many might be for it to be sweet and creamy...and for the record, there is no chicken stock. (Although, just recently at our James Beard dinner in New York, we served a cocktail with our Black Truffle vodka and veal demiglace as a pairing for lamb.)
Cheers,
Melkon
the vodkamaker
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11-16-2007 @ 8:53AM
paulie said...
sounds intriguing. i wouldnt mind cooking with this vodka i think. my absolute fave vodka is effen black cherry.... amazing on the rocks or with some sprite!
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11-16-2007 @ 12:26PM
MosquitoControl said...
Excellent response from the vodkamaker. Explanatory rather than defensive.
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11-16-2007 @ 12:34PM
sarah said...
MosquitoControl: i agree.
hopefully, i didn't come across as not liking modern spirits (i DID giveaway the chocolate orange last year! http://thedeliciouslife.blogspot.com/2006/12/chocolate-orange-cocktail-party.html) i've tried the tea flavor, which i *do* like; it was just that this particular one, pumpkin pie, didn't suit my taste at all.
Melkon: thanks so much for your comment! good to see that the artisan behind the drink cares so much to come and comment on our blog!
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11-16-2007 @ 3:45PM
Inaya3 said...
I too purchased some of Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie Vodka...and while I do not necessarily enjoy it straight...Here is a recipe I made for a pumpkin Pie cocktail:
1 oz Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie Vodka
1 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz Vanilla or Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
1 oz Milk or Half & Half
I rim my martini glass with some sugared grahm crackers...Shake with a ton of ice...enjoy!
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