The Drink

Vodka with a conscience

The Price (750ml bottles)

$60 for Gold Flakes Supreme
$30 for Stiletto Mint
$36 for V2
$30 for White Lotus

The Score

for Gold Flakes Supreme for Stiletto Mint for V2 for White Lotus	E-mail this to a friend  »

The Taste

The thirst for high-concept vodkas shows no sign of abating. Having already explored sweet and savory flavors -- including all fruits known to mankind, plus vanilla, chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, honey, various herbs and even celery -- vodka makers seem to have a limitless arsenal of new concepts. Four new bottles prove the point: The brands below break new ground, for better or worse, by balancing gimmicks with noble acts of social responsibility.

Gold Flakes Supreme
Country: France
Concept: You're so money! This clear vodka has 24K gold flakes.
Technical notes: quadruple distilled; made from wheat
Taste: sweet, pleasant taste, oilier than other vodkas, spicy finish

Stiletto Mint
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Concept: It's vodka and mouthwash in one (mint flavor) and it's socially responsible. The company donates 25 cents from each bottle sold to support breast cancer and an additional 25 cents to support the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which educates lower income children.
Technical notes: Made from wheat; distilled six times; might work in a vodka mojito -- if only to appease folks who hate getting mint leaves in their teeth.
Taste: Instant mintiness on the nose; remarkably smooth but perhaps too sweet -- like drinking a breath mint. Or Schnapps. Strong minty finish.

V2
Country: Holland
Concept: Who needs Red Bull? This vodka has taurine and caffeine.
Technical notes: made from wheat, distilled five times
Taste: neutral nose, clean taste, quite drinkable

White Lotus
Country: U.S.A.
Concept: Eco friendliness is cool! They use recycled materials for their boxes and print labels directly on the bottle to save paper. Vitamins are cool, too -- see ingredients below.
Technical notes: distilled three times; made from grain and corn; infused with complex vitamins (B-12 and C included), amino acids, ginseng; and natural fruit flavors (a secret blend)
Taste: Smells of citrus and alcohol. Tastes lemony with some harshness. Thin. Pleasant dry finish. Nothing special, but not bad.

-- James Oliver Cury