Comestiblog

Water is the Spirit of Leaf Vodka

What'll it be, Alaska glacial or Rocky Mountain mineral?  Because water accounts for 60 percent of vodka's constitution, its influence in shaping the spirit is significant.  Thus, after sipping the world and testing the water, so to speak, Leaf Vodka's Ukraine-based research-and-development team identified two sources that yielded the distinctive characteristics and flavors they sought: a glacier-fed lake in Alaska and a mineral spring in the Rocky Mountains.  At last week's Leaf Vodka launch at Trump SoHo, I sampled both varieties.

I began by tasting the spirits side by side, neat.  Leaf's Alaskan glacial water vodka (green label) revealed hints of sweetness, and a very round feel on the tongue—akin to a white wine that has undergone significant malolactic fermentation.  The Rocky Mountain version (blue label), on the other hand, exhibited a noticeable taste of minerals.  While both vodkas were smooth, the latter did not impart the prominent roundness of the former.

Both Leafs are easy to drink, and, at their suggested retail price of $16.99 to $19.99, easy to purchase.  It would seem quite reasonable to have both varieties on hand to accommodate the preferences of one's guests, as the two render distinctly different cocktails.

As an example, the sweetness of the Alaskan glacial water enhanced the sweet and tart fruit flavors of the Pink Glacier's lime, pink grapefruit, and cranberry juices.

Pink Glacier

The mineral expression in the Rocky Mountain water, on the other hand, added an earthy "bite" to the herbal notes of the Bitter Re-Leaf's basil leaves and lime.

Bitter Re-Leaf

While Leaf Vodka's USDA organic certification is noteworthy, it's not a major selling point.  "We want to focus on the core essence, water, which, according to tradition, breathes life into vodka," says Julius Criscione, National Sales and Marketing Director for Megapolis USA, the American subsidiary of Global Spirits.

Below are some of the other drinks I sampled. Please click here to view a complete list of recipes.

Gold Leaf

Twisted Leaf

Leaf-n-Berry

Leaf Vodka is currently available in New Jersey and Connecticut.

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Thanksgiving, Calvados, and the Trou Normand

Today we give thanks and celebrate the bounty of the harvest.  To those expecting to feast heartily, may I suggest punctuating your meal with a trou normand (pronounced true nor·MAHN; literally, "Norman hole")?  At a certain stage of a grand dinner in Normandy, it was customary to pause for a glass of calvados to boost the metabolism and create a "hole" to make room for additional comestibles.  Nothing prolongs the pleasures of overindulgence more than a good shot of calva.

Calvados (pronounced cull·vah·DOSE) takes its name from the eponymous département in the northwest of France, a region that does not produce wine.  Normandy's rich pastures and orchards are better suited to dairy farming and apple growing than to viticulture.  Apples have a lengthy history in this area: cider dates back to the eighth century, long before its first documented distillation in 1553.

Although best known as an apple (cider) brandy, calvados can, by law, be produced from apples or pears.  Over 200 types of apple—ranging from sweet to inedibly tart—are permitted in its production.  The fruit is harvested, pressed, and allowed to ferment (four to six weeks) into a dry cider, whereupon, it is distilled and aged.

As with grape brandies, calvados is protected by its own appellations.  Pays d'Auge, the premier appellation contrôlée designation, applies to the core of the apple brandy production area, and continues to yield the highest-quality calvados.  Second-tier appellations refer to areas surrounding the Pays d'Auge.  The biggest difference is that Pays d'Auge cider must undergo a double distillation in a pot still, whereas others typically go through a single, continuous distillation in a column still.  The former method yields more flavor and complexity, while the latter produces a lighter, more apple-like flavor.

Age is a matter of taste and budget, of course.  Nevertheless, the older the calvados, the smoother and rounder it tends to be.  The age given on the bottle refers to the youngest component in the blend.  The following is a guide to age-related terms found on labels:

• Trois étoiles, ***  (2 years)
• Vieux, Réserve  (3 years)
• VO, VSOP, Vieille Réserve  (4 years)
• XO, Extra, Napoléon, Hors d'Âge, Age Inconnu  (6 years)

My personal favorite comes from Château du Breuil, in the Pays d'Auge.  The Réserve des Seigneurs - XO and, especially, the Royal are among the smoothest, richest, most complex I've tasted.  Their deep, dark color makes no secret of old age.  It's well worth spending a little more for a more mature brandy.  Regardless of your choice, a good calvados makes the perfect digestif—tried and trou Normand.  Santé!