I will admit that I can have a snobby attitude about some vodkas, particularly the strange new flavored ones that have appeared in the stores recently, going way beyond fruit flavors to marshmallow or whipped cream vodkas! These flavored vodkas have begun to outsell nearly everything in the liquor stores, so it seems appropriate to at least give them a try.
I tried three flavors of vodkas: Van Gogh PB&J (peanut butter and jelly), Three Olives S’mores, and Three Olives Loopy (Fruit Loops). Three Olives brand is about $20 a bottle retail, and Van Gogh is priced slightly higher. At first whiff, every single one of these smells exactly as the labels suggest they would. I made some simple cocktails with them, some recommended by the manufacturers. From left to right, these are pictured below:
S’mores Cocktail
- 2 oz Three Olives S’mores Vodka
- 1 oz half and half
- 3 drops Fee Bros. Aztec Chocolate Bitters
PB&J Cocktail
- 1 oz Van Gogh PB&J Vodka
- 1 oz grape juice
- grape garnish
BOC (“Breakfast or Champions” or “Bowl of Cereal”?)
- 1 oz Three Olives Loopy Vodka
- 2 oz milk
This was an interesting experience, and the flavors were surprisingly accurate. Loopy in particular tasted so much like a boozy version of it’s cereal brother, it was scary. I think that S’mores would be the most flexible permanent addition to a home bar as it could be used in White Russians and other cocktails featuring coffee or chocolate. The flavor of S’mores was also the most subtle of the three.
This is certainly one of those “you’ve got to try this” experiences, and the fact that these exist and sell well is a commentary on the state of modern alcohol consumption, though I’m not sure what to make of it or what to conclude.
All three of these vodkas had very interesting flavors and there’s room for creativity in how to use these flavors in cocktails, but I imagine these will mostly be consumed with a very simple mixer, like “PB&J and Soda,” or “S’mores and Coke,” or something like that.
