The 7 Trending Vodkas You Need To Try

Beginning in Russia and Eastern Europe, you can now find vodka from almost everywhere. The quality has never been higher, but is there anything more disappointing than trying a bottle on the back of big hype, pouring it over ice, and discovering unpleasant burn or zero character? We’ve gone through the most talked about vodkas out there right now to see what all the fuss is about…

Rachmainoff Vodka

There’s no doubting the reason this vodka is on everyone’s lips… literally. Named after a famous Russian composer, this German vodka hits all the right notes. The standout factor here is the mind-boggling value for money. You’ll find it on the shelves at Lidl for just over £10! For that price tag, it has a really clean feel, good smoothness and softness, and a warm dryness to the finish, earning it impressive awards at competitions. Don’t get us wrong, it isn’t an incredible premium vodka, but when it comes to value, it’s unstoppable.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £11.99

J.J Whitley Blue Raspberry Vodka

J.J Whitley have a number of intriguing flavoured vodkas, such as Toffee Popcorn, Strawberry Cheesecake and this, Blue Raspberry… which is getting people talking. The sweet raspberry is instantly noticeable with the fruity tang following in tow. Sure, it hasn’t got the delicate, nuanced elegance of some high end vodkas, but it’s a fantastic versatile and smooth vodka with fun, fruity flavour and no artificial sweetener.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 35%
Find here: £15 (usually more!)

SKYY Vodka

This cobalt blue bottle stands out a mile off. SKYY have been undergoing something of a rebrand over the past few years, refreshing their vodka offering. Pacific minerals from San Francisco, where the brand is founded, enrich the liquid with freshness and unique character. The mouthfeel is very light and airy with gentle pepper and sweetness. It’s solid, neutral vodka that punches above its price point.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £18 (usually more!)

Wyborowa Vodka

Ever popular, this Polish gem was first produced in 1927, and still to this day, every single drop is made there. International awards have been plentiful for almost all of that time, rising to the top of the value categories. There’s a subtle pecan flavour and sweetness thanks to Polish rye, with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s cemented its place in vodka heritage, and is great value for money around that £20 mark.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £18.06

Au Vodka

If one vodka bottle has caught your eye on the shelves, then it’s probably this. Beyond the glimmering gold bottle, this might just be the most talked about vodka in the world. With the help of TikTok fame, ‘Gold Gang’ celebrity endorsements and trendy innovations like colour changing, this vodka is very popular, particularly with younger drinkers. But what about the liquid itself? Well, that contributes towards its staying power too, as it’s 5 times distilled, charcoal filtered and finishes in a high-pressure golf filter chamber. The branding might be love or hate, but the vodka has a pleasing neutrality.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £29.95

Grey Goose Vodka

Grey Goose is one of the most well-known and popular premium vodkas available everywhere, and for good reason. French inside and out, they use winter wheat local to the distillery, before distilling in Picardy and filtering in Cognac. Even Champagne region limestone-filtered water is used. Endless purification happens before the bottle and cork are macerated in the vodka. All of this effort pays off, with gentle floral aromas, creamy flavour, and no burn whatsoever.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £35.88 (usually more!)

Elit Vodka

Stepping up in price, this ultra-premium Latvian vodka has been making a splash, not least of all since dominating The Beverage Testing Institute’s awards every year. Their freeze filtration is patented, which is rare amongst vodka producers. The vodka is filtered at -18 degrees Celsius, delivering what might be the smoothest vodka in the world. Aniseed and spice bring some supple flavour amongst the creamy mouthfeel. If you want to try vodka that’s guaranteed to be super smooth and a world away from cheap throatburner, this is it.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £46.39

Did you know that white tea and vodka can be a really delicious mix? Perhaps try one of the above with it, or for other tea and alcohol pairings that will surprise you, go here!

From Clooney To Crawford, From Casimigos To Casamigas: A New Jalepeño-Infused Tequila

In this new world of celebrity drinks, Casamigos is probably the biggest success story of the lot. Fronted, quite gorgeously, by George Clooney, it proved itself to be way more than just a bottle with a name attached. So much so that drinks giant Diageo acquired the brand for eye watering sums in 2017 making Clooney the highest paid actor that year. Who knows how much involvement he has these days, but that doesn’t stop Casamigos teaming up with another pretty face – legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford.

“As much as I love Casamigos, my go to drink for a fun night is a skinny, spicy margarita,” she said, which explains the switch up with this new tequila. Jalapeño peppers are added to the 100% Blue Weber agave blanco for a tingle of the tongue and naturally spicy flavour, making the increasingly popular Spicy Margarita much easier to make in a hurry.

Cindy’s involvement rings even more changes however, as you can see from the glamorised label. The ‘o’ in Casamigos has been replaced by an ‘a’, turning the word from masculine to feminine. You’ll also find red ink, flames, lips, and Crawford’s signature adorning the design. This collaboration makes all the more sense when you discover that Rande Gerber, who kickstarted Casamigos with Clooney, also happens to be married to Cindy Crawford! It’s a small world (if you’re rich and famous!)

Casamigas Jalapeño Tequila appears to only be available in the US for the time being, priced at $49.99, but we’re sure it’ll be widely available soon if they’re previous releases are anything to go by.

What is Masturbitter?

No, that isn’t a typo or a new niche style of German beer, it’s a limited-edition craft beer with one aim in mind – to break down the taboos of male sex toys and sexual wellness.

Over recent decades, there has been an increase in women’s confidence and comfortability to discuss sexual pleasure in an open way, but for many men it remains a private no-go topic. Or rather, the topic itself is spoken about, but with a layer of humour or irony.

Luxury sexual wellness brand LELO has conducted research which shows almost 60% of men don’t feel comfortable talking to their friends about these topics, despite nearly half admitting to using them. But when discussing matters over a pint, men said they did feel more inclined to open up. This sparked a stigma-breaking idea.

Teaming up with the Great Beyond Brewing Company in Hoxton, London, LELO created this bold, new craft beer, and with the intriguing name, stand out sexual design and statistics on the can itself, there’s no escaping the topic when sharing these with your mates.

It might just be a beer, but by triggering conversations like these, forward steps are being taken towards a deeper, modern understanding of masculinity and more honest, open relationships between men. After all, the humble chat over a pint has been the precursor to so many intimate conversations between men, but there’s one kind of intimacy that’s been missing.

If you want to get yourself a Masturbitter (we never thought we’d been saying that), then they’re available directly from the brewery here for £4.29!

The Top 5 Bars In The World Reinventing The Naked Whisky Sour Cocktail

The Whisky Sour has been reimagined countless times, so when Naked Malt picked out the five winners of its Live Naked Bar Swap, you know the cocktail recipes are something special.

Winners from France, Denmark, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and South Korea rose to the top of the rigorous three-stage competition, reinterpreting a Naked Whisky Sour in unique and special ways. The winners will now swap bars and continue their mixology journeys.

The only ingredient the winning cocktails have in common is the award-winning whisky itself, Naked Malt – a blended malt matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry oak imparting rich fruits and soft spice. The recipes below are, as expected, a little more complex than usual, but if you’re feeling brave then why not have a go? Or experiment with your own riffs using local ingredients… that’s what these bartenders did, and now they’re winning international competitions!

Cuckoo Bar, Taiwan – The Naked Feast

Opposite Chihkan Tower in Tainan, Cuckoo Bar is a clock-themed bistro focusing on classic and creative cocktails. Their winning cocktail, The Naked Feast, is inspired by the young people of today returning to their hometowns and farming, particularly in remote villages. Various local teas, grapes and flowers provide deep, rich, and completely unique flavours. It might be a challenge to recreate at home, but how about your own version?

Ingredients
40ml Naked Malt
20ml daylily flower-buds flavoured whisky
15ml grape leaves sour mix
15ml fresh lemon juice
10ml simple syrup
daylily foam topping

Method
To make the flavoured whisky, combine 10g of dried daylily with 100ml of Naked Malt and sous vide for 15 minutes on a low heat. Add all the liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker and follow with ice. Shake well and strain into your glass. Finally, top up with flavoured foam and you’re all done.

Fitz’s Bar, Amsterdam – Naked Champagne Sour

This upbeat speakeasy sanctuary provides incredible views from within the Pillows Hotel in the Dutch capital. They’ve combined the sweeter sherry notes of Naked Malt with razor Champagne acidity and warming tonka bean syrup. If you’ve never had tonka bean syrup, it brings a vanilla and roasted caramel flavour so the balance between everything here sounds delicious.

Ingredients
60ml Naked Malt
25ml Champagne acid
25ml super tonka syrup
2 dashes saline solution
Oyster leaf (garnish)

 Method
All the work has been done, so combine everything in a shaker, strain and pour. Channel a master bartender when delicately poising your oyster leaf garnish and you’re good to go.

The Cambridge Public House, Paris – Naked Beets in Wonderland

As hinted at by the name, The Cambridge is built on the idea of the great British pub, with simple interiors and laid-back service. Behind this disarming image though is exceptional food and drink, hence the prestigious reputation. They’ve gone in a slightly difference direction with a focus on seasonal, local produce, reused ingredients, and a stirred and emulsifier-free Sour. Local beets are stewed in reused coffee for example. Eco-friendly, inventive, and crucially, divine.

Ingredients
40ml Naked Malt
30ml beets & reused coffee cordial
2.5ml Noix de la St Jan liquor
5ml walnut vinegar
5ml verjus
10ml Oloroso sherry
coffee meringue (garnish) 

Method
As we mentioned no shaking, so add your cordial, your tiny dash of Noix de la St Jan, the walnut vinegar, verjus, sherry, Naked Malt and finally, some ice. Give everything a good stir and if you want to recreate it exactly, finish with a coffee meringue on top.

Ruby, Copenhagen – Small Connections Sour

Ruby in the Danish capital boasts two styles – a modern Scandinavian front room, and a darker lounge behind that. It’s become quite the hit with cocktail connoisseurs, and this creation is as seasonal as it gets, with honey, fungus, and apple. Apple and honey are blended and matured for a week, Whey, as the acidic by-product of yoghurt brings balance before everything is shaken. Crisp, aromatic, rich, earthy, and packed full of flavours.

Ingredients
40ml Naked Malt
20ml whey
15ml mushroom danica
15ml black apple honey
5ml blackberry vinegar
5ml apple skin

Method
Give it a quick and strong shake. Strain over an ice block. Then it’s finished with a cute little glazed cocktail apple.

Zest, Seoul – When the Persimmon’s Naked

The maestros at fine-dining Bar Zest looked at Naked Malt’s rich fruits and paired those flavours up with persimmons. In Korea, there are many of these trees and when they’re left out in winter, they become dried. But if they’re taken inside, they soften. When spring comes around, fermentation begins inside the persimmon’s clay jar (the dok). This interesting recipe uses all forms of persimmon, which has a unique flavour – a silk, rich and tangy mix of mango and peppers. Isn’t it a thing of beauty?

Ingredients
50ml Naked Malt
25ml Jeju tangerine juice
37.5ml Kombu Fermented Persimmon
25ml Soft Persimmon Compote
Dried Persimmon (save some for garnish)

Method
This is another recipe where all the hard work is getting the ingredients. Shake everything with ice and garnish with dried persimmon.

For more whiskey sour recipes, check out our guide here!

The First World Class Cocktail Festival in the UK Is Here

From the 9th March- 30th April, cocktails will be shaken up and down the country for the inaugural World Class Cocktail Festival in Great Britain. 20 towns and cities including Bristol, Birmingham, London and Liverpool each have a designated bar serving a completely bespoke, limited-edition selection of three cocktails.

And these aren’t any cocktails. They are created by the Top 100 Bartenders in the UK as part of Diageo World Class, the most prestigious platform for mixology masters to display their passion and skill. The entries have already been cut down to 100, but this opportunity to compete against one another serving three cocktails will see a lucky 20 take on the Global Finals in Shanghai later in the year.

Gin lovers can look forward to an award-winning small batch Tanqueray No. TEN cocktail, whisky fans can order a concoction starring the Speyside wonder that is The Singleton 12-Year-Old, and there’s no disappointment for the mocktail drinkers either with a refreshing Seedlip creation. What story the competing bartenders choose to tell with the ingredients can only be found out by paying a visit to your nearest participating bar.

For a full list of those and more information on this highly competitive competition and celebration of everything cocktails, go here.

Oh, and for those of you in London, there are free cocktail masterclasses as part of the festival! Head to The Bar at Home in Oxford Circus from the 19th March – 30th April to have your flavour preferences analysed (you may be part of the 25% of the population who are ‘super tasters!), receive a complimentary world class cocktail and get limited-time discounts on bottles, personalisation and gifts – not bad at all.

Shakers at the ready, let the games commence!

Why Puerto de Indias Are Releasing An ‘Unfair’ Blackberry Gin

It’s not often that you’ll find us praising a bottle of booze being decreased in size, but on this occasion the point it’s making is well worth it.

Seville-based Puerto de Indias are rolling out special editions of their tasty Blackberry Gin, but with 14.3% less liquid inside than usual. Perhaps you’re wondering how they arrived at such a specific number? Well, it reflects the ONS figures that women earn, on average, 14.3% less than men per hour.

Set for a release on International Women’s Day this Friday 8th March, journalists, bartenders, and influencers will be sent these ‘unfair’ bottles to draw attention to the gender gap issue. Whether it’s the issue of women being paid less for the same work or not being given equal opportunities in various industries, this bottle and IWD is a reminder of the work still to be done.

To get people shouting about it, Puerto de Indias are encouraging #shakeforpayequality, where you can join in by making a cocktail and raising your glass to women.  Sticking with the blackberry gin as it was a women-led creation, you can whip up their delicious Black Mojito starring it.

As well as rolling up their sleeves when it comes to the big issues, their gin is award-winning for a reason. They’ve blazed a trail with premium berry gins, first with their renowned strawberry and now with this. If you want to join us with a Black Mojito this Friday, this is how you make it!

Ingredients
50ml Puerto de Indias Blackberry Gin
3 wedges of lime
2 or 3 good-sized blackberries
8 spearmint leaves
Sprinkling of sugar
Soda or sparkling water

Method
Take a fairly wide glass and drop your lime, spearmint, and blackberries into it, along with a teaspoon or so of sugar to let it macerate. Then the good stuff, pour in the beautiful Blackberry Gin and top up with some bubbles - soda or sparkling water. Cheers!

It doesn’t look like the special edition of the bottle is available to buy, but you can find the full-size bottle at a number of retailers including Master of Malt here, where it’s currently on offer for £26.95!

Meet Our DRINKLUSIVE Mentees!

We are absolutely delighted to introduce you to our first ever DRINKLUSIVE mentees. Over the next six months, they will embark on the first Inclusivity Mentorship of its kind in the drinks space, with the aim of giving people from all walks of life the chance to make the drinks industry their home.

Our fabulous mentees below will be learning from our industry leading DRINKLUSIVE mentors, working towards their WSET qualifications, building their personal brand and network, getting access to work experience, and creating written and social content not only here at The Three Drinkers, but also for The Independent and JancisRobinson.com.

We can’t wait for you to see more from DRINKLUSIVE and the mentees soon, but for now, here they are!

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Fowwaz Ansari

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Fowwaz was born in the UK but grew up in Pakistan before returning to attend university when he was 18. It was during his studies that he grew an affinity for bartending whilst working in various pubs and bars part-time. Upon graduation, rather than going down the graduate jobs route, he opted for a career behind the stick. Since doing so, his passion for food and drinks has only increased in breadth and depth. Having sharpened his senses for the past 8 years in the industry, he is currently taking on the challenge of being head bartender at one of Edinburgh's most exciting up-and-coming independent bars; Bittersweet Leith. When coming up with signature drinks for the bar, Fowwaz very often turns his head to his heritage and the culinary culture that surrounds it for inspiration and you can often find him nose-deep in a book looking to expand his knowledge.

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Latoya Austin

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Latoya grew up as a cocktail lover due to her upbringing where Caribbean cocktails such as rum punch, sorrel and rum were produced for special occasions. She was introduced to the world of wine through her studies of French at school and university and her interest grew further through her travels leading her to become a travel writer alongside her regular day job. When journeying around the world, she can often be found sampling local traditional drinks such as soju in South Korea. Latoya is particularly interested in aspects of wine tourism and during the lockdowns she took the opportunity to discover more of the local English vineyards within the burgeoning English wine scene. She’d love to learn more about the lesser-known wine regions, such as Uruguay, Bulgaria and more.

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Miley Kendrick

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Miley fell head over heels for bartending the second she stepped behind a bar at the young age of eighteen, where she underwent about the most intense training possible from old school cocktail bar, Be at One. Slinging drinks is a natural fit for a musician and frontwoman, providing a stage to be herself, create, and be playful. Since making the move to independent bars in 2021, Miley has won two UK cocktail competitions and competed on a global scale in Sweden and Mexico. Everything Miley does is a means to creating the most whimsical life possible for herself; her drive to fill her world with art fuels her passion for writing, crafting cocktails, or playing guitar.

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Roberta Jerram

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Robbie’s love for botanicals and mixology was inherited from the female drink-makers in her family, her Mum and Nans. She began her journey in drinks working behind the bar in local Hampshire pubs, before moving on to moonlighting as a bartender at a London hotel during her student years. Her passion for gin truly blossomed in her 20s, when she landed her dream job as a flight attendant serving G&Ts to British holidaymakers at 30,000 feet. Now in her 50s, her love for gin and botanicals has remained constant and she enjoys nothing more than sharing her knowledge and gin cocktails with her gin pals, family and friends. You can find Robbie on social media @thefairyginmother and very soon on her Gin App which will be launching in March 2024 @ginpodapp.

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Will Wong

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Previously a management consultant and theatre director, Will is now a professional photographer who began shooting wine and glassware seriously during the Covid lockdowns. If wine is liquid geography or poetry, the ultimate litmus tests for him are whether the beverage takes you down memory lane, or better still, transports you to a time and place you have never been. His goal is to tell compelling stories about the people and places behind the labels. Being a certified Climate Aware Photographer, he enjoys researching how vines and winemaking are adapting to and evolving with our changing climate. When he’s not enjoying press tastings, print magazines or Formula One, you will find Will sharing his experiences of food & wine/spirits pairings on his Instagram account @fino_vino_malts.

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Zach Sapato

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Zach Sapato is a bartender and intentional experience designer from the US, who now calls Scotland home. He is a US & UK National Swizzle Cocktail Champion - as well as holding four other US & UK national cocktail titles. In recognition of his efforts founding HospoHang - a hospitality community collective based in Glasgow - Zach was given the Hospitality Hero award from the Scottish Licensed Trade. He has done educational seminars at international conferences on Intentional Experience Design and Hospitality Community Building. He really likes cool pals, genuine hospitality, charity shops, tater tots, and blue drinks. You'll probably like him.

If you are interested in becoming a DRINKLUSIVE mentor then click here to find out more.

Penfolds Launches New Champagne

When it comes to high-quality Australian wine, Penfolds is the name that springs to mind for us and for many others no doubt.

In 1844, Dr. Chrstopher Penfold and wife, Mary Penfold made the daunting move from England all the way over to Australia. Crucially, they stopped at France for vine cuttings and when these were planted at the Magill Estate near Adelaide, Penfolds was born. To celebrate their 180th birthday this year, they’ve given quite the present to themselves and us.

We’re big fans of Penfolds because they are just so reliable, no matter your budget. Indeed, they’ve provided many a wine for our Bring a Bottle podcast. If you see a Penfolds bottle on a shelf, you know that what’s inside won’t disappoint… and there really aren’t that many producers you can say that about.

We’ve luxuriated in their fantastic Shiraz range for a long time, but this isn’t about classic Aussie reds, this is about bubbles. More specifically, the Penfolds New Cuvée Brut Champagne. Working with Champagne Thiénot and expanding their links with France that started everything 180 years ago, Penfolds’ Chief Winemaker Peter Gago and Champagne Thiénot’s Chef de Cave Nicolas Uriel have conceived the project.

Not only did Penfolds originate with French vines, but legendary winemaker Max Schubert also learnt from Bordeaux ideas and techniques for Penfold’s iconic 1951 Grange, their most famous wine. All these years later, and the focus remains on intertwining French methods with Penfold’s classic house style.

This new Champagne follows Penfolds’ inaugural release of three 2012 vintage Champagnes at The Ritz Paris in 2019. Since then, they’ve been working at getting increasingly involved with on-the-ground winemaking in France, setting up at La Place de Bordeaux, Château Cambon la Pelouse and others. So, whilst this release looks back and celebrates 180 years of winemaking, it also seems like the beginning of something very exciting (and delicious).

The product of this luxury collaboration will be released across the globe later in the year in September 2024, expected to price at around $79 Australian Dollars, around £41.