tnmike1
AK Member
I've recently discovered several items that have made me fall in love with the vodka tonic.
For many years I thought this was a flavorless drink, something you drank when you wanted to hide the fact you were drinking. Then I discovered a combination that made me fall in love with the drink.
First is the vodka--Tito's. Billed as a handmade vodka it is from an old fashioned pot still in a micro distillery in Austin Texas. It's gluten free, no gelatin or sugar added and has won numerous awards internationally among the top vodkas like Crystal Head and Stoli. It's corn based, has a little "body" to it and is great also in a martini. Here in Knoxville I can find it usually for about $27 per handle.
Then for the tonic. I've discovered Fever Tree, a premium tonic from England made from quinine, some aromatics and the sugar is from natural plants. Pricey, again here in Knoxville about $7 for four six ounce bottles. But NOW I've found small batch tonic from Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. This is a concentrate available in 17 oz. bottles. Made of quinine concentrate, citric acid, sugar, lemongrass and orange peel in that order. Price is around $15 per bottle
Ok...pour .75-1oz concentrate of tonic into a highball glass. Squeeze 1/4 to 1/2 lime, 6 oz club soda and 2 to 2/12 oz of vodka. Stir and enjoy.
Really love this and alternate between the Fever Tree and the Jack Rudy concentrate.
Forgot to add....other hidden vodka treasures for me is Russian Standard (a great competitor for Stoli and about the same price) and vodka from Watershed Distillery, a small batch handcrafted vodka from Columbus Ohio "crafted from brain grown in the Midwest " according to the bottle. Priced around $25 for a fifth
For many years I thought this was a flavorless drink, something you drank when you wanted to hide the fact you were drinking. Then I discovered a combination that made me fall in love with the drink.
First is the vodka--Tito's. Billed as a handmade vodka it is from an old fashioned pot still in a micro distillery in Austin Texas. It's gluten free, no gelatin or sugar added and has won numerous awards internationally among the top vodkas like Crystal Head and Stoli. It's corn based, has a little "body" to it and is great also in a martini. Here in Knoxville I can find it usually for about $27 per handle.
Then for the tonic. I've discovered Fever Tree, a premium tonic from England made from quinine, some aromatics and the sugar is from natural plants. Pricey, again here in Knoxville about $7 for four six ounce bottles. But NOW I've found small batch tonic from Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. This is a concentrate available in 17 oz. bottles. Made of quinine concentrate, citric acid, sugar, lemongrass and orange peel in that order. Price is around $15 per bottle
Ok...pour .75-1oz concentrate of tonic into a highball glass. Squeeze 1/4 to 1/2 lime, 6 oz club soda and 2 to 2/12 oz of vodka. Stir and enjoy.
Really love this and alternate between the Fever Tree and the Jack Rudy concentrate.
Forgot to add....other hidden vodka treasures for me is Russian Standard (a great competitor for Stoli and about the same price) and vodka from Watershed Distillery, a small batch handcrafted vodka from Columbus Ohio "crafted from brain grown in the Midwest " according to the bottle. Priced around $25 for a fifth
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