For a spirit that’s so cool and subtle, vodka has a past that’s the stuff of legend. From Ivan the Terrible to James Bond, it has made an indelible mark
When you think of vodka, what springs to mind? Student house parties and pub crawls, or perhaps sophisticated cocktail evenings and long summer nights drinking passion fruit martini cocktails?
Vodka has been imbued with all manner of meaning over its 900-year history, from piety and power to sex and sophistication. More than a mere spirit, it’s ingrained in folk remedies, popular culture, celebratory traditions and ritual; you shouldn’t be surprised, then, that vodka has a long, fascinating and international story that is as diverse as its drinkers …
From Russia with love
Vodka is said to have started life as a potent medicinal elixir produced by medieval monks in Russia (or, some argue, Poland). In the 1470s the Russian Grand Prince Ivan III, spotting its potential, established the first state vodka monopoly, and the spirit became a vital income-generator for the national coffers. His grandson, Ivan the Terrible, gave his murderous police force, the Oprichniki, exclusive access to taverns in Moscow where vodka was served in abundance.
Two centuries later, Catherine the Great recognised the power of vodka and kept the control of vodka distillation solidly in the hands of the aristocrats; Russian nobles enjoyed this privilege for more than 100 years.
The Hollywood effect
For centuries, eastern Europe remained the heartland of vodka, but the spirit finally captured the heart of America thanks, ironically, to prohibition. Bartenders who left to find work in Europe in the 1920s came across vodka and, returning home in the 1930s, spread the word stateside. For Hollywood stars who didn’t want to be seen drinking, vodka’s subtle taste and lack of smell was a boon, and the 1940s invention of the Moscow mule cocktail, with ginger beer and (originally) lemons, helped widen the spirit’s appeal.
Embraced by Hollywood, the drink was quickly glamorised and in 1947 Joan Crawford is famously said to have hosted a party where she only served vodka and champagne, sealing the spirit’s chic status. It was around this time that the martini cocktail was emerging, with the first published recipe appearing in David Embury’s 1948 cocktail recipe book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.
By 1954 vodka sales hit 1.1m cases worldwide – up from 40,000 just four years earlier – signalling an incredible rise in demand and appeal. There was an explosion in the popularity of vodka cocktails too: from the bloody mary in the 1930s, to the flame of love in the 70s and the espresso martini cocktail in the 80s, each brought vodka to new audiences, broadening the spirit’s appeal.
A variation of the dry martini was first made famous by its inclusion in Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel Casino Royale, when Bond gives exacting instructions to a casino bartender, advising that the drink would be better made with grain-based vodka.
Bond did drink other cocktails, but his vodka martini proved enduring especially on screen. When, in the 1964 film Goldfinger, Bond delivered the oft-quoted line “shaken, not stirred”, he confirmed the vodka martini as a timeless classic that evokes sensual, smooth appeal.
It is not just special agents and Hollywood stars who have popularised vodka in cocktails. In the late 1990s, the sight of Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw with the cosmopolitan, her signature cocktail, spurred a generation of independent, upwardly mobile women to start sipping cocktails once again.
Birth of an icon
The process of vodka-making is a seemingly simple one, but the alchemy of creating good vodka lies with the distiller who will define the strength and character of the end product. Many modern distillers look to eliminate any flavour imparted from the base ingredients, but some traditionalists prefer vodkas that retain the base ingredient notes and thus offer a more distinctive character.
One such is Grey Goose, which takes the traditional approach of single distillation. Using just two ingredients: soft single-origin Picardy winter wheat and spring water from its own aquifer in Gensac-la-Pallue in Cognac, it focuses on quality and consistency to capture the flavour profile for which it’s known in cocktail bars around the world: fresh lemon, almond and toasted brioche, with a little pepper and anise on the finish.
For such an iconic spirit, it’s a relatively recent arrival on the scene, having been created in 1997. It was the brainchild of Sidney Frank, an American who’d spent his life working in the liquor industry. In the mid-1990s, he noticed the growing appetite for vodka, but saw there was a gap in the market for one that could be both sipped neat and enjoyed in a martini cocktail.
Frank wanted to create a quality vodka that was an expression of its core ingredient, so he approached François Thibault, the maître de chai at a cognac distillers and the undisputed master when it came to producing and creating cognacs. Thibault poured his expertise and undisputed flair into the new vodka, and Grey Goose was born, quickly establishing itself as one that stood out from the crowd. Even today, Thibault closely oversees the production of every batch, tasting each one for quality and consistency.
Vodka is the most subtle of spirits, so it takes time to find and appreciate its tasting notes and characteristics. But search, and you shall find. As Thibault likes to say: “From simplicity comes complexity.”
Smoky and indulgent, the espresso martini cocktail is a perfect nightcap or fun afternoon treat. Serves one.
50ml Grey Goose Vodka
30ml single origin espresso
20ml coffee liqueur
A pinch of salt (optional)
Three coffee beans
Add the Grey Goose Vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur to a shaker with ice. Add a pinch of salt, if you like. Shake briskly and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with three coffee beans. For an added touch of luxury, top with graded rich dark chocolate shavings and serve alongside chocolate-covered almonds or raisins.
Try Grey Goose Vodka for yourself to find out how its quality and flavour make every cocktail a special occasion
https://www.theguardian.com/vive-la-vodka/2021/nov/05/the-900-year-history-of-vodka-how-a-medieval-elixir-became-the-toast-of-hollywood?CMP=GLabs&utm_medium=sfbk&utm_source=pdscl&utm_campaign=Glabs&fbclid=IwAR2hhUrAkOV0otaShsx6f6pjYYvwwU5wzsEz1mFHJv723kvaUcrl5UW3Yo4#Echobox=1636385525
A series of breathtaking pictures shortlisted for a top wildlife photography award include a humpback whale leaping from the sea in California, an eagle fighting a fox in Japan, and bighorn rams coming to blows in Canada.
The humpback whale performed the stunt for snapper Douglas Croft in California's Monterey Bay as it breached meters from a fisherman's boat, towering above the vessel as it leapt out of the sea.
Another picture, of a beautiful snowy owl flying towards the camera in Missaukee County, Michigan was captured by 14-year-old bird lover and photographer John Fortener while he was sitting in his mother's car.
A golden snub-nosed monkey was snapped clinging to its mother in China as she balanced on a thin branch.
Similarly, a baby elephant took centre stage in a 'fortress of mighty legs' during a Kenyan sunrise as the herd marched for a morning feats. Elephants position their young in the middle of the herd for protection.
Also in Kenya, a band of flamingos was pictured from a helicopter flying over a lake where saline expanse minerals catch the sunlight, forming swirls across the water. In Japan, an eagle was pictured fending off a red fox - the duelling pair contrasted against the snow behind them.
The National Wildlife Magazine's photo contest had over 40,000 entries. The Grand Prize winner of the 2021 contest was an orangutan escaping flooded forest floor, highlighting the impact deforestation has on wildlife.
Thomas Vijayan caught the breathtaking snap, which shows a male orangutan climbing up a tree from a flooded forest floor that reflects the sky, in Borneo, Indonesia.
A huge humpback whale breaches off a boat's stern in California's Monterey Bay. The photographer, on another boat, was able to capture the moment as the whale towered above the boat, creating this dramatic perspective
A male orangutan climbs up a tree, away from a flooded forest below him. The clear water below reflects the sky in Borneo, Indonesia. The area of forest is set aside to protect the endangered primates, whose habitat is being destroyed for palm oil plantations
On the frozen shores of Hokkaido Island in the far north of Japan, a white eagle is photographed fighting a brazen red fox that moved in to try and grab a bite of the eagle's food. In the region, competition for food can breed such conflict
A young, golden snub-nosed monkey clings to its more sure-footed mother as she makes her way through the tree branches is China’s Qinling Mountains. She looks up, preparing to leap to the next branch
A pair of bighorn rams native to North America crash their horns together in an age-old dance of dominance. The photographer captured a moment of near-perfect symmetry as the two rams come together, locked in eye contact
An early morning scene in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve shows a group of elephants moving towards the Musiara Marsh for a morning feast, with a small baby elephant trotting amongst the herd, that surrounds its young for protection
This picture, taken by 14-year-old John Fortener in Missaukee County, Michigan, captures the moment a stunning snowy owl took flight towards him as he photographed the bird in a field
A crab-eating macaques live Lopburi, Thailand climbs along the top of a rusty fence as a gust of wind picks up a piece of old newspaper, which flies into the money's face for a fleeting moment, captured in this photograph. Some 4,500 of the animals live in Lopburi, and early in the pandemic became a nuisance to the locals when food - usually supplied by tourists - dried up
This larval blanket octopus is only about the size of a golf ball, and the photographer was using nothing but a small handheld torch to search out small sea creatures about 30 feet below the surface in Anilao in the Philippines
A green bottle fly lands on the remains of a groundhog, likely killed by a car in Sainte-Adèle, Québec, Canada
This photograph was captured by 16-year-old photographer Addie Leimroth, while he was searching in the Arizona desert for snakes. he found this snake, a gopher snake, wound within the spines of an ocotillo plant
Leaving a weave of footprints in the snow behind them, a group of Tibetan antelopes walk up the slope of a sand dune in China's harsh, high-elevation Kumukuli Desert, known to many as being a 'no-man's land'
A graceful flock of flamingos fly in formation above Kenya’s Lake Magadi, a saline expanse whose minerals catch the sunlight, forming swirls across the water. The photographer captured this image from above in a helicopter
A sea anemone shines like a jewel surrounded by colorful pebbles in a tide pool on Bates Beach in central California
This photograph from St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in Florida shows a wild roseate spoonbill nesting near a walkway, that allowed the photographer to get up close and take this picture as the perfect light came over it. The image captures the variety of colors in the bird's feathers
The photographer behind this image stopped t take in the view and build a small snowman on a ridgeline in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park. Perhaps thinking it was food, this raven swooped down to inspect the creation
The above four photographs are from a series that won the best portfolio award in the National Wildlife Photo Contest. The photographer began visiting public gardens during the coronavirus lockdown, and captures this series of macro images showing pollinators, such as bees (top three) and a Sphecid wasp (bottom)
This landscape shot of Kauai, Hawaii won the Landscapes & Plants category of the competition. The photographer described the conditions over the iconic Na Pali Coast as 'once in a lifetime', with a passing storm and sunset creating incredible light
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10246497/Humpback-whale-leaps-sea-breathtaking-photograph-shortlisted-wildlife-prize.html
