27 October 2010

Den Tredje Pinky Vodka

As the title states for those of you that speak Svenska, this is my third review of Pinky, the strawberry and rose petal-infused vodka from the land of the Vikings that I discovered via a sample last year. Each time I receive a new bottle, I try to think up some interesting cocktails to make with it. Previous reviews are here and here. I enjoy it for two very important reasons: it is actually a wonderful flavored vodka, not just something cheap and sweet thrown into a novelty bottle; and secondly, the ladies love it.

Here's two original cocktails using this vodka:

Benito's Last Gasp of Summer
1/3 cup Watermelon Cubes
1/2 oz. Limoncello
2 oz. Pinky Vodka

Combine the watermelon and Limoncello in the cocktail shaker, and use a muddler to thoroughly crush the watermelon. Add the Vodka, add ice, and shake and strain to serve.

Watermelon is available year-round these days, and you might find yourself with a fruit platter that has a few uneaten cubes of watermelon. This is a great way to use up a few leftovers for a single cocktail, or much more for a group. It's interesting because with different sips you get lemon, watermelon, or strawberry, all of which I associate with summer.

Alternate: If you don't have any Limoncello and also want a lighter cocktail, combine the Vodka and melon and then shake and strain. Top off with Sprite or 7-Up, or even lemon-flavored sparkling water.

In the late 18th Century, Thomas Lawrence painted Pinkie and Thomas Gainsborough painted The Blue Boy. A cocktail named after the former would be far too easy, but based on the common pairing of the two paintings together, I thought I could capture some of that steel blue color using Pinky Vodka. There are many cocktails out there called Blue Boy, so I will call this one...

Benito's Gainsborough Cocktail*
2 oz. Pinky Vodka
½ oz. White Vermouth
A few drops of Blue Curaçao

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly, and strain into a cocktail glass. This is an odd twist on the Vodka Martini. Normally I'm a gin purist, but sometimes you want room for other flavors to show through. It only takes a few drops of the blue liqueur to go from pink to lavender to blue, so go easy when you're mixing. The Curaçao gives a nice orange tang to the various strawberry/floral/grape flavors you get from the Vodka and the Vermouth.

*Note that "Gainsborough cocktail" crops up in some old references, where cocktail refers to a mixed breed racing horse. Out of all the competing etymologies for the word, I've always preferred this explanation. It makes more sense than a bunch of garnish sticking out of the glass like a rooster's tail.


Note: This vodka was received as a sample.

2 comments:

Rusty said...

Frankly, Benito, I prefer my (good) vodka neat, but the Last Gasp of Summer made my mouth water, especially now that summer really does seem to have departed Northern California.

Benito said...

Rusty,

I'm not a huge vodka fan--I lean more towards gin when it comes to the clear spirits, but what I like about the Pinky is that it was blended by wine enthusiasts, and most importantly, it's not sweet. The flavor is subtle but present, and in the right cocktail it performs beautifully.

Cheers,
Benito