As a general rule, flavored vodka’s (and other spirits) are an anomaly in our collection. It’s not that people don’t enjoy the flavors that manufactures can infuse into their product, but rather that we prefer our ability to use natural ingredients or other modifiers to achieve similar results. Even so, we keep a bottle of Stolichnaya “Stoli Vanil” Vanilla around – because my mother likes it for her chocolate martinis.
Stolichnaya “Stoli Vanil” Vanilla
Stoli Vanil is made from a mix of wheat and rye. To make it vanilla they use a mix of natural vanilla flavors.
Sight: Clear
Smell: There’s a subtly ethanol note and plenty of cake like vanilla / frosting that pulls through.
Sip: The body is syrupy yet thin, while pulling in plenty of vanilla and mild grain / grape ethanol notes.
Savor: The ending lingers with a touch of creamy character and a more bitter ethanol component, while the vanilla hangs out – heading toward extract.
Stoli Vanil ends up being something of a simplistic vodka – heavy on the vanilla and cake like notes. The slight ethanol characteristic isn’t the nicest counterpoint against the sweetness of the vodka. It’s not really great for sipping on, but fortunately – that’s not the point.
Stoli Vanil In Cocktails
That said, for making certain dessert cocktails – it gives a nice little bump to other flavors like chocolate and nuts. It really downplays the sharper notes in a chocolate martini, playing more background. To see how it behaved in a more vodka forward application, I made a simple play on a creamsicle. The combination of Stoli Vanil, orange bitters, simple syrup, and club ends up feeling like more than the sum of it’s parts. A creamy body with subtle bubbliness plays off the vanilla notes and opens up lightly floral with a touch of orange. The richness is palpable, but somehow also feels refreshing.
Final Thoughts
Stoli Vanil is a good vodka to craft cocktails with. While you can create similar flavors with a vanilla syrup and vodka, Stoli Vanil provides a solid creaminess in it’s character that elevates it. It’s certainly not a must have, but there’s no shame in keeping it in your bar.
For more information, head over to Stoli’s Website.