So I decided to try some vodka cocktails, and discovered the debate over which base ingredient makes the best vodka, and then discovered Chopin makes these 3 single ingredient vodkas that should allow me to truly taste the difference between each. I couldn’t find all 3 of these locally, so I just ordered off their website. Fun fact, for whatever reason the wheat and rye (but not the potato) are the same price regardless of size, so while I had intended to just get 3 750s, I got 2 1.75s and a 750 for the same price, or in other words, 2 full liters of free vodka. So anyway, I’ll sample this all individually, chilled and neat first, then make cocktails with each to see if I can even tell a difference.
Wheat:
Smells of crackers and booze, tastes lightly sweet with with very subtle notes of apple, honey, and wheat bread, fades into a lightly peppery finish with a light burn. It is sippable and seems about as flavorful as vodka can get with a nice balance, but it’s all somewhat overshadowed by the alcohol.
Rye:
Smells of black pepper, pumpernickel, and booze, tastes spicy with black pepper, rye, and perhaps a hint of cherry fades to pumpernickel, black pepper, and bitter herbs with a light burn. Bolder than the wheat, but also fairly one dimensional.
Potato:
Smells of fresh cut potatoes, stewed potatoes, lightly floral, tastes fruity and lightly acidic with pear, salt and vinegar potato chips, and rosemary, fading into black pepper, herbal hops, and savory roasted potatoes with and almost no burn. Overall this is definitely the best of the 3, and has a noticeably slicker, almost oily mouth feel. I am very intrigued by this one and this is actually a spirit I think is worth sipping neat.
COCKTAILS
Vodka Martini
5:1 “naked” style chilled with no ice, garnished with lemon twist.
Wheat: surprisingly fruity and smooth, notes of green apple and pear in addition to the lemon and white wine.
Rye: very smooth but still very peppery and one dimensional, completely overpowering the vermouth.
Potato: smooth and less viscous, but also I mostly just taste the potato vodka with a hint of lemon. The nuance of the wheat is my favorite here.
BONUS ROUND:
15:1 shaken with ice and strained with lemon twist featuring Chopin Rye: the rye is still the dominant flavor, but the balance is much better, with the licorice and white win notes filling in the gaps and making for a much more interesting drink.
2:1 “wet” stirred with ice with lemon twist featuring Chopin Potato: the vermouth is the star her, however the earthyness of the vodka adds depth and a balanced finish to the bright and herbal vermouth.
Vesper Martini shaken, not stirred with lemon twist featuring St. George Terroir Gin, Chopin Wheat Vodka, & Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth: gin forward, but the delicate wheat vodka and vermouth still can be tasted underneath. An incredibly nuanced and structured cocktail, definitely a preferred martini recipe for my palate.
Screwdriver
Made to Difford’s recipe.
Wheat: orange juice, orange bitters, and a hint of alcohol, but can’t taste any nuanced flavors, maybe vanilla?
Rye: a nice interplay between the peppery vodka, the spiced bitters, and the sweet orange juice. Surprisingly balanced.
Potato: perfectly balanced between earthy and sweet, I can’t even pick out individual ingredients, it’s just a flavored orange juice and absolutely perfect. The best screwdriver hands down.
Moscow Mule
Wheat: maaaaaaybe some subtle floral notes underneath it all, but otherwise the vodka is lost beneath a sea of ginger and lime.
Rye: a bit more vodka flavor this time with the spicy grains and ginger pairing nicely, but it’s still very subtle.
Potato: the thicker body of the vodka gives this drink a little bit of creaminess, and the earthiness of the potatoes really helps to round out and balance the whole cocktail, but ginger are like are still very much the stars of the show here. I’d say I prefer this one over the other vodkas, and it’s a very delicious and drinkable cocktail; perfect for someone who doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. I would have to say however that I prefer dark rum in place of the vodka.
Vodka Tonic
Wheat: citrus and quinine forward with a hint of floral notes from the vodka underneath.
Rye: also citrus and quinine forward, but with a spicy grain finish that isn’t exactly dominant, but balanced and easily discernable.
Potato: surprisingly fruity with notes of green apple, pear, and kiwi in the mix with the lime and quinine. Slightly thicker body as well. I can’t say that it’s better than a gin & tonic, but it is really good and I would probably order it at a bar if I wanted something refreshing but wasn’t in the mood for gin.
Cosmopolitan
Wheat: quite tasty, strong orange aroma and flavors of orange, lime, and cranberry are well structured and balanced. Can’t really pick up on the vodka however.
Rye: virtually the same, maybe a hint of peppery grains in the finish?
Potato: fuller bodied and smoother, not unbalanced but maybe a little more orange forward? I’d say I like this one the best, but I still can’t taste the vodka at all, it just has a better texture.
Cape Codder
Wheat: sweet cranberry with a hint of lime, no real vodka notes.
Rye: no difference from the wheat version.
Potato: fuller bodied, and perhaps just the slightest bit earthy in the finish, but not drastically different. Still, my favorite.
Black Russian
Wheat: sweet coffee with a surprisingly delicate finish; coffee, dark chocolate, subtle hints of the floral vodka notes, and a pleasant warmth across the palate.
Rye: similar with sweet coffee up front, but with a distinct pepperiness in the finish.
Potato: rich, earthy, and smooth with a touch of baked potato skin in the finish. It’s a tough call, but I think the flavors of the rye are a little bit clearer than the potato, and therefore edges out the win here.
White Russian
Wheat: coffee, cream, vanilla, chocolate, but no vodka notes.
Rye: coffee and cream, but also hints of cherry and a little spice in the finish. Intriguing.
Potato: while the difference in body is minimal, the earthiness does work well with the coffee and cream, reminiscent of cinnamon. I’ll go with this one as my favorite.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My favorite vodka of the three is clearly the potato, it’s the best to drink neat, and it’s the best to mix into most cocktails, with the major exception being the wheat for a martini. That being said, vodka cocktails for the most part are about making a drink that doesn’t taste like alcohol, and any one is interchangeable. My favorite cocktail would have to be the Cape Codder honestly, as it’s delicious, simple, and very refreshing. It’s also the only one I tried here where I like it best with vodka. All of the others, martinis I prefer gin, a screwdriver I actually prefer with a spiced rum as it adds a touch of vanilla cream, the best mule is a Dark & Stormy, nothing beats a G&T, a London Cosmopolitan is more complex and interesting, and the Russians can be made better with pretty much any dark spirit in my opinion. But the Cape Codder works best if the cranberries are the star, bright, sweet, a little tart, a little astringent, with just a touch of sour and bitter from the lime. I tried making one with gin as I thought the botanicals would work well with the cranberry but it was just muddled and a little minty, and the oak from any aged spirit would have the same effect.