Vodka: the spirit of the iceUsually Vodka is considered the Cinderella of the spirits. Nevertheless Vodka has a long tradition and, when the raw materials are of high quality, is another “water of life” (like acquavite in Italy or whisk-e-y in Scotland and Ireland) with a great versatility and enjoyable both in cocktails and plain. Vodka is a spirit made from grain or - later - potato. The very first mention of the work “Vodka” is in a Polish document and it dates to 1405. And Russia and Poland vie for the origin of Vodka, but the archetypal vodka, with a definitely lower alcohol volume - around 14% while now it is 40% - run (pun not intended) in many areas of the medieval northern Europe: Russia and Poland, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine. The first “recipe” for rye Vodka dates to 1693 and it is Polish again. As for the other spirits at Alessi you can find a fine selection of some of the best Vodka. Let’s start with Beluga Vodka from the Mariinsk Distillery, Siberia. The key to the superb quality of Beluga Vodka is the purity of the grain malt and of the water from artesian wells. Filtering (up to five times for the Beluga Gold Line) and maturation (up to three months) are the icing of the top. If you think that France is too busy with Cognac and Champagne to give you a great Vodka, think again! Alpha Noble is a sextuple distilled French grain Vodka from a Distillery in Fougerolles, Vosges Mountains. Back to Russia with Belenkaya Vodka for an unusual product: the Belenky Cedar with cedar pine nuts kernels added. With the Chopin Potato quadruple distilled Vodka we are finally - of course - in Poland. Not grain, this time, but potatoes: seven pounds of potatoes per bottle! Vodka cocktails Usually served chilled but with neither ice nor water, Vodka is the main character of some interesting cocktails: classics as Cosmopolitan or Bloody Mary, or the refreshing Moscow Mule with ginger beer.