Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains, and potatoes since introduced in Europe in the 1700's. Some modern brands use fruits, honey, or maple sap as the base.
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brands of spirits in the world and is sold in 126 countries.
Finlandia is a brand of vodka produced in Finland. It is made from barley distilled into a neutral spirit in the village of Koskenkorva in Ilmajoki, operated by Finland's Altia Corporation. The distilled alcohol is then transported to a production facility in the village of Rajamäki in Nurmijärvi, about 45 kilometers north of Helsinki. In Rajamäki, the spirit is blended with glacial water, flavored, and bottled.
Pernod Ricard is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis. The world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produces several other types of pastis.
The Vodka Red Bull cocktail is a caffeinated alcoholic drink, a highball cocktail consisting of energy drink Red Bull and varying amounts of vodka. Red Bull has been used as a general mixer in alcoholic beverages in Europe since the 1980s, though not specifically with vodka. However, the drink became especially popular in North America when it began being served at San Francisco's Legendary Butter Bar, which is attributed to being its home in North America, and one of the many places you will still receive Red Bull's "Perfect Serve" of 2 ounces of Vodka with a full 8.4 ounce can of Red Bull.
Koskenkorva Viina is a traditional clear spirit drink (38%) in Finland, produced by Anora Group at the Koskenkorva distillery in Ilmajoki and bottled in Rajamäki, Nurmijärvi.
Cîroc is a brand of alcoholic beverages produced in France since 2003 and distributed by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo. The brand family includes vodka, flavored products containing vodka, and brandy. Since 2007, the marketing and promotion for Cîroc in the United States has been handled by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs in an "equal-share venture" with profits from the brand being split between Combs and Diageo.
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countries, denatured alcohol or denatured rectified spirit may commonly be available as "rectified spirit", as in some countries the retail of rectified alcohol in its non-denatured form is prohibited.
Brännvin is the Swedish term for liquor distilled from potatoes, grain, or (formerly) wood cellulose. It can be plain and colourless, or flavoured with herbs and spices. The term includes vodka and akvavit, but akvavit is always flavored. Beverages labelled brännvin are usually plain and have an alcohol content between 30% and 38%. The word brännvin means "burn[t] (distilled) wine". It is cognate with English brandy[wine], Norwegian brennevin, Danish brændevin, Dutch brandewijn, Finnish Viina, German Branntwein, and Icelandic brennivín. A small glass of brännvin is called a snaps, and may be accompanied by a snapsvisa, a drinking song.
Jean-Marc XO Vodka is a vodka distilled in the Cognac region of France by Jean-Marc Daucourt and owned by the Campari Group.
Eva Ekeblad was a Swedish countess, salon hostess, agronomist, and scientist. She was widely known for discovering a method in 1746 to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, allowing greater use of scarce grains for food production, significantly reducing Sweden's incidence of famine.
Ström is a premium vodka, distilled by Shaman Spirits in Finland. The raw ingredients used are "spring-quality" water, grain and surplus potatoes harvested from the fields of Tyrnävä, an EU-graded high grade potato production area.
Keglevich is an Italian brand of vodka.
Dragon Bleu is a French brand of vodka. It is distilled and bottled in the Grande Champagne area of France from a blend of three grains: wheat, barley, and rye. Dragon Bleu is produced by French distiller Patrick Brisset, in Saint-Preuil, France. Dragon Bleu is 40% alcohol by volume. It is produced using the water of the Gensac Spring. This vodka fits into the high-priced category.
Alcohol preferences in Europe vary from country to country between beer, wine or spirits. These preferences are traditionally associated with certain regions. Hence, the Central European pattern of alcohol consumption is associated with beer-drinking, the Mediterranean pattern with wine-drinking and the Eastern or Northern European pattern with spirit-drinking countries. However, traditional preferences do not necessarily correspond to current drinking habits, as beer has become the most popular alcoholic drink world-wide.
The North British Distillery is a grain whisky distillery located in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Established by a group of independent distillers in 1885, it is now a joint venture company between Diageo and Edrington Group. It is Edinburgh's last working distillery, widely known as the "NB".
