I know what you are thinking, because I am thinking the same thing. Smoked Salmon flavored Vodka, that really happened? Really? Yes, really.
The five-year-old Alaska Distillery has produced a vodka made with salmon caught in the Gulf of Alaska. The secret to the vodka’s unique flavor is how the salmon is smoked, a secret that Alaska Distillery does not intend on revealing.
Not gonna lie, the vodka making process sounds less than appealing, to say the least. The salmon is smoked, the skin removed, and then the fillets are masticated (aka ground up). The chunks of salmon are then placed into a large vat and mixed with highly concentrated ethanol to form a stew.
“From there, we strain it out, and we take the fluid, which now is very concentrated smoked salmon essence, and we add that to our vodka. We do a cold infusion process, we filter it a couple more times, and out the door it goes,” — Toby Foster, an Alaska Distillery partner
Besides the bloody mary and dirty martini, it’s hard to imagine this vodka being used in very many classic vodka cocktails. I am weary of being able to stomach it on its own, but I won’t knock it till I try it.
I must admit that this particular flavor of vodka does inspire me to develop my own hypothetical cocktail called the “Bagel & Lox Martini” — inspired by the classic dish consisting of smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes and onions on a bagel.
Ashley’s “Bagel & Lox Martini”
Makes 2 cocktails
Ingredients:
6 Cherry Tomatoes
6 Capers — minced
Dash of Caper Juice
1 small Shallot — minced
2 tbsp Cream Cheese — softened
6 oz. Smoked Salmon Vodka
Instructions:
In a small bowl, whip together cream cheese, capers & shallots. Spoon mixture into a small ziplock bag. Push the mixture into one corner of the bag (as if it was a pastry bag). Cut off a small corner of the bag. Gut out the insides of the cherry tomatoes. Squeeze the cream cheese mixture in to the tomatoes and skewer them with a toothpick — three to a stick.
In a shaker full of ice, add 3 oz. of salmon vodka with a dash of caper juice (to taste). Shake vigorously. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with the stuffed tomatoes.
Disclaimer: Ashley has not actually made this cocktail and cannot attest to its success or taste. However, it is one way she can imagine the Smoked Salmon Vodka being used.
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