Since the late 1890s, vodka has been made throughout countries in the “vodka belt,” a string of nations spanning from Russia, throughout countries on the Baltic sea and Scandinavia. While many vodkas were and continue to be distilled from grains such as barley, potato vodkas continue to be a more interesting, and flavorful option available among vodka producers.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that the potato capital of the United States—Idaho—is producing vodkas distilled from potatoes. 44° North Vodka, based in Boise is named for the latitude on which the potatoes it uses are grown. Idaho harvests more than 10 billion pounds of potatoes annually, on nearly 300,000 acres. 44° North Vodka was the first vodka approved to wear the Idaho Potato Commission’s official seal.
For the uninitiated, potato vodkas are not the odorless, tasteless spirit most people have come to associate with vodka. Some can be earthy, oily and even a little funky. Most are mild, with a clean, sweet finish. 44° North Vodka has created a line of potato vodkas flavored with fruit indigenous to the region—nectarines, Rainier cherries, and mountain huckleberries, the state fruit of Idaho. The vodkas contain no artificial colors and maintain a clean, sweet finish, without being cloying.
At Seattle’s Urbane restaurant and bar, located in the Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel, bartender Chris Swindle created the Mountain Blossom, a cocktail that mixes 44° North’s huckleberry vodka, passion fruit liqueur and lime juice. The result is a drink that looks like a Cosmopolitan, with the faintest pink hue, but combines the earthy sweetness of huckleberries, balanced out by the fruitiness of the liqueur, and tartness of the lime juice.
44° North Vodka offers additional recipes and serving suggestions on their website, including a huckleberry lemonade. They also recommend drinking their vodkas chilled, straight-up or on the rocks. I like the to serve the huckleberry vodka over ice with a splash of soda and twist. It makes a great aperitif—especially for the upcoming holiday season—that is light, refreshing, just a little boozy, and captures the flavors of the Northwest.
Mountain Blossom, by Chris Swindle
1 ½ ounces 44° North Vodka mountain huckleberry vodka
1 ounce of X-rated fusion liqueur
½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake until chilled, strain into a martini glass.
