Ahead of National Vodka Day on Tuesday 4 October, GABRIELLE ROWLEY looks at the delectable spirit that has taken the Lake District by storm and is set for nation wide success.
It's becoming crystal clear that distillers are meeting the demand for something new and unique, and creating distinctive flavour profiles to sip, stir or shake.
It is the foundation for many classic cocktails and vodka can be made from grain, molasses, potatoes and even grapes. With the rise in higher quality mixers for your V&T and the trend for consuming vodka on the rocks, there has been a shift from quantity to quality.
In the Lake District, one determined businesswoman has proved that if you have an extremely tasty idea and run with it, the possibilities are boundless.
READ MORE:
South Cumbria shines at food awards ceremony
Judith Wren is the creator of Kin Vodka, a velvety-smooth concoction that blends the sweet taste of toffee with one of the nation's favourite spirits.
Judith, who lives at Newby Bridge, looking over the river, set up her business roughly two years ago when she realised that the toffee vodka she created at home was a great favourite with her friends and family and could be bottled and sold for profit.
However, the idea for the Kin product came about years earlier. Judith said: "I first discovered toffee vodka when I was skiing in Tignes in France. I had a shot of it at an Apres Ski bar and it was beautiful and so warming.
"I have always been a person who enjoys good food and drink and if I taste something I really like I always like to go home and have a go at making it.
"When I got back from skiing I had a go at the toffee vodka and after a few goes it was close to the Kin Vodka we bottle and sell now."
Given that the spirit is virtually flavorless and odorless, it makes sense that drinkers would want to inject some yum factor into this top-selling Soviet-inspired libation and Kin Vodka has become something of a Lake District institution.
Judith has created the flavour herself from her home and everything about the bottling and marketing of the drink has remained true to her heart and Lake District lifestyle. She said: "The name Kin, came from the fact that I originally made the vodka for my friends and family, also known as kin.
"The little emblem of the bird is a wren, because that is my surname and the label on the bottle is actually created to look like my favourite Lake District view.
"If you look closely at it you can see that it is a representation of the Langdales as seen from Gummer's Howe."
After getting an enthusiastic reception from Booths customers all over the North of England and winning many awards such as producer of the year at the Cumbria Life Food & Drink Awards, Judith has started to come up with recipes for cocktails and puddings using her vodka. She said: "I had a lot of demand, especially for cocktails, for recipes I could create with the vodka.
"I took inspiration and advice from bars and restaurants who stock the vodka and came up with a few innovative creations.
"My Toffee Apple cocktails is especially popular at this time of the year with the autumnal vibes of Halloween and bonfire night."
If you fancy getting creative for National Vodka Day, why not try some of these new recipes with our Lake District vodka.
TOFFEE VODKA COCKTAILS:
TOFFEE APPLE
50ml Kin Toffee Vodka
50ml apple juice
25ml lemon juice
Serve with an apple slice.
KIN KIR ROYALE
Champagne, Cava or Prosecco
slug of Kin Toffee Vodka
TOFFEE LEMON BON BON
25ml Kin Toffee Vodka
25ml limoncello
200ml low sugar lemonade
Ice and a slice in a glass.
CINNAMON TOFFEE
50ml Kin Toffee Vodka
50ml cinnamon schnapps
50ml apple juice
Toffee vodka cheesecake... go on, it is National Vodka Day after all!
KIN TOFFEE CHEESECAKE
170g plain digestive biscuits crushed
25g melted butter
180g cream cheese
1 egg yolk
100g caster sugar
150ml lightly whipped cream
75ml kin toffee vodka
1 leaf gelatine (or 1 sachet)
squeeze of lemon juice
Crush the biscuits and mix with the melted butter then line a 7-8" flan tin/dish. Soak the gelatine leaf for 5 mins in cold water – squeeze then melt in 10ml water over a gentle heat. Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and egg together. Fold in the cream, add the Kin, lemon juice and gelatine and fold until smooth. Pour onto the biscuit base and place in the fridge to set – preferably overnight. Could be topped with apricots or mango – which go very well with the flavours.
READ MORE:
First Barrow Drinks Festival set to arrive
Ulverston Food Festival to showcase the best of Cumbria cuisine
Furness women are rejuvenated by tough bootcamp that incorporates spiritual relaxation
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here