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Remember, back in the early 2000s or so, when every halfway hip bar had its own infused vodkas? You know, some skunky stuff muddled with flavors that probably included cucumber and some kind of pepper?
Wasn't that awful?
Well, for over a year our 2014 Restaurant of the Year, revolutionary Russian eatery Kachka, has been doing that, but doing it right. With a helpful nudge on technique from a Ukrainian bartender back in the day, Kachka co-owners Israel and Bonnie Morales have served a horseradish-infused vodka at their restaurant that is nothing short of extraordinary.
And now they're applying the same process to New Deal Distillery vodka, selling the stuff in bottles to take home for $27.95. It's spicy, sweet, and never overly bitter or a shock to the sinuses. Consider it a highly alcoholic, high-class equivalent of Horsey Sauce.
And it is a constituent in what's become our favorite dirty martini recipe in town. Just get some pickle juice from Fee Brothers—the same company that makes the cocktail bitters—and add celery bitters and maybe a spot of cucumber, and you have a far more civilized, refined summer drink than even a Pimm's cup. New Deal will let you taste it if you visit the distillery, but you have to ask for it special. Ask for it special. Recommended.
Willamette Week