Has infused vodka jumped the shark?
I was cool with fruit vodka. Bacon vodka too.
But snake blood vodka? Made with the blood of a real snake? To borrow a phrase from Dining@Large: Gack!
The super duper cool trend of soaking something in vodka has gone a little too far, gang. Midnight Sunner Alexander D. Mitchell IV sent me a link to this list of eight wacky infused vodkas, which starts with hot dog vodka (barf) and ends on Pickle Vodka.
As someone who mildly enjoys pickle backs, I see the logic behind pickle-infused vodka. And I'm gleefully amused by Skittles Vodka (pictured), because I'm sure this dude has a batch brewing at home.
But horseradish vodka? Come on. What am I supposed to do with that? Dunk shrimp in it? Prank my friends? ...
And, rumor has it, special guests are provided with the snakes beating heart as a sweet follow-up to the beverage.
Sounds like a stretch to me. I mean, why would the heart still be beating? Unless it was ripped out of the snake by our buddy from Indiana Jones. KALI MAAAAAAA!
Typically, I love unnecessary things. This, however, is over the line.
(Photo courtesy of asylum.com)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
hot dog vodka, seriously? That's like 6 levels of wrong. Thank god I'm a whiskey drinker.
Posted by: VeraBlue | March 29, 2010 8:52 AM
Isn't skittles vodka how this all got started? I remember doing that back in college.
I think it's definitely jumped the shark. There is no way I want hot dog vodka. That's disgusting! Nacho flavored vodka would be okay though.... Evan?
Posted by: kateebee | March 29, 2010 9:32 AM
Horseradish vodka is a very old Russian tradition and if you haven't had a Bloody Mary with it, you are definitely missing out!
Posted by: baltimoregal | March 29, 2010 9:35 AM
I think the phrase "jumped the shark" has jumped the shark.
Posted by: Groundskeeper | March 29, 2010 9:40 AM
I can vicariously confirm that the snake blood vodka with the beating heart is a real delicacy in Vietnam. I don't know if anyone else here watches the BBC automobile show Top Gear, but they had a special episode a few seasons back in which they traversed Vietnam on motorcycles. At one point, they ate at a restaurant in a small village. The staff killed a live snake and then cooked and served it with snake blood vodka. The beating heart was, if I recall correctly, dropped into a shot glass.
Posted by: Mike D | March 29, 2010 9:41 AM
I prefer my vodka potato flavored.
Posted by: Mark Morgan | March 29, 2010 9:42 AM
@Mike D -- Given the chance, would you eat it? I know I would. I'd wash it down with a tall, cool Budweiser. Cubs win!
Posted by: Sam Sessa | March 29, 2010 9:46 AM
The obvious use for horseradish vodka is bloody maries. The rest I could do without.
Posted by: Debra | March 29, 2010 9:57 AM
I drank a bottle of sky ginger Saturday. I didn't buy it it was a gift. I was hoping the ginger would soothe the morning after...
Posted by: Tif | March 29, 2010 10:57 AM
Onion infused vodka is delicious with fresh tomato juice and cilantro.
Posted by: Josh | March 29, 2010 11:30 AM
I tried to make hot dog vodka and it was a catastrophic failure. The hardest one to make was peanut butter vodka which was a favorite of sorts - I agree though that I've been hearing entirely too much about vodka infusions lately. Seems like everybody with a bottle and a pineapple is suddenly an expert these days...
which reminds me, the XTREME CILANTRO vodka is going to be making its debut fairly soon. QUAKE WITH FEAR
Posted by: Evan | March 29, 2010 1:37 PM
I had a martini at Mezze a few weeks ago, made with a peppercini infusion, and feta-stuffed olives. Very salty and very tasty.
Posted by: Andrea | March 29, 2010 3:27 PM
We don't care what you put in our vodka... as long as it was made by a celebrity and/or comes in a skull-shaped bottle.
Posted by: The Baltimore Chop | March 29, 2010 4:13 PM
@Sam Sessa - "Given the chance, would you eat it?"
In a heartbeat. (does that count as a bad pun or a good pun?)
Posted by: Mike D | March 29, 2010 6:09 PM
Hot dog vodka is not appealing to me, however i came darn close to stirring my Brunch Bloody Mary at The Reserve a few Sundays ago with a tasty strip of bacon ( i brought up the idea and it was offered to me by it's owner). Since Bmore seems to be a #baconaholic type of town, it seemed apropo
Posted by: SushiGirl aka Lisa | March 29, 2010 7:43 PM
Take the horsradish vodka and mix it with bacon vodka in a bloody mary.
Posted by: MDP | March 30, 2010 7:32 AM
Snakes...why did it have to be snakes?
Posted by: JTK | March 30, 2010 8:44 AM
While I don't eat snake hearts (beating OR cooked) I've had freshly killed & cooked deep-fried rattlesnake and it's pretty awesome. Texture of fish, chickeny flavor.
Posted by: baltimoregal | March 30, 2010 10:17 AM