Contemporary cuisine inspires vodka makers' exotic infusions

New breed of infused spirits instills natural flavors with optimal effects

By Linda Murphy
Special to The Chronicle

September 8, 2006

Four years ago, Melkon Khosrovian had a problem. His fiancee, Litty Mathew, detested vodka, the beverage his Armenian family members drink during Sunday dinner and at celebrations.

"They would toast her with vodka," Khosrovian says of their engagement celebration, "but the taste to her was like gasoline."

So Khosrovian, a software company owner, began infusing vodka with fresh, sweet, savory and exotic ingredients in hopes of finding combinations that Mathew, a culinarily trained freelance writer, could not only swallow, but enjoy. At the time, his efforts were in the name of marital bliss and not commercial success.

Yet it wasn't long before the couple were creating custom infusions for private clients and events. Friends and family clamored for more, and by November 2004, their Modern Spirits company in Monrovia (Los Angeles County), sent its first commercial product, chocolate orange flavored vodka, to market. All 200 cases produced were sold in one week.

Accidental discovery

That first combination was inspired by Khosrovian's accidental dropping of a piece of chocolate into a cocktail at a party. The result: Chocolate orange flavored vodka is rich in bittersweet chocolate character, and balanced by the slightly sharp, slightly sweet fruitiness of a California orange. A touch of Mexican cinnamon adds interest.

Now there are six other flavors -- black truffle, candied ginger, celery peppercorn, grapefruit honey, pear lavender and tea. All but black truffle sell for about $24 per 375-ml bottle and $40 per 750-ml bottle; black truffle is $39 and $55, respectively.

In the early going, Mathew and Khosrovian focused their sales efforts in Southern California; now their vodkas are making their way north. Modern Spirits vodkas are found in upscale bars, where patrons are encouraged to sip the vodkas chilled and straight, so that the nuances aren't overwhelmed by mixers, and in restaurants, where chefs pair dishes with the vodkas, looking for both similarities and contrasts.

"Chefs are our No. 1 fans," says Mathew. "When we show them the vodkas, we often hear them say, 'I was wondering when something like this would show up.' Our vodkas go with food, just as wine goes with food, cleansing the palate of the strong flavors of contemporary cuisine. Even for fishy, lusty fish, which chefs sometimes have trouble matching to wine, vodka makes sense."

The market is cluttered with flavored and infused vodkas, too many of them mass-produced and with artificial flavors and fiery burns in the throat. Modern Spirits vodkas are surprisingly smooth, lower in alcohol (35 percent compared with the 40 percent by volume alcohols of most vodkas), and are made from fresh, quality ingredients, like Oregon truffles, Temecula grapefruit, Belgian chocolate, wild honey and Indian spices.

Mathew's family is from India, and now that she and her husband have perfected their vodkas, she is struck by how well the spirit she once disliked complements spicy foods like Indian curries and other dishes with diverse ingredients.

"Vodka cuts through the flavors and richness of complicated flavors," she says, "and can serve as a midcourse palate cleanser, like sorbet."
Khosrovian, 37, and Mathew, 36, purchase two clear distilled spirits, one made from wheat, which produces a lighter vodka, the other produced from potatoes, which has a fuller mouthfeel. In their "fruit lab," they macerate, or soak, the various ingredients in the two base spirits. The vodkas are then filtered to remove ingredient particles, and bottled. Mathew says no extracts or chemicals are used in the process -- a practice common with large-scale producers.

Complex and intense

The Modern Spirits tea flavored vodka is infused with black, green and oolong teas. It smells like a summertime iced tea, with a tealike, tannic sensation in the mouth. It's quite complex, with black tea flavor, nice richness and a subtle sweetness. Mathew suggests pairing it with caviar, smoked fish, duck and pilafs with nuts and dried fruit

The grapefruit honey flavored vodka has a powerful grapefruit-zest aroma and tart white grapefruit flesh flavor, balanced and softened by a touch of honey. The intensity of flavor seems best suited for blending in cocktails, or serving with dishes marinated or cooked with citrus juices. Mathew uses it to poach fish, along with tarragon and fennel fronds.

The most exotic of the Modern Spirits vodkas is black truffle, made from truffles purchased from an Oregon forager. It has a woodsy, dried shiitake, black tea and vanilla nose, and a strikingly authentic palate of just-unearthed truffle, along with hints of espresso, chocolate and vanilla bean. Risotto, lobster, escargot and earthy cheeses are among the foods Mathew says will match the vodka.

Khosrovian and Mathew, who still make all their infusions by hand, say most of their vodkas are best when chilled to 45 degrees; putting them in the freezer dulls the aromas and flavors. Serve them neat, without ice or other additions, or use them in cocktails in which the vodka remain the star ingredient (see recipes).

Red Gatsby

Litty Mathew and Melkon Khosrovian developed Modern Spirits infused vodkas to be served at 45 degrees, straight up (without other ingredients or ice). Yet they found great interest in their vodka as a cocktail ingredient, too, and created these three easy, intriguing drinks for the waning days of summer. This is an elegant twist on the Bloody Mary.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 ounces Modern Spirits celery peppercorn vodka
1 ounce tomato juice
Squirt of fresh lemon juice
2 drops Tabasco sauce
Lime wedge or heirloom cherry tomato for garnish
I

NSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice and Tabasco in a shaker. Shake and pour into a martini glass and garnish with a skewered lime wedge or cherry tomato.
Makes 1 drink

Lavender Lemonade

INGREDIENTS:
Pomegranate juice
2 ounces Modern Spirits pear lavender vodka
2 ounces lemonade
1/2 ounce cranberry juice
Lavender sprig for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:
Pour a thin layer of pomegranate juice into a saucer and dip the rim of a highball glass into the juice. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Shake together the vodka, lemonade and cranberry juice and pour into the glass. Garnish with the lavender sprig.
Makes 1 drink

The Loh Down

The oils released from the torn basil or mint leaf add aromatic complexity to this cocktail, which Modern Spirits created for Los Angeles writer/performer/radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh. Loh served it at her solo stage show.

INGREDIENTS:
Pink grapefruit juice
2 ounces Modern Spirits grapefruit honey vodka
1 ounce tonic water
1 basil or mint leaf

INSTRUCTIONS:
Several hours ahead, freeze pink grapefruit juice in an ice cube tray.
Add the grapefruit ice cubes, vodka and tonic to an old-fashioned glass.
Roll the basil or mint leaf between two hands to release its oils, tear into small pieces and add to the glass.
Makes 1 drink 0 g fiber