Never had a “Bad Romance” with a good vodka
My first reporting job introduced me to the delightful Nemiroff Vodka. The first all-nighter we pulled during the lead-up to a very busy election that would culminate in the Orange Revolution introduced me to the art of drinking vodka Ukrainian style. The pure, smooth lines of Ukrainian vodka can make any night start out great, but the fact that I grew up far from my Ukrainian heritage meant that I had to take it slow.
One night, while out dancing with a group of poets and politicians, the Ukrainian national poet, much like our poet laureate, slapped me on the back and asked me how I could hold my liquor so well. I smiled and said that Ukrainians all have vodka in their veins. He laughed his big laugh and got up to dance again, while I filled my vodka glass with ice water for the 6th time. Later that evening, as I put my poet friend in a taxi and walked home, I reflected on life in Ukraine on the eve of great change.
We worked hard as a weekly paper, pulling in sources from around the country for stories that really got at the heart of Ukrainian politics at the time. A sort of rush for truth and enlightenment on what everyone believed was going to be a historical change. At night, we crawled down to the Baraban, “The Drum,” and we mingled with politicians and foreign dignitaries. And we drank good vodka. Nemiroff is what a good Ukrainian drinks, shunning the Russian vodkas out of pride of country. The taste of it comes back to me now and then, but I haven’t seen the vodka since 2004. Imagine my surprise to find Nemiroff featured in the newest Lady Gaga video. Don’t ask me what I was doing watching her videos, but the Nemiroff stuck out like a sore thumb. What I’m hoping is that this indicates a marketing shift, where Nemiroff, a historically small-batch vodka distillery, will begin distributing in the United States. It is also my dearest hope that if it does go big, it doesn’t sacrifices the quality it’s known for.
Za vashe zdorovya,
GG
I tracked on that too – let me know if you find it around Zoo Town.
As an aside, I just watched a movie called “Sunshine” that profiled a Hungarian Jewish family that made an herbal liqueur based on the real Unicum (which I guess is now called Zwack). Have you tried it? I just saw it at the new(ish) liquor store on Broadway by Hogieville.
Keep up the good work!
Nemiroff is awesome. A few years ago back in college, a bunch of my friends went on a trip to Kiev and came back with bottles of Nemiroff. I didn’t care much for the gold vodka with pepper, but the plain vodka was amazing. It remains the best vodka I’ve ever had and is Ukraine’s best kept secret. It was nice to see it featured in Lady Gaga’s video, and I hope that it leads to more places carrying it.