Product review: Pinky vodka

September 27, 1:48 PMKansas City Cocktails ExaminerAngie Rayfield

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Pinky vodka is infused with florals and
botanicals, not sweetened with syrups.
Photo courtesy Pinky Vodka

You could be forgiven if you took one look at the bottle and said, "Are you serious?" Make no mistake about it, though. Pinky is serious vodka. Seriously good.

Flavored vodkas are common, but Pinky is no mere flavored vodka. It's a super premium vodka, distilled five times for incredible smoothness. Pinky is then blended with a dozen separately distilled botanicals, including violets and rose petals. Pinky was created by champion wine tasters, and the effort shows.

Visually, Pinky is stunning. The bottle looks more like a high-end perfume bottle than something to reach for when making a cocktail. It might be worth the purchase even if the bottle is never opened, just to enjoy how it looks on display. Don't do it, though. Open the bottle. The idea of botanicals may initially bring up notions of gin, but there's no juniper here. Instead, the florals are reminescent of a fresh bouquet, not a pine tree.

But no one buys vodka just because it's pretty or smells good. It's all about the flavor, and Pinky doesn't disappoint. The flavor is floral and fruity, but minus the sticky sweetness of many fruit flavored vodkas. The flavor comes from esters, those elusive chemicals that give fruits their flavor, not with syrups. It blends beautifully to mix with fruit juices, but is also delicious simply served on the rocks or with soda.

The down side, at least for now, is that Pinky isn't available at any of the local stores in the Kansas City area. Luckily, it's available online at sites such as WineChauteau.com.

Pinky Rose cocktail recipe

• 2 parts Pinky
• 1 part sweet 'n sour mix
• 1/4 part Cointreau
• 1/2 part white cranberry juice
• splash of fresh lime juice

Combine in a shaker half-filled with cracked ice and shake until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Served garnished with a pink rose petal.