Flavored Vodkas (The Good Ones)

I was assigned to write up flavored vodkas for VMan, an assignment I dreaded until I started looking further afield from the big boys, the treacly, cloying mass-produced stuff I took to calling "sorority-ready". ("Date-rape ready" was already taken.) Asking around led me to some lovely artisinal vodkas, mostly from the West Coast. Square One's Cucumber Vodka might be the easiest spirit to drink I've ever come across, which can lead to trouble. The Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka is spot on, managing to capture the mercurial, elliptically seasoned, elusive Meyer's super citrus in a bottle, to be enjoyed year round. All the Hangar One products are excellent, of course, but the Fraser River Red Raspberry is positively transcendent. And the 42 Below Manuka Honey (Manuka being native to New Zealand) is like liquid gold, from some far off land. Story at VMan here. J.R.