A Little Diddy About a Vodka Named Ciroc

Here’s my dilemma: I like Ciroc. A couple years ago, I went to a vodka bar in Manayunk where I discovered Ciroc (along with another very special vodka to be discussed in a future post) after a consultation with the bartender. Ciroc is a bit of an oddity in that it is distilled from grapes. Bollocks you say? Well, the European Union, after heated debated, recently ruled that vodka could in fact be distilled from grapes. What does this mean? Well, first, that vodka can be made from practically anything. It is a neutral spirit – it can be made from grain, potatoes, beets, citrus fruit, or, yes, grapes.

Circoc is not a grape-flavored vodka. That would be truly horrible. Rather it is distilled from grapes, so that it retains the essence if not the flavor. An infused spirit by contrast has the flavor added, like pouring hazelnut syrup in your coffee. And yes, there is such a thing as grape-flavored vodka. Three Olives for one offers such an atrocity.

And so for the last couple years Ciroc has been a good left-field choice, one that I could recommend when in search of a little something different. Then Diddy signs on … And not just to shoot a commercial, but to "take a day-to-day interest in the brand management." In other words, the official brand vodka of rap videos and L.A. rehabists. Mariah Carey will devour this. K-Fed will be ordering this by the bottle. As long as Diddy does not muck with taste, I will continue to drink Ciroc on occasion. But I will not order it out. I might as well order Cristal. Now really.

My advice: keep your bottle of Ciroc in the back of your liquor cabinet and explain away its unique taste by crediting your own mixology genius. Do not buy Diddy albums. This may only encourage him.