42 Below: Vodka from New Zealand

My recent foray in single malts has taught me to appreciate hooch in its naked form, free from the cocktail alchemy that rounds its edges. I have come to approach cocktails like women, mindful of their inclination to mask their body angst with slimming black dresses cut to draw attention to their best features. But spirits are like the Rolling Stones: they are at their best raw, unbridled, and a little bit menacing, their coarseness revealing subtlety. When the Stones have been overcooked with gilt-edged production techniques (I'm looking at you, Steve Lillywhite) they have been reduced to music that is sterile and binary (see Dirty Work, any Mick Jagger solo album).

And so it is in that spirit that I tried 42 Below, the only vodka I know of produced in New Zealand (not that it matters; you can produce vodka anywhere). I poured a bit in a glass at room temperature and gave it a sip. It surprised me on several fronts. First, how palatable it was. I could drink it straight, chilled. Second, the most immediate sensation was that of sweetness. It was smooth and creamy. It was still clearly vodka in all its poignancy, but I was picking up surprisingly palate-friendly notes. I then mixed it up in a martini and it was quite good (though the creaminess was somewhat lost in the shaker). I liked it best with a dash of dry vermouth and a dash of bitters.

Best part: it was only about $20 at my local state-run booze shop.

One drawback. As I have come to realize, vodka is produced by marketers more than craftsmen. And so the name 42 Below is a double entendre: It's produced in New Zealand, near the 42nd parallel. The vodka is also needlessly 42 percent alcohol (get it?!). Too cute for my taste, but the stuff in the bottle redeems itself.