Serve This! You'll Have No NEFT Vodka Left

Advicesisters.com has reviewed a number of unique vodkas in the past. However, we recently had the opportunity to sample NEFT Vodka, a premium spirit designed to be enjoyed neat. This should be the case with vodka since as a neutral spirit it really should not have much taste. Lower-end vodkas should be used to provide spice to cocktails that get their flavor from the mixing ingredients. However, NEFT, which is crafted and distilled in the Austrian Alps can stand on its own. It has a clean, crispness and just a hint of flavor.

NEFT Vodka is a rye-based spirit, which is likely how it gets its spiciness since it only goes through three distillations. It uses four different rye grains from the Lower Saxony region of Austria and is distilled using a copper-pot distillation process and carbon filtering. It is sold in a unique recyclable aluminum and tin barrel in either black or white. The unique packaging alone makes it a great gift or party conversation starter. The vodka is a standard 40 percent alcohol by volume or 80 proof.

Testing NEFT (no NEFT left):

We had the opportunity to taste NEFT with a group. Generally, these group tastings lead to a lot of different opinions, with some liking and others disliking a product. In this case, there was broad agreement that this was an excellent vodka. We started with the sample in the black tin, but not long after we started, well there was no NEFT left!

Vodka should be consumed cold, chilled but not frozen. Unlike brown spirits, white spirits like NEFT Vodka should also be sampled neat, as ice dilutes the flavors and feel rather than opening them up.

NEFTVodka showed very well as is confirmed by the many awards it has already garnered. It was crystalline and clear in color with a sweet but slightly peppery nose. On the palate, the vodka was clean and crisp with a slight lemon or citrus on the front. The finish offered good peppery notes. As stated above, vodka should not be dominated by a lot of flavor like a brown spirit, but rather by a sense of crispness and Neft did not disappoint.

Serving Vodka:

Not only should this vodka be enjoyed on its own, chilled in small glasses, but it will be a great mixer for vodka-dominated drinks, like martinis, lemon drops, or vodka tonics. While the brand will work well in more complex cocktails, we would not waste it as a mixer, but rather enjoy it straight, down to when the barrel runs dry.

**Recipe for A Dirty NEFT-tini (omit olive juice for classic vodka martini):**

NEFT suggests the Dirty NEFT-tini in its publicity information. However, without the olive juice, it’s an elegant martini on its own.

Ingredients:

(for the dirty NEFT-tini ): 2 oz. NEFT Vodka, 0.75 Oz. Olive Juice (for “dirty” martini), Hint of Dry Vermouth.

Rinse the glass with dry vermouth. Shake vodka vigorously with lots of ice until ice silvers appear in it. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a single olive. Serve Straight Up.