Attention, brown liquor drinkers: vodka still rules. And if we had to recommend a flavoured variety, this would be the one, for sure.
We interrupt this month of whisky/whiskey reporting to discuss something a lot of “serious” drinkers will probably dismiss: Stoli Chocolat Razberi.
Before the brown liquor drinkers roll their eyes, here’s something to keep in mind. While we may think the whole world has converted to spirit-forward cocktails, ask anybody who actually sells liquor and they’ll tell you that vodka still rules. The proliferation of flavoured vodkas should not be interpreted as the last, desperate gasps of a decadent empire. These drinks—lowbrow as they may seem—are actually how most liquor companies make their money.
This past summer, we tried five of the latest releases—whipped cream, birthday cake, marshmallow, bubble gum and root beer—and discovered that, with the possible exception of the last two, none really tasted like what they were supposed to. The fact that most of them were kinda gross was no big surprise. But what is vaguely surprising is the recently released Stoli Chocolat Raz, which legitimately does taste like something: the Dark Chocolate Raspberry version of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange, to be precise.
Still, there’s the question of how best to drink it. Some will opt to chill and shoot. This past weekend, we decided to try it as a modified chocolate martini, as a way to celebrate the birthday of screen legend Rock Hudson, since he and Liz Taylor invented a vodka/Kahlua/Hershey’s concoction while filming Giant in 1955. As a dessert, Stoli Chocolat Raz can be salvaged. And if we had to recommend a flavoured vodka, this would be the one, for sure.
Stoli recommends two parts of their chocolate raspberry vodka, one part coffee liqueur and one part cream. We know Rock and Liz would like it.
Stolichnaya Chocolat Razberi, LCBO 286773. $26.45.
