Flavoring vodka is an old tradition dating back to the Middle-Age. In the 14th and 15th Century, Polish and Russian vodka makers used to add honey, herbs and spices to cover the unpleasant taste resulting from the poor conditions of distillation. This lasted until the 19th Century, when vodka eventually became a crystal clear spirit and additional flavors weren’t needed anymore.

In 1986, Swedish brand Absolut launched Absolut Peppar, a roasted jalapeños, green tomato and dried herbs vodka, while Russian distiller Stolichnaya produced the citrusy Limonnaya, both sparking the huge flavored vodka craze we are experiencing right now. American-based Smirnoff followed suit with an orange vodka before the three brands expanded their lines during the 1990’s with various flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, raspberry and of course lemon.

Another phenomenon took place in the 90’s that explains the rising popularity of flavored vodkas: the boom of the Martini. Before, only the famous gin/vodka and Vermouth mix could be called a Martini but since then any straight up drink served in that distinctive glass ends up with the name. This trend gave birth to a whole new range of creative and colorful cocktails, with flavored vodkas becoming a main ingredient.

Following the commercial success of Absolut, Stolichnaya and Smirnoff, other brands like Vox, Pearl or Van Gogh debuted their very own versions full of raspberry, coconut, apple, melon and pineapple aromas in the early 2000’s. Now each vodka distiller offers one or more lines of flavored vodkas and new brands and fragrances are launched on the market every day. In July 2010, no less than 75 different flavored vodkas were sold in the liquor stores and supermarkets. This huge market is also a very profitable one as the sales in 2010 rose by 16% compared to 2009.

In order to keep up with the competition, new and well-established companies alike have been vying to outdo each other in creativity. This is how we went from classic flavors like lemon and orange, then berries and exotic fruits, to extravagant flavors like chocolate, espresso, root beer, cola, sweet tea, marshmallow, cotton candy, bubble gum, gummy, candied ginger, rose and Manuka honey.  Now the latest trends are savory flavors (tomato, cucumber, smoked salmon, bacon) and dessert vodkas such as plain whipped cream, cherry, chocolate or orange whipped cream, cupcake, frosting and even pumpkin pie.

This phenomenal success is easy to understand. Vodka being one of the least expensive spirit to produce, brands can launch as many flavors as they can think of with minimal risk. This huge range of unique aromas attracts women and young men, as well as party lovers and those who thought that vodka was tasteless and boring. Flavored vodkas are also well-loved by bartenders as they are a real creativity booster.

The other side of the coin is that going overboard with flavors, and sometimes crazy ones, the market will quickly become saturated.  More problematic is the fact that all these fruity, sweet and dessert-like tastes displayed everywhere might decrease the appreciation for a cocktail, that well...tastes like a cocktail.  And don’t get caught in explaining, “well, I only had four gummy bear martinis, they didn’t even taste like vodka.”  These drinks still pack a punch so keep it smart.