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IMBIBER: All about vodka

By Dan Dunn | Special to amNewYork

5:17 PM EDT, June 3, 2008

A row of martini glasses, against black, with vodka being poured and different splashes. (Photo by istock)

In my line of work, you regularly come across all manner of curious information related to adult beverages. Just the other day, in fact, a helpful amNewYork reader forwarded an MSN.com article that identified things people do with vodka besides consume it. Turns out, the world's most popular spirit isn't merely ideal for making cocktails, it can also defeat poison ivy (when applied immediately after contact), give you lush hair (add a jigger to 12-ounce bottle of shampoo) and preserve flowers (add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the vase water).

This raises a number of interesting questions, not the least of which is: Do chrysanthemums get hangovers? Personally, the only thing I've ever done with vodka is drink it. Well, except for that one time back at the dorm in college when we ran out of soap and ah, but that's a story for another time.

For those primarily interested in imbibing vodka, here are a few you ought to check out:

Karlsson's GOLD ($40) -- the U.N. has designated 2008 as the "Year of the Potato," thus removing any lingering doubts about the significance of that organization's work. Made from a blend of seven different Swedish potatoes and distilled just once, Karlsson's is a pure expression of what authentic vodka tastes like -- it's got old world character not found in many new school brands. Try some in a dirty martini you won't be disappointed.

Three Olives Root Beer-Flavored Vodka ($16) -- I know what you're thinking, because I thought the same thing when I first saw this: Gotta get some Haagen Dazs in the hizzy, pronto! When you're finished experimenting with spiked floats, try a cocktail called a Brotherly Love, named for the city where root beer and the Imbiber were born. Mix 2 ounces of root beer vodka with 4 ounces of lemon-lime soda in an ice-filled glass.

Sïku Glacier Ice Vodka ($23) -- Thanks to global warming, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate that suggests our great-grandkids will be vacationing by the beach in Kansas. Even worse, once glaciers such as the Qalerallit Sermia in Greenland are gone, what will the folks at Sïku use to make their crisp, delicious vodka? I strongly recommend you try this robust spirit, but act now, before it's too late!

Dan Dunn is the author of the book "Nobody Likes a Quitter (and other reasons to avoid rehab)."