A LUSCIOUS, GRAPE-BASED AUSTRALIAN VODKA IS NEW TO THE KANSAS CITY AREA
A sweet, lovely vodka from Down Under is sashaying its way to top shelves in restaurants and bars around the metro.
CooranBong Vodka, distilled 10 times to achieve purity and taste, is made from Barossa Valley Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. More than half of Australia’s wines are crafted from grapes grown in the valley. Turn it into vodka and the result is a luscious spirit.
Unlike vodkas made with grains or potatoes, CooranBong has a slightly sweet, fruity nose. Served neat, it has a lovely viscosity and suppleness, with long-lasting mellow finish.
At Grand St. Café, bar manager Aaron Shields crafts CooranBong into an Aussie-influenced Cosmopolitan using Cointreau, cranberry juice and housemade sour mix composed of freshly squeezed lime, lemon and orange juices.
You’ll also find CooranBong featured in cocktails at the Capital Grille, Amor Brazilian Steakhouse, the Classic Cup and McCormick & Schmick’s.
It’s available at Lukas Liquor on either side of the state line, Royal Liquors and Gomers for $31 a bottle.
New to Kansas City, CooranBong has been garnering kudos since its arrival in the United States. It won a bronze metal at the 2008 San Francisco International Spirits competition, held in March.
The art on the bottle has an impressive pedigree, as well. CooranBong, which is Aboriginal for “water over rocks,” features traditional native art. The four circles represent the four corners of the earth, the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and the four directions — north, south, east and west.
Seems there is more than one way to skin a grape: CooranBong Vodka from the Barossa Valley in Australia, is made from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, grown in that famous wine region. With its fruity nose and flavor, it made a lively Grand St. Café Cosmopolitan.|Lauren Chapin, The Star