No, it’s not lobster, or beans, or dirty river water, or Fenway grass or really just Samuel Adams poured into a liter bottle. Absolut has created a vodka with hints of black tea and elderflower (Boston Tea Party, get it?) as part of its “Absolut Cities” promotional campaign.

(I wonder if this might be illegal soon.)

Anyway, we haven’t tried the vodka yet, but we’re getting some to taste and will let you know.

Absolut launched its cities campaign in the 80s and has previously launched New Orleans and Los Angeles vodkas, with Boston being the third city to have a vodka named after it. So suck it, New York.

Absolut is donating $50,000 from sales of the Boston vodka to the local Charles River Conservancy and has erected a wall in Copley where famous Bostonians like Carleton Fisk and Amy Poehler wrote down their favorite Boston moments. The plaques will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will benefit the Conservancy also.

Absolut Boston Homerun

1 part Absolut Boston
2 parts White grape juice
Top with Ginger Ale

Serve over ice in a highball glass.

Absolut Boston Mojito

1 1/2 parts Absolut Boston
3/4 part Fresh lime juice
1/2 part simple syrup
4 Mint leaves
Top with soda water

In a shaker, muddle mint leaves with simple syrup and lime juice, add Absolut Boston. Shake and pour into highball glass, top with soda

See also: The Absolut Finn

When you think of sipping drinks, vodka rarely comes to mind. Odorless, tasteless alcohol isn’t supposed to be enjoyed, right? We laugh at ads proclaiming a certain fowl-branded vodka to be “the world’s best tasting vodka.”

In comes Zyr Vodka, not only claiming to be a “sipping” vodka, but actually claiming to be the best Russian vodka out there.

Balls.

So we poured a shot or several.

Zyr applies nine filtrations, five distillations and three tastings to each batch. We’re not sure if it’s the best Russian vodka on the market, but we’re impressed.

It looks crystal-clear. The nose is clean with some lemon peel hints. As for taste, the vodka bites and finishes smooth with a hint of pepper. The vodka is made with a bit of rye, which adds to the flavor.

It also comes in a great clear-blue bottle At $30 per 750, it makes a good gift.

We recommend it cold and neat. It shoots really well and mixes well, like any other good vodka.

We still say this whole “flavor” thing in plain vodka is out of hand, though.

Zyr also recommends trying the vodka with a Blue Russian — blue cheese stuffed olives in a martini.

When it gets cold in Boston, you know it.

There are a few drinks out here that will warm you up, or at least fake it for you.

If you go down Southie, order a hot whiskey, which is about 3 shots of Irish whiskey, lemon wedges, cloves, sugar and hot (not boiling) water. The Irish say that’ll cure your flu.

And for the increasingly upscale Jamaica Plain neighorhood, one restaurant is dishing out something sweet.

“I wanted to emphasize [a] classic play on the Caramel Apple Cider Martini to relive my childhood memories of the local fairground,” said Susan Rice,‚ bar captain at Bella Luna Restaurant.

This one is actually really good, the added‚ butterscotch ingredient‚ gives it something extra.‚ 

The Bella Luna Caramel Apple Cider Martini

2 oz vodka
1 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
Splash of Organic Apple Cider
Cinnamon Sugar Rim
‚ 
Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Strain and serve in cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar. $9.

Bartender Stewart Bishop of Boston’s Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro made a special trip recently to bring back his cherished home state of Montana’s huckleberries for a new infusion cocktail called The Finn!

When asked why he went through these extreme lengths to bring back the prized berries to Boston, Bartender Stewart Bishop merely muttered, “I’ll be your huckleberry.”

One of the best lines in “Tombstone” — and by far Val Kilmer’s best role ever, except maybe Iceman.

The Finn

3 oz. of “Huck” Vodka (Huckleberry infused Absolut)
1 oz. Cognac
Splash of lime
Twist

Combine ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist.

Cost/availability: $11

The Bistro Bar hours are Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A Chinese company is releasing a product that you might not be able to show off at the fifth grade science fair this year.

The Horizon Fuel Cell Bio Energy Discovery Kit is a simple enough product. It allows you to put water and alcohol in solution — like, say, diluted vodka — to create an electrochemical reaction.

“Unlike methanol, or past attempts to use alkaline ethanol solutions, Horizon’s device can use plain water and alcohol which is easily accessible to consumers,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “Tiny amounts of alcohol can thus be placed in contact with Horizon’s fuel cell and slowly converted to electricity that can power small devices.”

The promise is that this is a step toward fuel cell-powered devices.

The kit is available now for $99.

So if you’ve had one vodka, you’ve had them all right?

Well … kinda. Yeah.

But one thing’s for sure, there are some brands of vodka that will absolutely make you regret it later. They usually come in a plastic bottle and taste like something used to treat some sort of laceration.

Thankfully, Poland’s inexpensive import is not like that. Sobieski, with a retail price of $11 for a 750 ml. bottle and $20 for a 1.75 liter monster, has become a shelf mainstay for my guests, and I couldn’t be happier with it.

This whole “super-premium” vodka bullshit is just that — it’s crap — and it needs to stop. (Note this little beauty from December). If you pay $50 for a bottle of clear, tastless, odorless alcohol, then you’re an idiot. Pay $50 for a decent bottle of scotch or a really good tequilla. When it comes to vodka, find a $20 bottle you like and stick with it.

So I’m on Sobieski right now.

Here’s their recipe for good, intoxicating summertime vodka punch:

Livin’s Easy Summer Punch
Makes 20 5 oz. drinks

1 bottle of Sobieski Vodka (750 ml)
12.75 oz. Marie Brizard Cr¨me de Cassis
16 oz. cold water
17 oz. orange juice
8.5 oz. fresh lime juice
25.4 oz. (3/4 of a 1-liter bottle) ginger ale

Funnel all ingredients except ginger ale into a large sealable plastic container, like a milk jug. Shake to
 incorporate all ingredients. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes, or make it up to one day in advance.

Pour mixture into large decorative punch bowl, over Garden Ice (see below).  Top with chilled ginger ale and stir gently.  Garnish with sliced lemons, limes and oranges and thinly-sliced ripe strawberries.  Add a blueberry or two for anti-oxidation purposes. Enjoy!

Garden Ice:

Fill a one-quart, clean plastic container halfway with water (think take-out wonton soup here).  Drop in a handful of fresh mint leaves.  Cover and freeze overnight.  When ready to use, run the outside of container under warm water.  Place ice block flat side down in punch bowl.

Already popular in Europe, Cape North Vodka is now being distributed in the US by Anheuser-Busch’s Long Tail Libations subsidy.

Cape North is made from Swedish spring water and distilled from French golden wheat from the Bourgogne region. The vodka finishes smooth with some light vanilla and citrus undertones.

“Cape North is a world-class vodka with an exceptional image and taste,” said Kathryn Sattler, innovation manager, Long Tail Libations. “For vodka drinkers who demand only the highest quality, Cape North is a proven winner and a sophisticated new addition to Long Tail Libations portfolio of luxury spirits.”

Cape North is one of those ultra-premium Vodkas, of which we are becoming so well acquainted. It’s very good, and it’s something you’ll be tempted to pick up a bottle of at the package store — give your friends a little something special at the next party. I wouldn’t necessarily pour it in the punchbowl though.

Let’s face it, we love our vodka. Girls and their cosmos and boys and their James Bond martinis alike need the best. I like Cape North. Besides, it gives you some automatically cool drink names: Cape and cola, Cape and cran, North and tonic, etc.

To celebrate the availability of their newest product, Busch has suggested that you splurge and pair Cape North with the following:

• Pair ice cold Cape North straight with oysters on the half shell topped with marinated cauliflower.
• Serve a dill-infused Cape North Martini with a lobster and langostine tartar.
• Mix a Cape North cocktail with fresh rhubarb and sweet white wine. Serve with goose foie gras topped with sauternes caviar on roasted brioche.

I’ll just have mine with tonic and lime. Thanks.

One vodka brand wants to take the top shelf alcohol craze to a whole new level, and it’s just about as snooty as it gets.

“For those who like the best of everything and don’t mind being seen in public enjoying a bit of luxury, the latest “must have” may be the ultra-premium Gold Flakes Martini,” the Gold Flakes Supreme Vodka company said in a statement. “(It) is guaranteed not only to taste great but to look stunning, too.”

Quadruple-distilled (Not sure what the extra distillation does) Gold Flakes Supreme Vodka, ($60, Shaw-Ross Importers) is a newcomer on the American market. Reminding many college students of Goldschlager-filled nights of wrath, the vodka is made with real 24-karat gold flakes that flutter around

A martini made with this vodka won’t run you nearly as much as the “Engagement Ring Martini” or the one with the pearl at the bottom, but trendy clubs are starting to sell this brand as the next “it” thing in the world of glamorous drinking.

Why introduce this? The company says you’re responsible for these kinds of glistening spirits.

“Inexhaustible consumer demand for ever higher quality vodkas (and ever more expensive ones, too) brought us to the pinnacle of Gold Flakes Supreme and the Gold Flakes Martini,” they said. “You’ll find the Gold Flakes Martini priced for those who recognize instinctively that true luxury like a Gold Flakes Martini should not be for everyone — but should be available to anyone who truly appreciates all life has to offer.”

With a sales pitch like that, who wouldn’t drink?

The Recipe:

1 1/2 oz. Gold Flakes Supreme (or, you know, plastic bottle-brand) Vodka
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
Shake vodka and vermouth together with several ice cubes in a shaker.
Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with an olive or lemon peel and serve.
Serves one uppity bastard.