The Tasting Panel magazine

May 2013

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PHOTO: MARIA SCHRIBER A Smooth Transition Located behind the most unassuming door on trendy La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, CA, The Roger Room is the go-to Los Angeles bar for customers seeking complex mixology as well as simple well cocktails. "We just want to be that place that offers everyone what they are looking for, says Bar " Manager Damian Windsor. "We make every order—every single cocktail—from scratch. " So what does Windsor think of the ABSOLUT'S latest venture? "ELYX is excellent!" Windsor explains, "The texture and lavor give the spirit an identity which can be translated into a cocktail. Typically, the lavors in a cocktail are there to mask the alcohol, but ELYX completely works in harmony with the other ingredients. " To show off how well ELYX mixes, Windsor did his own take on a traditional Irish whiskey recipe, Satan's Whiskers. "ELYX shares a similar mildness and texture to Irish whiskey, so it works really well here, says Windsor. He then " adds, "But I renamed it 'Santa's Whiskers' because vodka is what I imagine they drink up there in the North Pole" —Breanne DeMore Santa's Whiskers ◗ 2 oz. ABSOLUT ELYX ◗ ½ oz. orange curaçao ◗ ½ oz. orange juice ◗ Dash of orange bitters ◗ Shake and garnish with orange peel. Damian Windsor, Bar Manager at The Roger Room in Los Angeles, with his ABSOLUT ELYX cocktail, Santa's Whiskers. Invigorating the Vodka Category With an outstanding product in the bottle, positioning ELYX in front of the trade is as simple as putting liquid to lips: "The trade can be pretty tough when it comes to vodka," admits Cutier. "But when we've put ELYX in front of some of the top mixologists and spirit experts, they've had a lot of respect for the product. They see how we make it, see the integrity and respect we have for vodka at ABSOLUT, and see that this is a real product with a real story." Agrees Kouchnir, "The exceptional liquid from this exceptional still is the 66 / the tasting panel / may 2013 Damian's Tasting Notes: "ELYX has a proile similar to ABSOLUT, just more. It must be the winter wheat. It has such amazing texture and is really bold. " story we want to tell, and at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding: It's a luxury, handcrafted proposition, and it's going to be a home run within this community. ELYX is also right on-trend with what we're seeing today: a resurgence of handcrafted, artisan spirits with a local and sustainable emphasis. ELYX really takes that trend to the ultimate level in vodka-making, from our single-estate wheat to the fact that we're super small production." With such a special spirit in the glass, while mixable, ELYX is best suited for simple, spirit-forward cocktails and concoctions. "We are so proud of this product and ind it so exceptional that we want people to irst experience it on the rocks or in a straight-up Martini. It's not to be mixed with cranberry juice, that's for sure!" says Kouchnir. (See the sidebars to ind out how two California accounts have already become enamored of ELYX, both neat and in cocktails—nary a cranberry in sight.) Leveraging Luxury When asked how ELYX is different from other luxury vodkas in the market, Kouchnir responds simply: "'Luxury vodkas?' What other luxury vodkas?

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