Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
A Conversation about Vodka THE TASTING PANEL HOSTS TODAY'S BEST BRANDS FOR A LIQUID SYMPOSIUM AT NIC'S BEVERLY HILLS photos by Jeremy Ball I Our judges left to right: Rosie Ruiz, Naomi Schimek and Cole Apodaca. t's a typical Los Angeles afternoon. Shoppers bop in and out of stores on Rodeo Drive, the traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard is at a standstill and young professionals are beginning to anticipate their happy hour plans. Inside Nic's Beverly Hills, the chic room is buzzing—and the word on everyone's lips is vodka. Terms like "winter wheat," "five-times-distilled" and "unfiltered" bounce off the walls as the clear spirit is being sipped and celebrated. This is clearly a vodka connoisseur's mecca—what better place for an event billed as "A Conversation about Vodka"? "We love everything about vodka," begins Larry Nicola, Nic's owner and namesake, as he welcomes the crowd. As the owner of the celebrity-rife Martini bar, Nicola has a pretty serious love affair with the clear stuff. "Vodka is awesome," he states simply but with contagious enthusiasm. "This event is really great because it celebrates that. People say that vodka has no taste, but when you are able to taste all of these fantastic brands side by side and in this educated and excited environment, the subtleties of each one really come out." Three judges roam the room, trying each brand and jotting down their tasting notes. Cole Apodaca, Bar Manager at Laurel Hardware, Naomi Schimek, The Spare Room's Bar Manager, and Rosie Ruiz, Bar Manager at 1886 at The Raymond, were the lucky ones able to try each and every brand. Their tasting notes are included under each spotlight. "Every vodka is different," says Nicola. "And the more you educate yourself in it, the more you realize that all of the vodka people Anthony Lerner, Wine Director are a little outrageous, which make it a really at Comme Ça and one of many fun category. However, it really is the spirit wonderful guests at the event, of vodka that brings us all together." We sits back with the May issue of couldn't agree more, Nic. —Breanne DeMore THE TASTING PANEL. june 2013 / the tasting panel / 127 TP0613_120-156.indd 127 5/23/13 4:54 PM