Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/142283
COVER STORY Crafted in southern Sweden by Master Blender Thomas Kuuttanen, Purity Vodka is made exclusively from natural, organic ingredients and is 34-times small-batch distilled in a proprietary copper and gold vodka still. The distillation process leaves behind only the most refined spirit, and this, according to Kuuttanen, is what sets Purity Vodka apart from the pack. "There has been a movement away from vodka among bartenders," admits Kuuttanen, "which I think has actually been a rather good thing. It's made people examine what vodka adds to a cocktail. Now, bartenders are no longer hating vodka, and they're starting to realize that there are different vodkas for different cocktails. Today's bartenders care about vodka again." With the category remerging from the "dark days," Purity Vodka has proven itself to be a brand that the bartenders can get behind. But you don't have to take our word, or Kuuttanen's word, for it: In May, THE TASTING PANEL gathered some of the top tastemakers from around the country and asked them why they like Purity Vodka. They told us how they first met the brand, when they fell in love with it and where they see Purity Vodka taking the vodka category, and the industry, in the future. Frank Stilo, Beverage Director at NYC's Café Noir, tells us that if he could have a cocktail from any bar in the world, it would be "somewhere in Tahiti in search of a damn good Mai Tai—and a vacation while I'm there. " The Introduction Purity Vodka Master Blender Thomas Kuuttanen. When it comes to Purity Vodka's entrée to the mixology scene in the U.S., all roads lead back to John Pomeroy. When Pomeroy joined the Purity Vodka team as Brand Ambassador in 2011, bartenders around the country knew there had to be something special about this vodka. "I've known John a long time," says Russell Davis, Beverage Director at Bergerac and Audio in San Francisco, "and when he started working with Purity, I took it seriously. He wouldn't stand behind a product he doesn't think is special." Frank Stilo, Beverage Director at NYC's Café Noir, agrees, saying, "John was my first mentor in this business. The guy's an encyclopedia of bartending and really demonstrates the 'true' side of bartending. He's walking integrity. He wouldn't get involved with something he doesn't believe in." But when Pomeroy first became involved with the brand, some eyebrows were raised: "I was a pretty vocal opponent of vodka cocktails for a long time," says Pomeroy with a laugh, "so when I started working for Purity, some people thought I had sold out. But the people who know me best know 68 / the tasting panel / july 2013 TP0713_066-99.indd 68 6/24/13 5:48 PM