Puschkin Salted Caramel

Puschkin is a German brand known for its sweet, accessible flavoured bottlings, and this Salted Caramel sits firmly in liqueur territory at a gentle 17.5%. It starts from a vodka base, which is then built up with a carefully judged caramel blend and a measured note of salt. The salt is the trick: it adds a savoury depth that stops the caramel turning cloying and gives the sweetness somewhere to push against. The lower strength and the creamy texture are deliberate, putting this in the dessert-and-after-dinner camp rather than the spirits shelf.

The nose is intense with soft caramel and a salty edge underneath. The palate is creamy and sweet with deep caramel, a subtle salt note and vanilla, finishing long and smooth with a gentle salted-caramel aftertaste. To make the most of that creamy sweetness, pour it ice-cold over a scoop of vanilla ice cream as an affogato-style dessert, letting the cold liqueur melt into the cream so the salted caramel reads as a sauce, an easy and indulgent way to close a meal.