Cosmo Premium Vodka

Austrian Brands works out of Burgenland in Austria's far south, where the house cut its teeth on fruit brandies and liqueurs before turning to vodka. Cosmo is made from summer wheat, the soft grain that gives vodka its creamy, rounded body, and the distillery runs it through multiple distillations followed by a cold filtration at minus eighteen degrees. Chilling the spirit before filtering causes heavier oils and fatty acids to clump and drop out more readily, so the charcoal catches more of what blunts a vodka's clarity. A short resting phase then settles the spirit before it is reduced to 37.5%.

The nose is gentle and clean, mild grain over a fresh note. The palate is soft and round with a fine, creamy texture and clear wheat character, closing on a mild, lightly spicy warmth. Given the name and its easy structure, the obvious home is a Cosmopolitan: shake it with cranberry, fresh lime and a measure of triple sec, then garnish with a flamed orange twist so the citrus oils lift the soft wheat base.