Crystal Head Vodka Aurora

Crystal Head Aurora is a Canadian special edition that swaps the original's recipe for a drier, finer profile, housed in a shimmering iridescent skull bottle inspired by the Aurora Borealis. Where the standard bottling leans on corn, Aurora is made chiefly from English wheat, which gives it a cleaner and drier line. The spirit is distilled five times and then filtered seven, three of those passes running through layers of Herkimer diamonds, a quartz crystal that the brand uses in place of charcoal. As with the whole range, no sugar, glycerine or flavouring is added, so the dry wheat character stands on its own.

The nose is clean and elegant with subtle spice and citrus. The palate is dry and silky with black pepper, mineral freshness and a faint vanilla note, finishing long and clear with a touch of spice. That dry, mineral edge makes it a natural for a Gimlet: stir or shake it short with fresh lime cordial and a little extra lime juice, served straight up and very cold, where the sharp citrus meets the pepper and the dryness keeps the drink crisp rather than rounded.