New Amsterdam Vodka

Proof: 80
Color: clear
Nose: mineral, witch hazel
Taste: bitter, mineral
Finish: smooth
Value: compared to other vodkas in its price range, a good deal

This is a vodka you can mix with and not feel guilty about.

New Amsterdam Vodka is distilled 5 times and filtered three times. This process does not kill all of the spirit’s personality, but definitely beats it into submission.

Let’s Not Mince Words: New Amsterdam Vodka is inexpensive, practical, and imminently mixable. It stays true to Vodka’s neutral spirit heritage while still retaining some of its own identity.

N.A.V. does not reach up from the glass and shout into your face “RAWR! I AM VODKA!!” But then, there are very few vodkas that do that. Those that do, I tend to enjoy. I suppose this is my way of saying it’s a bit tame.

In its price point, compare New Amsterdam Vodka to Sobieski, Skyy, Smirnoff, and *shudder* Popov. Believe it or not folks, Finlandia, Stoli and Ketel One are the next step up. (And yes, that extra $5 does make a difference.) Still, I’ve tried New Amsterdam Vodka versus Stoli and it holds its own.
New Amsterdam Vodka is cleaner than Sobieski, more mouth-pleasing than Skyy, and well… won’t make you scream “OH GOD WHAT DID I JUST DO TO MYSELF!?!?!” like Popov.

New Amsterdam Vodka is inexpensive, practical, and imminently mixable.

All that said, no booze this cheap is without its detractors and New Amsterdam Vodka has a bitterness to it. If you take a straight hit of N.A.V. chilled (not frozen, just chilled) the bitterness is there. Let it hit room temperature and you’ll run from the room upon smelling the open bottle.

The bitterness can be used to your advantage. If you like a nice Vodka Tonic, well, here’s your best friend. Similarly, New Amsterdam Vodka hides itself as any neutral spirit should when paired with other heavy flavors.

And… I talk about that “disinfectant” scent you get from most gins and vodkas at the less-than-$20 price point. At room temperature, yes… N.A.V. has a mild case of the hospital blues. But, in a Kangaroo (aka, Vodka Martini) on the rocks, those woes are non-existent.

The bitterness can be used to your advantage. If you like a nice Vodka Tonic, well, here’s your best friend.

As I’m not the world’s biggest vodka fan, I don’t usually have more than one bottle of the stuff in the house (*cough*JewelOfRussia*cough*). Still, New Amsterdam Vodka could easily find a place as your base booze for all of the following:

• Vodka Tonic
• Vodka Martini, over
• Seabreeze
• Cosmopolitan
• Bloody Mary
• Screwdriver

I’ll be straight with you: no, this isn’t my first choice for vodka. It’s not even my second choice. But I would call it a Top 20… especially for the price!

Final Rating: 81 out of 100