I stopped by my local wine and spirits store today and was introduced to a new vodka that is perfect for fall.  So of course I needed to buy a bottle and attempt some cocktails.  The vodka is from EG Spirits and is called Windsor.  It is vodka flavored with Earl Grey tea and Sage.  Here is a link to the website:  http://www.egspirits.com/spirits/windsor-2/

When I first smelled this vodka, I was hit with a strong sage smell, but as soon as I tasted it, the Earl Grey tea flavors came through.  I personally like Earl Grey tea as it is flavored with Bergamot Orange.  The combination of these two aromas is wonderful.

I decided to try a simple cocktail first, with just the Windsor vodka and a splash of Orange Bitters.  Thinking that the Orange Bitters would accent the Earl Grey flavors of the vodka.  I put 1.5oz of vodka in a cocktail shaker, added about 4 good dashes of orange bitter, added ice and shook it.  After pouring it into a martini glass I tried it.  Yumm, it tasted very good.

Next I wanted to make a more fall-like concoction, so I repeated the recipe above, but added a small amount of pure maple syrup.  It seems like it was about 1/4 of a teaspoon.  Then shook it up with some ice.  The maple syrup made the drink much smoother, and gave it just a hint of maple flavor.

Now for dinner we happened to be having some fall squash, and this cocktail went really well with the squash, surprisingly well.

For fun I also tried making a simple vodka tonic using the Windsor Earl Grey and Sage vodka.  I also was delicious.  The flavors in this vodka are very good, but fairly subtle, so adding it into something like a vodka tonic will let it shine, but if you add it to a bloody mary, it will probably be lost.

If you can find the EG Windsor Earl Grey and Sage vodka, I highly recommend it.  If you come up with fun recipes using it, share them in a comment.  Cheers!

Tim