It’s Friday night, just past 7pm, and we’re watching the sun set, admiring the view from one of the highest bars in the world. That’s the setting for the launch party of Grey Goose’s newest offering: Vodka Exceptionelle (Grey Goose VX).
Ku De Ta does this kind of thing quite well, and we were more than satisfied with the service and offerings dished out to welcome the newest and most luxurious vodka in town.
Without much pomp or flair, welcome drinks were passed out inconspicuously with no introduction or herald aside from the friendly greetings of the staff. I was very pleasantly surprised by the tipple: a good, strong, re-imagined take on a vodka martini very reminiscent of a Vesper, made of course with Grey Goose VX.
Instantly everyone wanted to know what was in it, whether it was a mix or just straight up vodka from heaven, since we hadn’t had a chance to taste Grey Goose VX yet. It was only much later that the secret was revealed: Grey Goose had flown in a bartender especially from Korea, Mr. Bong Ha Kim, Bacardi-Martini’s Korean Brand Ambassador, to showcase their exquisite beverage.
Together with Ku De Ta’s Head Regional Mixologist Knut Randhem, they created two distinct cocktails: Aurora (Grey Goose VX, dry vermouth, Japanese Shiso and lime) and La Sorbonne (Grey Goose VX, Martini Rosso and orange bitters) to celebrate this sophisticated spirit.
And boy, did they create a welcome. Aurora cocktail had a delicate, complex nose giving way to orange and plum flavours on the palate balanced very well with sweetness and just a hint of citrus.
Storm in a teacup. And that was just the start.
The rest of the night went on with introductions to the people behind the brand and of the spirit itself. The crowd kept the two bar experts very busy with smiles all around. Coupled with good weather and the coming of night, it was an atmosphere of great promise.
Canapés and finger foods such as tempura prawns and tuna tar tare made their rounds throughout the night, and were a very welcome complement to our Auroras.
La Sorbonne cocktail was next up, literally bursting with orange and citrus flavours accompanying heavy, sweet herb and spice. And then came the bottles. Suffice to say, Grey Goose VX was the main attraction of the evening, bar none.
Grey Goose Vodka’s creator Francois Thibault was inspired into producing a unique luxury experience which culminated in a beautiful marriage of vodka and some of the world’s best Eau de Vie, created exclusively for VX.
The results are impressive. Grey Goose Vodka Exceptionelle is an elegant spirit, with a deceivingly complex fruit and floral nose followed by a smooth, velvety texture and a light, subtle finish. Ku De Ta insisted that we savoured it on its own or on the rocks, and at first we were all quite sure that the cognac would prevail.
But the balance was just right, seemingly on a knife edge, and serves to highlight the expertise and skill of the brand. Grey Goose Vodka Exceptionelle is not a cognac-flavoured vodka. It is a vodka, plain and simple, but with much more character, elegance and sophistication. Truly exceptional.
