Nemiroff Honey Pepper Vodka

A flavoured vodka from Ukrainian producer Nemiroff

I drank a lot of vodka when I lived in Russia and Ukraine - so much so that I rather went off it, but it does match well with peasanty Slavic foods like zakuski of gherkins, preserved peppers, salamis, cutlets and pickled fish.

This honey pepper vodka with herbs is more complex than the sort of bitter, alcoholic vodka that needs to be washed down with strong foods, rather than complementing elegant dishes.

Aromas of herbs and beeswax, intense more than fiery with some nail polish; herbal and complex, with a glycerol texture and a developing honey-sweetness mixed with a warmth that is part-chilli, part-alcohol.

It is not especially a spirit to linger over and works best with food - including dark, bitter chocolate.