Hope Distillery takes a new direction with small batch vodka

Hope Distillery founders Lucy Beard and Leigh Lisk began their business creating gin but have successfully branched out into other artisanal liquors in recent years – they distil their own as well as produce products for other brands.

Their newly branded Hope Small Batch Vodka, distilled from a grape base sourced in the Western Cape, is a delicate balance of potstilled and rectified spirit.

“Gin starts life as vodka – essentially a high-strength neutral alcohol – so it made sense for us to make vodka, considering that we were already making gin,” says Lucy.

Distilling vodka one more time together with botanicals, one of which is the juniper berry, is what creates gin.

Leigh Lisk and Lucy Beard. Picture: Guy Bubb

The vodka distillation process is not without its challenges. Unlike gin, in which the botanicals have a huge impact on flavour and mouthfeel, you only have the distillation process and water to play with.

“In vodka, the key element is smoothness, and both the distillation process and the blending water used are integral to this,” explains Lucy.

“We also only use a small part of the distillation and blend this with water from the Table Mountain aquifer. This ensures that our vodka is smooth enough to be sipped on ice.”

Vodka doesn’t allow for much experimentation, and the technical nature of the distilling means that flavour must be established without the use of botanicals.

According to Lucy, it’s far more of a purist process than gin.

“You need to extract smoothness, purity and hints of flavour from the underlying alcohol, which is far more difficult,” she asserts.

Hope Distillery. Picture: Supplied

The Hope team recommends their vodka be served on the rocks with a lemon twist. Alternatively, try soda or tonic and a squeeze of lemon or a slice of lime.

Hope Small Batch Vodka can also be used to make a delicious cocktail.

The Hope Bloody Mary

Ingredients

50ml Hope Small Batch Vodka
100ml tomato juice
10-12ml fresh lemon juice (to taste)
A few dashes of Tabasco
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper

Method

1. Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir well.

2. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

3. Garnish with a celery stick or some speared olives and fresh herbs of your choice.

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