Don’t you just love a challenge? I do (occasionally), especially when it comes to making cocktails. That’s where I found myself this week, after bringing back a lovely souvenir from the DFOCon in Baltimore. At Harry’s bar (which was also a liquor store – how convenient!) I noticed a vodka flavored with a regional spice was available. That’s right, I am now in the possession of Old Bay flavored vodka! For $20, I thought it was worth the uniqueness. Plus if all else fails, I can just make Bloody Marys with it. Of which I still have not made for this column….

However, the universal hangover cure all is not to be featured this week. I wanted to get a little creative, hence the challenge. Sure the Bloody is the easy cocktail to make, but I can do better. I have a few ideas up my sleeve that will be made to test out how well they work, but for now, let’s go with a suggested cocktail that came with the bottle itself: The Bay Crush:

1.5 oz. Old Bay Vodka

1.5 oz. Triple Sec

2 oz. Fresh lemon juice

3 oz. Lemon-lime  soda

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with Ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Not a lot on the nose here. I think I get slight hints of the Old Bay. It is reminiscent of the aforementioned Bloody Mary so much that if I was blindfolded and asked what drink was in front of me by aroma only, I would without a doubt say Bloody Mary. This should be an interesting taste…

The sip is in the complete opposite direction than where the scent of the drink would lead you to think it was going. to start, it is cool and refreshing, which is especially nice since at the time of this writing (22:30 EST) it is currently 83 degrees outside. The flavor starts out fairly neutral, but then the lemon comes in pretty strong. I don’t hate it, but I wish there was something to counter it, as it does dominate the profile. This lasts the entire rest of the sip, and leaves a slightly lemon-y aftertaste for a second or two. The Sprite adds a nice carbonation backbone that works very well. However what is lost is the triple sec and the vodka oddly enough. I don’t really get much Old Bay, if at all, and any orange flavor the triple sec brings is immediately lost in the fresh lemon juice. I’m wondering if the latter was added as a way to offset the fresh lemon and keep the drink from becoming too sour.

The Crush was good and very…um, crushable, especially on a hot day or evening. However I think it needs a bit of tweaking. I would add another ounce of the vodka, and half the lemon. Maybe this will bring out a bit more of the Old Bay flavor in the vodka. Now that I’ve got one drink under my belt, I feel like I’ve got a good idea of what works with this flavored vodka, and I look forward with experimenting with this in the near future.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)