Product: Three Olives Tomato Vodka: Finally, a Flavored Vodka That’s More Useful Than Gimmicky Producer: Three Olives Approximate Retail Value: $22.00 for 1 Liter Category: Vodka Country of Origin: England, United Kingdom Reviewer: Jon Costantino The F Words: Flavor – The Right Mix of Fruit and Alcohol Feel – Strong Enough Finish – Could Be Fruitier

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Three Olives Vodka has been adding flavors to their products for a while now, most of which using tastes aimed at the not-so-serious connoisseur. Root Beer? Triple Shot Espresso? All flavors which are all good and fun, but are made with nothing more with the wannabe Carrie Bradshaw in mind, who want nothing more than a twist on the traditional martini. But Three Olives have finally come up with something that was just dying to be made: Vodka that enhances one of the more classic mixed drinks, The Bloody Mary.

Since Three Olives Tomato Vodka is mostly made for mixing into a glass filled with Bloody Mary mix, I thought I would try it with two different kinds of mixes. The first mix was a more spice/horseradish-based mix, and the second was a chunkier, fruiter type. I wanted to see how much the tomato flavored was either enhanced or dulled by what it was surrounded by. In both cases though, I was not disappointed.

In the first case, using Dave’ Gourmet Bloody Mary Mix, the flavor of the tomato was able to shine above the horseradish that was floating throughout the glass. At first sip, you can feel the fullness of the tomato, giving just a hint of candy as well. That sip gave way to a bitter alcohol taste, but there was still enough fruit to minimize the burn. As the drink went from sip to swallow, most of the tomato flavor was gone, but still left a satisfying aftertaste. The most important was that the vodka was not as overpowering as it is in other Bloody Marys I’ve had with the same mix, and I owe that to the infusion of the fruit.

In the other mix, Bloody and Bold, the Three Olives Tomato Vodka outshined the mix it was in. With a mix that’s more a cocktail sauce than an eye-opener; the tomato becomes more overpowering it should. The fruit actually dulled the drunk, and turned it into an alcoholic V-8. As smooth as this vodka is, you really need some more spice; otherwise you’ll just end up with a bland fruit juice.

I used to buy mostly spiced vodkas for my Bloody Marys, but after trying the Three Olives Tomato, I feel I have been converted to the church of the Flavored Vodkas. But if you decide to go with this one, make sure the mix you put it in ranges from “Zesty” to “Hot.” Otherwise, the drink known to wake you up on a Sunday morning might put you right back to bed.