26000 Vodka - Raspberry and Lemon Drop product reviews

this one had me laughing myself silly at the thought of it. as i watched the faces of the others trying it and hearing their gasps of recognition over some old cough mixture i had to wonder what kind of drinker would go for this. after a taste of it myself i realised the answer is simple - nearly anyone with good taste. this vodka obviously carries with it a memory of an old medicine for some. the only cough mixtures i recall from my youth tasted foul and far from this appealing. this drink on the other hand was one i felt i could sip away at all night if only i could find a way to keep it near-freezing for the evening without getting a bad case of frostbite in my fingers. in the end it was simpler to enjoy it as it came - freezing at the start and room temperature by the end. then time for a refill. a remarkable vodka that should appeal to anyone who claims to have a palate capable of rational sensory input.

Never having been a great drinker of 'clear spirits' such as gin and vodka, I was unsure how well this would go down... but the moment I opened the bottle I was so very pleasantly surprised I knew that, at the very worst, I would enjoy at least a couple of nips.

Because we had chilled the bottle right down in the freezer, the aroma was subtle at first, but as it warmed in the glass the fumes rose and filled my nostrils with a very familiar smell... one everybody who has ever dreaded 'medicine' as a child will recognise with relief as the one cough medicine that actually tasted good. ;) It was sold under a number of brands, and our parents usually called it the 'cherry medicine' or 'raspberry medicine', but for me it was always just 'linctus'.

Upon taking a good gulp of this vodka, as all good vodkas should be consumed when not mixed with some juice, I was again reminded of the happy memories of 'medicine that didn't taste really bad', and then I was reminded in a not-at-all-subtle way that this is a 40% alcohol drink, as it proceeded to 'do it's high-octane thing' down my throat and into my stomach, giving that strangely paradoxical 'warming/chilling' thing pure spirits do.

Overall, in all honesty, I can't say this really carried much in the way of distinct 'berry & lemon' flavours for me... I was too caught up in the 'yummy cough medicine' flavour and 'high-alcohol burn' effect... but for me that is actually quite a good thing, since I am not a great fan of berry flavours. I can't actually fault this as an excellent example of everyone should face their prejudices head-on, because they might just find their assumptions don't hold. Oh, and this makes for a VERY interesting combo if mixed with some of the Mango Lime or Orange Vanilla ciders too, strangely enough. One of those 'happy accident' discoveries.

Not a huge fan of this flavour. It reminded me too much of cough medicine, a sentiment shared by many others on the night, but they seemed to have a more positive spin on this fact than I did.
Still with that alcoholic burn all good spirits have when consumed 'neat', the taste of raspberry and lemon just didn't really appeal to me greatly.
Sure, it was still a really nice drink, and tasted almost appealing to me when mixed with Lift+, but on the whole this isn't one I would buy very often, and if I did it would only be as a shelf-stocker for guests.
All in all, still a great brew, just not my favoured flavour.

This spirit has many good points. The flavour has a few characteristics that reminded me of a medicine I was given as a child. The Raspberry and lemon flavours have an interesting taste on the tongue. Their combination is nice but the lemon almost overpowers the raspberry. The high alcohol content of this spirit means that it has a slight tendency to catch in the throat, but after 2 or 3 drinks you won't be too worried.

My feeling on this flavoured vodka is that it is great by itself and has enough character to be good for mixing with your favourite soft drink.