Five Lakes Classic Vodka 700ml

Five Lakes Classic Vodka is a Siberian grain vodka in a 700ml bottle, sold in Russia as Pyat Ozer, which translates as five lakes. It is a straightforward, unflavoured vodka for drinking ice cold or mixing.

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The brand takes its name from a group of five lakes in Siberia. It has been produced by Omskvinprom in Omsk and sits in the Alcohol Siberian Group portfolio, while the brand itself is owned and distributed outside Russia by Five Lakes Cyprus. Five Lakes is a 100% grain vodka, and the producer has described a process of eight distillation stages and seven filtration stages to give a clean, smooth spirit. Classic is the brand’s standard, plain vodka, with no flavouring, so it suits anything from a chilled shot to a long drink. If you usually buy a mainstream vodka for mixing, it is a like-for-like swap with a Siberian story behind it.

For the traditional serve, keep the bottle in the freezer and pour it into small chilled glasses alongside salty food. Smoked fish, pickled cucumbers, rye bread with butter and cured meats are the classic matches. For mixed drinks, it works in a vodka soda with fresh lime, a vodka tonic, a Moscow Mule with ginger beer or a Bloody Mary with tomato juice and spice. A clean grain vodka also makes a dry martini stirred with a little vermouth. A 700ml bottle gives about 23 pours of 30ml. Kept sealed and away from light, it keeps its character long after opening. A sensible everyday vodka for home bars and gatherings.