Kinky Blue

KINKY Blue is listed under vodka, but at 17% ABV and with the tropical-and-citrus flavor the brand describes, it's a colored, flavored vodka-style liqueur, not a neutral spirit. That roughly halves the strength of a standard 40% vodka. It's meant to be a sweet, fruit-forward component in a drink, and it's a different product from a clean grain vodka for martinis. The brand is KINKY, listed here under Minnesota. The bottle's blue color is part of the appeal, and it will tint whatever it's mixed into. Because it's already flavored and sweetened in the way fruit liqueurs usually are, it fits some of the classic vodka drinks and not others. A Bloody Mary, a dry martini, and a Moscow Mule built around ginger and lime would all clash with its sweetness. The better fits are drinks that want a citrus lift and a bright color. Pour it over ice with lemonade, lemon-lime soda, or soda water and a squeeze of fresh lime to cut the sweetness. It also works in a Cosmopolitan-style sour: shake it with lime or lemon juice and a splash of white cranberry or pineapple, and use less sweetener than the recipe calls for, since the liqueur supplies plenty. Blended with pineapple or coconut mixers, it suits frozen and tiki-leaning drinks. Skip it in an Espresso Martini, where coffee bitterness and a tropical citrus profile don't pair well. On its own, serve it well chilled. Keep the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer, since 17% ABV is still well above the freezing point of a standard freezer. Pour it neat into a small chilled glass, or over ice in a rocks glass, where a lime wedge keeps the sweetness in check. For a shaken drink, a chilled coupe or martini glass shows off the color best. Because it's lower in alcohol than a spirit-forward cocktail base, it also works in batched punch and pitcher recipes. Adjust the other ingredients down, since a bottle at this strength reads sweeter than a full-proof spirit would.