I thought about leading with that stupid tagline or slogan or whatever it technically is, for about 10 seconds and then thought better. Other than “Crikey”, it is probably the most known Australian phrase outside of Australia. (My hat is off to you Foster’s.) Anyways…

I was asked to review this vodka and I said I’d be happy to help. (I’ve since learned from a people skills class that I’m a stabilizer and I like helping people.) Though I was upfront about my affinity to cocktails and my lack of experience with vodka*, I’d still like to think I can identify a decent spirit.

*This is as good of a place as any for a quick aside. I’m not really the target demographic for vodka. I’ve never been to a club. I like strong drinks. I like the taste of alcohol. Many of drinks I make have more than two ingredients. The reverse of those statements generally describes people who are in the target demographic for vodka. It is unfortunate that vodka has been taken in this direction, but what are you going to do?

Because the above statements are generally true, vodka has a negative reputation in the craft cocktail world. Bartenders build drinks around other more variable spirits and let the vodka sit. That said, I still think vodka has a place in the cocktails and a place on the shelf.

Seeing as I have never done a “proper” review before, how was I going to review this stuff? I started with a totally unscientific blind tasting. I had somebody else pour some Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Bombora, and Cooranbong vodka into some glasses. Not knowing which was which, I tasted them and tried to identify them based on the details I knew about each vodka. I picked the Cooranbong correctly and mixed up the other two.

Of the three I actually preferred the Bombora. It had the most flavor. The Tito’s was the most medicinal tasting and least appealing. To ask me to describe that flavor in much more detail is beyond my current abilities. Some people say they can detect nuts or raisons or a multitude of other foods, but my palate is not that advanced. I know what I like though and of the three, I liked the Bombora.

That was the extent of my neat tasting of Bombora. I like to sip bourbon and rum, and sometimes, cognac, and even gin, but I’m not big on sipping vodka. I do like to make cocktails though.

All you need for a delicious Moscow Mule. Limes, ginger beer, and vodka.

One of the first things I did was to check out the Bombora website to see what cocktails they suggested. Most were way too sweet for my taste, but that didn’t stop me from trying it in a few different cocktails.

I don’t drink that vodka-Red Bull crap, so I started with where vodka started its introduction to America, the Moscow Mule. Back in the 1940s and 1950s, vodka was just starting to appear in America, and the Moscow Mule was how Americans were first exposed to it. A Moscow Mule is a simple drink based on the Dark n Stormy, with three ingredients: vodka, ginger beer, and lime.

Squeeze a slice of lime into a highball glass with ice. Pour in 2oz of vodka. Top with 3oz ginger beer. Give it a quick stir and you’re done. Not that I’ve tried every vodka under the sun in a Moscow Mule, but I’ll say that Bombora made a delicious drink. It had good flavor and lacked any semblance to medicine.

If it was looking for a new bottle of vodka I’d be more than tempted to pick up a bottle and try it out.