Skip to main content

Feel Good Friday: Ultimat Vodka

We don’t usually equate boozing with reducing world hunger, but that is Ultimat Vodka’s goal this summer with their summer-long fundraising campaign with Action Against Hunger aptly named, Ultimat Lemon-AID.

Launched in May and continuing through August 20th (National Lemonade Day), the public is invited to text LEMONAID (50555) to donate $5 to Action Against Hunger. Donations from the campaign will be used to support the non-profit’s efforts to distribute Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs), which are nutrient packed pastes that help fight childhood malnutrition. They don’t need to be mixed with water, have a long shelf life and can withstand the elements – fool-proof food supplements! Each pack costs about 33 cents so $5 translates to five days of treatment, helping a child to a full recovery (which takes about 45 days)

If you aren’t familiar with Ultimat vodka it is a part of the Patron Spirits Company (Tequila!) and is crafted with wheat for smoothness, rye for complexity and potato for richness. Made in Poland, you can spot this premium vodka by its cobalt blue decanter.

In Manhattan this summer, every Friday at Truman’s Gentleman’s Groomers guys can enjoy two complimentary grooming services and an Ultimat Lemon-AID cocktail, with the purchase of a haircut. A portion of proceeds from every treatment will go to Action Against Hunger. There is also a plethora of summer sun quenching vodka cocktail ideas on the Ultimat site. Some of our favorites we have included below.

Ultimat Smash

Created by – Katie Stipe, NYC Mixologist

The smash is a style of cocktail that can be made with all different spirits. It entails muddled lemons & mint & sugar along with featured spirit. Refreshing, easy drinking and always a crowd pleaser.

Muddle 4 lemon wedges (1/2 a large juicy lemon) and 7-10 mint leaves in one oz. of honey syrup*. Add 2 oz. Ultimat Vodka.

Add ice and shake aggressively. Fine strain over crushed ice in a Rocks or Collins glass. Finish with 2-3 twists of finely cracked pepper and a sprig of mint.

*Honey syrup is 2 parts honey (wildflower or clover suggested) mixed with 1 part hot water. Stir until honey and water have combined. Will keep for two weeks refrigerated.

Chelsea Fizz

Created by – Walter Easterbrook, Bowery Collective

1 1/2 oz. Ultimat Vodka

3/4 oz. Lemon Juice

1/2 oz. Agave Nectar Grated Ginger

3 Strawberries

Combine first three ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Shake and strain into a tall glass. Top with seltzer. Garnish with a strawberry.

Umami Lemonade

Created by – Julie Williams, NYC Mixologist

2 oz. Ultimat Vodka

2 oz. Lemon cucumber shrubb (made with Kirby cucumbers, lemon peels, champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar and sugar)

Stir ingredients together. Serve in a Highball glass. Garnish with a pickle or a lemon twist.

Cator Sparks
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…
Try coffee from around the world, delivered to your door every month
A world map with a cup of coffee and a passport near it.

We all know of the benefits of coffee drinking so how about treating yourself to some of the world’s best coffee every month? That’s the thinking behind Atlas Coffee Club which is a coffee of the month club that’s curated to provide amazing micro-lot coffees. The subscription box contains more than just delicious coffee and it all costs from just $28 per month depending on the bundle you choose. If that’s grabbed your interest like a delicious cup of Joe should, keep reading as we’re here to tell you all about it.

Why you should sign up for Atlas Coffee Club
Everyone loves exciting mail and parcels and Atlas Coffee Club has tapped into that by providing more than ‘just’ good coffee. Each month, you’ll get a curation of the world’s best single origin coffee, along with a postcard from the country of the month, along with tasting notes and coffee history for each batch. If for some reason you don’t enjoy the coffee, you can get the next one free thanks to Atlas’s Coffee Match Guarantee.

Read more
Cocktail classics: the Negroni and its millions of variations
Negroni

Of all the classic cocktails that are well-known in bars across the world, one stands out for being both complex fascinating to drink, but also incredibly easy to make: the negroni. This beloved cocktail from Italy consists of equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, and it doesn't even need to be shaken. Traditionally made in a mixing glass, where it is stirred with ice to add water, in practice you can even add the ingredients to a tumbler glass with a large ice cube and stir it in the glass. That isn't really the technically correct way to make the drink, but it works well enough and means that you can make this cocktail with practically no equipment whatsoever.
The negroni is popular for its intense, bitter flavors and its bright red color, both of which come from the Campari. But the addition of gin gives the drink that heavy, boozy note with plenty of spicy juniper, and the sweet vermouth adds a touch of sweetness and more herbal notes. The result is a drink which packs an incredible flavor punch, and which tends to be either loved or hated (mostly depending on how you feel about Campari).
Thanks to its simplicity, the negroni lends itself to endless variations. While in truth I think it's hard to beat the classic version of this cocktail, if you're a long-time negroni drinker and you're looking to try something new – or maybe even if you're not a fan of the classic negroni but are interested in finding a version which does work for you – then we've got suggestions on some of the many variations you can try.

Experimenting with gins

Read more
Gose-style beers are perfect for spring, and these are our favorites
This salty, tart, sour beer is perfect for spring.
Gose beer

As we mentioned in an earlier post, the Gose style might be the best beer choice for spring and summer drinking. This wheat beer is top-fermented and gets a second fermentation with lactobacillus bacteria. This gives it a tart, sour flavor profile similar to your favorite sour ale. The addition of coriander and sea salt adds some spice and salinity to this very unique, refreshing beer.

On top of that, this tart, salty thirst-quencher is usually between 4-5% ABV. This results in a crushable, salty, crisp beer you won’t be able to put down even between horseshoe throws or cornhole turns.
A strange, salty history

Read more