Excerpts from Vodka article

While vodka sales make up a third of the U.S. market, the clear, almost flavorless liquor still has trouble finding respect among craft cocktailers.

According to the Distilled Spirits Council, last year Americans guzzled more than 65 million 9-liter cases of the translucent liquor — good for 32 percent of the market. But scan the cocktail lists at many local craft joints and vodka is often proportionately underrepresented and in some cases completely snubbed.

While Americans are consuming nearly four times the amount of so-called super premium or luxury vodkas (like Aviv 613 or Belvedere) than they were a decade ago, exotically flavored vodkas — which make craft bartenders’ eyes roll — have also thrived. Last week Minnesota-based Phillips Distilling Co. made national headlines when it rolled out a sriracha-flavored vodka under its UV brand.

The flavored vodka category — with all its cake- and marshmallow-inflected varieties — will continue to grow, and traditionalist cocktailers will be forced to embrace them, said Jim Aune, Phillips’ director of research and development. “This is going to be popular whether you like it or not, so you can jump on board or you can sit there by yourself,” he said.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/235733971.html