Organic on the rocks
by Erica Grossman

It’s hard to imagine being concerned about pesticides and blending agents while sitting on a barstool. As consumers, after all, we typically reach for a drink to relax and escape from the more rigid details of existence. Alcohol is alcohol, we might think to ourselves — just drink and be merry.

But what you might not know is that your martini could be laced with remnants of chemicals or crafted in a way that has a long-term detrimental effect on the environment.

As the green movement is pushed further and further into the forefront, questioning what goes into your body is nothing new. Yet trying to find organic at the bar isn’t always easy. It’s been a slow process, but recently organic drinks began to pop on to the barkeep radar.

And, unsurprisingly, Colorado is helping pave the way. In 2007, Fort Collins’ New Belgium Brewery unleashed its Mothership Wit beer, a certified organic white Belgium brew. Vintners like Jack Rabbit Hill near Hotchkiss, Colo., are popping up with organic-certified biodynamic wines. And to add to the mix is the 4-year-old Boulder-based Vodka 14, one of the country’s first certified organic vodkas.

Vodka 14 is a family venture, run by the father-and-son team of Mitch and Matthew Barris. For them, crafting vodka is in their genes — distillation runs back five generations in their family, traced back to their Eastern European ancestors — but the Barrises also know that quality is just as important as roots. As Colorado residents, the two were inspired by the success of local microbreweries and knew that Boulder is a place where both craftsmanship and organic practice are embraced.

“With vodka, it is all about purity,” says Matthew Barris (the son in the venture). “Vodka isn’t aged or flavored, so there is nowhere to hide impurities.”

And though vodka isn’t defined by a distinctive flavor — a fact that has made it a No. 1 choice for mixed drinks — vodka connoisseurs can easily detect its overall taste and cleanliness. The Barrises believe that non-organic vodkas can negatively alter that taste by using grains grown with chemical pesticides or sewage-sludge fertilizers. Barris also notes that some non-organic vodkas use “blending agents” — chemical agents that help ferment the mash — to smooth out the taste, ultimately compromising the purity of the vodka.

So what does it mean to have certified organic vodka? As it turns out, a few things.

For one, you have to start with organic grains. A larger, corporate distillery might opt into a contract with an agricultural corporation that can supply them with mass-produced, genetically modified grains. Vodka 14, conversely, opts for high-quality, organic farms.

“Our ingredients are selected for quality prior to each production,” says Barris. “As a result, they don’t always come from the same exact farm.”

In addition, the company makes sure its ingredients come from American organic farms, mostly in the northern Rocky Mountains. The water used in Vodka 14 likewise comes from an ice-cold, 200-foot deep spring in the Teton Range’s Snake River rather than a public water source. Aside from ingredients, creating an organic product should also mean that its production is synchronous with ecological practice, and Vodka 14 follows this model by refusing to use chemical cleaners in its production. It’s something that Barris says helps to truly distinguish their product.

“Keeping our vodka organic helps us maintain the highest levels of quality and purity,” he says, “but it also allows us to support sustainable agriculture and keep our business in line with our ideals.”

At the end of the day, when it’s time to hit the liquor cabinet, catch yourself up with the rest of the green movement and shoot for local, organic drinks. The knowledge that what you’re ingesting is pure will help you relax even more.

For more information on Vodka 14, visit www.vodka14.com. You can purchase Vodka 14 at Liquor Mart (1750 15th St., 303-449-3374), Pettyjohn’s Liquor and Wine (613 S. Broadway., 303-499-2337) and a variety of other local outfits.