There are many things to love about New Zealand. Unending nature, woolly sheep dotting the landscape and those delicious meat pies! It’s a place I’ve visited a couple of times (once for the Millennium skydiving boogie in Taupo in 2000, and another time to cover the 42 Below Vodka competition in 2010), and it’s a country that harkens many more reasons to return. However, the latest cool Kiwi offering is now available in the U.S., saving the need to spring for a ticket.Many argue that vodka is the “non” spirit because it is defined as a neutral distillate without much character. However, in side-by-side vodka tastings, the schooled spirits enthusiast knows this is not entirely true. Broken Shed Vodka is a unique product within the vodka category.The base product from which any spirit is made influences its flavor and texture, and vodka can be made from just about any organic matter. Whether fruit, vegetable or grain each base product leaves its fingerprint on the taste. Broken Shed Vodka is one of the more unique vodkas on the market in that its made from whey… as in milk curds! The raw distillate is blended with water from both North and South islands, and the result is very, very tasty.As you might expect, “creamy” is a word I would use to describe the texture and smoothness on the palate. Broken Shed is distilled four times, which adds to the purity of the product – enough to remove unnecessary congeners but not so much that the flavor gets stripped away. It first launched in Connecticut this summer, and is now available in stores in New York. For those of us not on the East Coast, it can also be ordered online.This recipe was provided by the company that sent the sample, and I think it complements the spirit nicely.

Broken Lychee

2 parts Broken Shed Vodka

1 part apple juice

Drop of lychee liqueur

Shake, strain and serve in a chilled martini glass.

For those who have tried Broken Shed, I’d be curious to hear your feedback. As for me, this is a bottle I will enjoy having in my liquor collections to sip and share with friends. I like it so much, that Broken Shed is a vodka I’ll likely enjoy chilled and neat because I enjoy its taste and “mouthfeel" (to use a somewhat over-used term) all on its own. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”