Vodka With a Twist

Isadora Duncan once said, "I would rather live in Russia on black bread and vodka than in the United States at the best hotels."

However, times have changed.

A few enterprising individuals in the United States are beginning to take vodka to a level that would lure even Ms. Duncan away from her beloved Russian classics.

Vodka -- which many of us associate with burly chested men and college drinking games -- is now being served in the U.S. alongside gourmet cuisine or sipped next to fine wines at holiday parties.

This change in status can be attributed to a growing number of enlightened vodka connoisseurs, all of whom are helping to take the drink beyond its stark roots.

Swedish Roots

Although vodkas have been flavored for centuries -- starting with monks in central Europe allegedly flavoring it for medicinal purposes -- Sweden has been making its own niche product since the 1400s.

Hailing from the "vodka belt" (a crescent of northern European countries from Russia to Norway), Sweden native Hakan Swahn opened the revered Aquavit restaurant in 1987 in response to a dearth of world-class Scandinavian restaurants in Manhattan. Swahn soon found his patrons enjoying Sweden's unique, aromatic vodkas or aquavits. ...