Elit by Stolichnaya vodka serves up cocktails inspired by hit television series
No matter your alcoholic beverage of choice, anyone can appreciate the ease and simplicity that comes with a high-end liquor – If you can pour it and drink it over ice in an enjoyable fashion, it's an A+ in our book.
So when a liquor brand comes defending the title of 'highest-rated white spirit in the world', consider our attention commanded!
SEE ALSO: We tried the $500 tequila-infused pizza -- Here's what happened
A member of the Stolichnaya vodka brand, Elit by Stoli is an 'ultra-luxury' vodka that's farmed and distilled in Russia – on its own farm, no less.
As a premium spirits brand, we'd only expect a vodka in the Stoli family to maintain the same level of taste and quality that the name has carried for generations -- and we were not disappointed.
We headed down to the Marmara Hotel on Park Avenue in Manhattan to try cocktails inspired by the hit Showtime series 'Billions', a fictional television show following a money-fueled chase between U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades and New York hedge fund mastermind Bobby Axelrod.
The show embodies the luxury and corruption that comes in a battle where billions are at steak, and the strong characters certainly inspired cocktails just as strong as their personalities!
Watch our live demo with Elit by Stoli at the Marmara Hotel below:
We were lucky enough to get to try two of the Elit-infused cocktails, The Lara (inspired by Lara Axelrod, the refreshing wife of Bobby who's always off sipping wine somewhere) and The Chuck Rhoades (the boozy and aggressive District Attorney.)
The normal tanginess and bitter after-taste that some vodkas often leave behind were completely eliminated – Elit was crisp, strong and, dare we say, refreshing?
The vodka blended seamlessly with the other spirits in our cocktails (think wine, whiskey, etc – It was a long day) and though Elit was still the star of the show, it acted as a great counterpart to all of the other flavors and notes that went into the drinks.
Take a look at all of the cocktails inspired by the characters below:
The best part about each cocktail is that many of the ingredients, like the honey and ginger syrup, can be made at home with items you already have in your pantry -- splurging on the liquor is definitely justified.
So what goes into making Elit such a standout spirit?
Much like the concept of farm-to-table in organic food, we like to think it has to do with the way Elit is sourced from its farm.
Elit Brand Ambassador, Brent Lamberti, explains:
"Stoli owns a lot of farms in Russia, and we utilize all those farms when we're picking the grain to make our vodkas. But with Elit, it comes from one individual field – so if you think of one single-vineyard wine, it's that same concept. We control that whole process from grain to glass."
Elit is also filtered via a special freeze-filtration technique, which removes more impurities than a normal filtration process.
The vodka is chilled to -18 degrees Celsius (to the point where it almost freezes) and is then run through a carbon filter to remove even more impurities.
And if the packaging on each bottle intrigues you, you're not alone – The bottle is purposely modeled after the freeze-filtration chamber where it's distilled.
The price per bottle varies on size, of course, and where you are in the country, but you can expect a 750 mL or 1L bottle to cost you between $50-70, respectively.
RELATED: Inside a whisky distillery
More on AOL.com:
3 companies that could get nailed by Donald Trump's trade war with Mexico
Say goodbye to these popular menu items at Starbucks
Giving people a free monthly stipend actually leads them to drink and smoke less
