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Vodka
Vodka has one of those histories where Russia and Poland both look at each other and say, “It was us.”
Drink historians place vodka's early development somewhere in Eastern Europe, particularly within what is sometimes called the Vodka Belt—a broad region stretching across Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe and including countries such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states.
Early distilled spirits were quite different from the clean, neutral vodka we know today. Distillation was primitive, alcohol could be rough, and spirits were frequently flavored with fruits, herbs, spices, roots, and other botanicals to make them more palatable.
Vodka wasn't always trying to taste like nothing.
Poland has some of the earliest surviving written references to the word wódka, although early uses could refer to medicinal preparations rather than the beverage we recognize today.
In 1534, Polish botanist and physician Stefan Falimirz published O ziołach i o mocy ich (On Herbs and Their Potency), an influential herbal containing recipes for distilled medicinal preparations.
Across Europe, distilled spirits acquired names associated with ideas such as burning water, little water, ardent water, and water of life.
Over the centuries, distillation became more sophisticated. Producers learned to make increasingly pure alcohol, while charcoal and other filtration techniques helped remove unwanted flavors and aromas.
By the 19th and 20th centuries, vodka was evolving toward the clean, neutral spirit familiar today.
Political upheaval and immigration helped carry vodka from Eastern Europe into Western Europe and the United States.
And then American bartenders got hold of it.
That changed everything.
Top Things to Know About Vodka
Vodka doesn't have to be made from potatoes.
Vodka can be produced from virtually any fermentable agricultural material.
Common bases include wheat, rye, corn, potatoes, grapes, sugarcane, barley, and other sources of fermentable sugars or starches.
Potatoes just had a very good publicist.
Vodka can be made almost anywhere.
Unlike Cognac, Tequila, Scotch whisky, or other geographically protected spirits, vodka isn't tied to one particular region.
Today you'll find vodka produced throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and elsewhere.
Russia versus Poland remains vodka's great historical argument.
Both countries have centuries-old vodka traditions, and pinning down a single inventor is nearly impossible.
Poland has particularly important early documentary evidence, while Russia became enormously influential in vodka's production, culture, and international identity.
So if a Russian and a Pole start debating who invented vodka at your bar:
Find something else to polish.
Vodka essentially means “little water.”
The Polish wódka and Russian vodka are diminutive forms related to their respective words for water.
Which is adorable considering what happens when you drink too much of it.
Vodka can be made from almost anything fermentable.
In the United States, vodka is classified as a neutral spirit. Neutral spirits are produced at a very high alcohol concentration, traditionally at or above 95 percent ABV (190 proof), removing much of the character of the original raw material.
Modern U.S. regulations define vodka as neutral spirits distilled or treated so that they are without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.
That means corn doesn't automatically make corn-flavored vodka, and sugarcane doesn't automatically make rum.
The Moscow Mule helped sell vodka to America.
Vodka struggled to gain traction in the American market until the Moscow Mule appeared in the early 1940s.
The famous combination of vodka, ginger beer, and lime—and that highly photogenic copper mug—became an ingenious marketing vehicle for Smirnoff.
Americans discovered vodka.
Copper-mug manufacturers presumably sent thank-you notes.
James Bond gave vodka another enormous boost.
Ian Fleming's James Bond helped associate vodka cocktails with sophistication, espionage, and very expensive tailoring.
The first Bond film, Dr. No, appeared in 1962, and vodka Martinis became increasingly fashionable during the Bond era.
Bond's famous instruction:
“Shaken, not stirred.”
Bartenders have been arguing about it ever since.
The Vesper contains both gin and vodka.
Ian Fleming introduced the Vesper in his 1953 novel Casino Royale.
Bond orders a drink containing gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.
So technically one of the world's most famous vodka cocktails is also a gin cocktail.
Everyone wins.
Flavored vodka isn't new.
Centuries before shelves filled with vanilla, raspberry, whipped cream, and birthday-cake vodka, people flavored rough distilled spirits with herbs, fruits, spices, and other botanicals.
Modern commercially flavored vodka exploded internationally during the 1980s and 1990s. Absolut Peppar debuted in 1986, followed by Absolut Citron in 1988.
Absolut says Peppar was the first clear flavored vodka imported into the United States. Citron later became closely associated with the rise of the Cosmopolitan.
And then flavored vodka went completely off the rails.
Vodka is one of the world's great cocktail workhorses.
Its relatively neutral flavor makes it extraordinarily adaptable.
Famous vodka cocktails include the Moscow Mule, Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini, White Russian, Black Russian, Screwdriver, Cape Codder, Sea Breeze, Lemon Drop, Harvey Wallbanger, Sex on the Beach, and Vodka Martini.
Vodka may not always demand attention.
It pays the bills.
Types of Vodka
Instead of saying vodka has only two categories—plain and flavored—I would organize today's vodka by style and base ingredient.
Plain / Unflavored Vodka
The classic clear spirit.
Although vodka is generally intended to be relatively neutral, different brands can have subtle differences in texture, sweetness, aroma, minerality, and finish.
Water source, raw material, fermentation, distillation, filtration, and proof can all influence the finished product.
Flavored Vodka
Vodka flavored with fruits, citrus, herbs, spices, vanilla, pepper, and almost anything else producers can dream up.
Absolut Peppar helped launch the modern flavored-vodka boom in 1986, followed by Absolut Citron in 1988.
By the 2000s and 2010s, vodka shelves offered everything from cucumber and grapefruit to marshmallow, whipped cream, cake, and salted caramel.
At some point vodka stopped asking, “Why?”
Infused Vodka
Infused vodka is generally made by steeping ingredients such as fruit, herbs, vegetables, spices, or botanicals directly in vodka.
Infusing vodka at home and behind bars became especially popular during the modern craft-cocktail movement.
The concept, however, is centuries old.
Everything old eventually gets put into a Mason jar and rediscovered.
Vodka by Base Ingredient
Wheat Vodka
Examples include Absolut, Grey Goose, Ketel One, and others.
Wheat vodkas are often described as soft, clean, or subtly sweet.
Rye Vodka
Belvedere and Sobieski are well-known Polish examples.
Rye can contribute subtle spice and grain character.
Corn Vodka
Tito's Handmade Vodka is the best-known American example.
Corn-based vodka can have a slightly rounder or sweeter impression on the palate.
Potato Vodka
Chopin Potato Vodka is perhaps the best-known example.
Potato vodka is often associated with a richer or creamier texture.
Grape Vodka
Cîroc famously uses French grapes rather than grain or potatoes.
This became one of the brand's major points of distinction when it entered the luxury-vodka market.
Other Bases
Vodka has also been produced from barley, sugarcane, apples, rice, quinoa, honey,
milk-derived ingredients, and other fermentable materials.
If yeast can turn it into alcohol, eventually someone will probably try making
vodka from it.
Popular Vodka
Absolut
Absolut is produced in Åhus, Sweden, using Swedish winter wheat and local water.
The modern Absolut brand launched internationally in 1979 and became famous not only for vodka but for one of the most successful advertising campaigns in spirits history.
Its distinctive medicine-bottle shape became the centerpiece of hundreds of advertisements involving artists, cities, fashion designers, photographers, and celebrities.
Absolut Peppar debuted in 1986 and was specifically developed with the Bloody Mary in mind. Absolut Citron followed in 1988 and became closely connected with the rise of the modern Cosmopolitan.
Grey Goose
Grey Goose was created by American entrepreneur Sidney Frank and launched in 1997 as a luxury French vodka.
It is produced in France using French wheat, with production overseen in the Cognac region.
Its success helped establish the enormous super-premium vodka category of the late 1990s and 2000s.
Grey Goose essentially asked:
What if vodka wore a designer suit?
Tito's Handmade Vodka
Bert “Tito” Beveridge founded Tito's in Austin, Texas, in the 1990s.
Made from corn and distilled in pot stills, Tito's grew from a tiny Texas operation into one of America's dominant vodka brands.
Its success also helped fuel consumer interest in American craft-style spirits.
Smirnoff
The Smirnoff story begins with the Smirnov family in 19th-century Russia.
After the Russian Revolution, the brand eventually made its way into Europe and then the United States.
Smirnoff played an enormous role in teaching Americans to drink vodka, particularly through the marketing of the Moscow Mule beginning in the 1940s.
Ketel One
Ketel One comes from the Nolet family of Schiedam, Netherlands, whose distilling history dates to 1691.
The modern Ketel One vodka was introduced in the 1980s and became particularly popular with bartenders and upscale restaurants.
Reyka
Reyka is produced in Iceland using Icelandic water and a Carter-Head still.
The distillery uses geothermal energy as part of its production.
It's hard to beat Iceland when your marketing department wants photographs of really clean-looking water.
Modern Vodka: What Changed the Bar
By the 2010s, vodka had already conquered the American bar. Cosmopolitans, flavored Martinis, Lemon Drops, Sex on the Beach, White Russians, and Vodka Sodas had made it the dependable workhorse behind the bar.
Then something interesting happened.
Craft bartenders started paying more attention to gin, whiskey, mezcal, amaro, and other strongly flavored spirits, while vodka developed a reputation in some cocktail circles for being—well—boring.
Vodka didn't disappear.
It just kept paying the bills.
And over the past fifteen years, the category has reinvented itself again.
2010s — Flavored Vodka Goes Completely Off the Rails
Flavored vodka was hardly new, but during the early 2010s the category reached another level.
Suddenly liquor-store shelves contained whipped cream, birthday cake, cotton candy, marshmallow, cookie dough, salted caramel, peanut butter, glazed doughnut, and other flavors that sounded increasingly like someone had distilled a bakery.
Brands including Pinnacle, Smirnoff, UV, Three Olives, and others competed to see just how far flavored vodka could go.
For a while, apparently the answer was:
Very, very far.
The craze eventually cooled as drinkers began gravitating toward more natural flavors and less-sweet cocktails.
2010s — Craft Vodka Starts Talking About Ingredients
For decades, vodka marketing emphasized purity:
How many times was it distilled?
How many times was it filtered?
How pure was the water?
Then smaller producers began asking a different question:
What was the vodka actually made from?
Distillers began proudly identifying corn, wheat, rye, potatoes, grapes, apples, and other agricultural ingredients and emphasizing local farms, water sources, fermentation, and distillation techniques.
Vodka's supposed lack of character became something producers increasingly challenged.
Instead of trying to make vodka taste like absolutely nothing, some wanted drinkers to notice subtle differences between the raw materials.
The craft movement essentially gave vodka permission to have a personality.
2013 — Tito’s Discovers the Power of “Gluten-Free”
Tito’s had always been made from corn, but in 2013 the company added “Gluten-Free” to its labels and began prominently advertising it just as America was in the middle of the gluten-free craze. Today, Tito’s remains certified gluten-free and continues to feature the claim prominently.
➜ I remember my bartenders asking why everyone was suddenly ordering Tito’s. At the time, it hadn’t been swallowed up by one of the giant spirits companies, nor did it have the luxury image and massive marketing presence of some competing vodkas. I told them I thought Tito’s had simply made a very smart marketing move:
They put “GLUTEN-FREE” on the bottle.
The funny thing was that I also had to explain that all properly distilled spirits are considered gluten-free because the distillation process separates the alcohol from proteins such as gluten—even when the spirit begins with wheat, barley, or rye.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau notes this distinction in its guidance on gluten claims for distilled spirits.
So Tito’s hadn't invented gluten-free vodka. It recognized that consumers wanted to hear those two words and made sure they saw them.
I can't say the gluten-free campaign caused Tito’s extraordinary rise, but the timing was certainly good.
Sometimes smart marketing isn't about being the first to do something. It's about being the first to tell everybody you're doing it.
2015 — Vodka Gets an American Definition Makeover
American vodka had traditionally been defined by the federal government as a neutral spirit “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.”
That definition became increasingly controversial as craft producers deliberately made vodkas that retained subtle characteristics of their ingredients.
After years of discussion, the U.S. government removed the requirement that vodka be “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” in 2020.
Vodka still falls within the neutral-spirits category, but the regulatory change acknowledged something bartenders and distillers had increasingly been saying:
Vodka doesn't necessarily have to taste like nothing.
Late 2010s — The Espresso Martini Comes Back
Bartender Dick Bradsell created the Espresso Martini in London during the 1980s, reportedly after a customer asked for a drink that would “wake me up” and then something considerably less printable.
Vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar created one of the era's defining cocktails.
The drink eventually fell out of fashion.
Then it came roaring back.
By the late 2010s and early 2020s, the Espresso Martini had become one of the hottest cocktails in bars, restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs.
Young drinkers discovered it.
Craft bartenders reconsidered it.
Restaurants put it everywhere.
And vodka suddenly had a glamorous cocktail again.
Apparently all it needed was coffee.
2020s — The Espresso Martini Becomes a Phenomenon
The Espresso Martini revival became so large that it spawned its own mini-industry.
Bars developed versions using cold brew, specialty espresso, vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel, coconut, tequila, rum, and other ingredients.
Ready-to-drink versions appeared in cans and bottles.
Coffee liqueurs gained renewed attention.
Some bars even installed equipment specifically to handle the demand.
For bartenders, however, there was one small problem:
Everyone ordered them at the same time.
Few sounds strike fear into a busy bartender quite like hearing:
“Can we get eight Espresso Martinis?”
2020s — Premium Vodka Gets More Interesting
Luxury vodka once relied heavily on elaborate bottles, exotic water sources, extreme filtration claims, and the idea that more distillations automatically meant better vodka.
Today's premium producers increasingly emphasize terroir, grain varieties, potatoes, fermentation, texture, sustainability, local agriculture, and production methods.
Poland's Chopin has long championed the differences between potato, rye, and wheat vodkas, while other producers increasingly encourage drinkers to compare vodkas much as they might compare whiskey or wine.
The question is slowly changing from:
“How many times is it distilled?”
to:
“What does it taste like?”
That's a much more interesting conversation.
2020s — Vodka Soda Gets an Upgrade
The humble Vodka Soda never really went away.
But the modern version has expanded beyond vodka + soda + lime.
Bars now use premium sodas, house carbonated water, flavored sparkling waters, fresh citrus, bitters, herbs, cucumber, seasonal fruits, and flavored vodkas to turn one of the simplest drinks behind the bar into something more deliberate.
And yet millions of customers remain perfectly happy with:
Vodka.
Soda.
Lime.
Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel.
Today — Vodka Is Cool Again
Vodka probably won't ever need rescuing.
It remains enormously popular with consumers, works with almost any flavor, and anchors some of the world's most recognizable cocktails.
But its position in serious cocktail bars has changed.
After years when craft cocktail culture sometimes treated vodka as the spirit with nothing interesting to say, bartenders are again exploring its ingredients, texture, production methods, and versatility.
Meanwhile, the Espresso Martini became a global sensation, the Cosmopolitan survived long enough to become a modern classic, the Moscow Mule refuses to leave, and the Vodka Soda continues quietly doing what it has always done.
Paying the bills.
Fun Vodka Facts
Vodka is lighter than water.
Pure ethanol is less dense than water, so high-proof vodka is slightly less dense than plain water.
Finally, something involving vodka that makes you lighter.
Smirnoff beat the expensive stuff in a famous blind tasting.
In 2005, The New York Times assembled a panel to blind-taste 21 vodkas.
The inexpensive bottle included almost as an afterthought—Smirnoff—came out on top.
That's a fun fact worth keeping.
Sometimes the bottle knows you're judging it.
The Vesper made its literary debut in 1953.
Ian Fleming introduced the cocktail in Casino Royale, combining gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.
Bond even gives the bartender the recipe.
Which makes James Bond one of literature's most famous customers who tells the bartender how to make his drink.
Absolut Peppar was created for Bloody Marys.
When Absolut launched Peppar in 1986, Bloody Mary bars were becoming popular in places such as Boston and New York.
The pepper-flavored vodka was designed partly to save bartenders the trouble of grinding pepper into drink after drink.
Bartender efficiency, 1986 edition.
Absolut Citron helped change cocktail history.
Released in 1988, Citron arrived just as the modern Cosmopolitan was developing and became closely associated with the cocktail's explosive popularity.
➜ Check my Cosmopolitan History page on my research drawing on interviews, correspondence, newspaper archives, and published sources collected between 2006 and the present.
Oprah helped sell a lot of vodka cocktails.
During the 2000s, cocktails made on The Oprah Winfrey Show could create immediate consumer demand.
Her segments with Rachael Ray featuring drinks such as the Pomegranate Martini and Lemon Drop helped expose millions of viewers to cocktails that were already circulating in bars.
Bartenders knew when Oprah had made a cocktail.
The customers told us.
Vodka has been used backstage on Broadway.
Performers have long passed around unconventional tricks for dealing with costumes, shoes, odors, and sweaty feet, and vodka has been used as a deodorizing spray for costumes and clothing because alcohol evaporates quickly and can help reduce odor-causing bacteria.
Save the good vodka for the cast party.
“Vodka Pays the Bills” became bartender shorthand for a reason.
During the vodka-dominated decades of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, vodka cocktails were among the most frequently ordered drinks in American bars.
The saying appeared on bartender shirts and novelty merchandise:
VODKA PAYS THE BILLS.
Anyone who worked through the Cosmopolitan, flavored-Martini, Moscow Mule, and Espresso Martini eras understands exactly what it means.
Vodka Cocktails in Books
1953
Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
“A Dry Martini,” he said.
“One. In a deep champagne goblet.”
“Oui, monsieur.”
“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordons, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”
“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
1958
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman Capote
A White Angel is made: “Let me build you a drink. Something new. They call it a White Angel,” he said, mixing one-half vodka, one-half gin, no vermouth.
1963
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
“I began to think vodka was my drink at last. It didn't taste like anything, but it went straight down into my stomach like a sword swallowers' sword and made me feel powerful and godlike."
1976
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Tom Robbins
“Magic ordered a round of Harvey Wallbangers. But it takes more than vodka to fuel magic.”
1999
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
“Her whisper smelled like cranberry juice and vodka."
Just What the Truth Is, Cardeno C.
“When life gives you lemons, you add vodka and make a lemon drop."
The Society of Sinners, Charity Parkerson
“Maybe I could interest you in a Vodka sour instead. It causes the same effects as having a husband. First, you get a rush of euphoria only to be replaced by regret in the morning.”
2014
Girl’s Night Out, Kate Flora
A Cosmopolitan is on the cover of the book and a Cosmopolitan is mentioned in the book.
2015
Beat Slay Love, Katy Munger, Lise McClendon, Kate Flora, Gary Phillips, and Taffy Cannon
Chef Hannah Wendt makes a Berry Drop made with Grey Goose vodka, huckleberry syrup, lemon liqueur, and candied ginger.
Vodka Cocktails in Film
1936 My Man Godfrey
Vodka Martinis.
1941 Phantom Submarine
Sea Breezes.
1953 From Here to Eternity
Screwdrivers.
1965 Thunderball
Bond makes a Vodka Martini with Smirnoff Blue and Cinzano dry vermouth.
1967 You Only Live Twice
Bond drinks a Stolichnaya Vodka Martini made with Martini & Rossi dry vermouth.
1971 Diamonds Are Forever
Vodka Martini.
1977 Saturday Night Fever
Vodka & Tonic.
1979 Moonraker
Vodka Martini.
1983 Never Say Never Again
Vodka Martinis and a Double Bloody Mary.
1983 Octopussy
Vodka Martini.
1985 Fletch
Bloody Mary.
1987 The Living Daylights
Vodka Martinis.
1988 Cocktail
Vodka cocktails mentioned: Vodka & Rose’s, Absolut Rocks, Orgasm, Bloody Mary, Martini, Screwdriver, Kamikaze, and Sex on the Beach.
1989 License to Kill
Medium-dry Vodka Martini.
1995 GoldenEye
Vodka Martini.
1995 French Kiss
Sea Breeze.
1996 The Evening Star
Bloody Mary.
1997 Jackie Brown
Screwdrivers.
1997 Tomorrow Never Dies
Vodka Martini.
1997 Meet Wally Sparks
Sex on the Beach.
1997 Money Talks
Bloody Mary.
1998 Hope Floats
Vodka Tonic.
1999 Eyes Wide Shut
Vodka Tonic.
1999 The World Is Not Enough
Vodka Martini.
2001 Johnny English
Bloody Mary.
2002 About Schmidt
Vodka Gimlet.
2002 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Bloody Mary.
2002 Hysterical Blindness
Sex on the Beach.
2002 Igby Goes Down
Bloody Mary.
2002 Juwanna Mann
Cosmopolitan, heavy on the vodka.
2003 Lost in Translation
Vodka Tonic.
2004 Ladder 49
Sea Breeze.
2004 Catwoman
Catwoman orders a White Russian, hold the vodka and Kahlúa.
2004 Closer
Vodka Tonic.
2004 Breakin’ All the Rules
Double Bloody Mary.
2004 Sleepover
Sex on the Beach.
2005 Guess Who
Vodka Tonic and Cosmopolitans.
2005 In Her Shoes
Cosmopolitans.
2005 Bewitched
Bloody Mary
2005 The Upside of Anger
Bloody Marys.
2005 The Wedding Date
Bloody Mary.
2005 Red Eye
Bay Breeze.
2005 Rumor Has It
Bloody Marys.
2006 Casino Royale
Vesper.
2006 Phat Girlz
Cosmopolitan.
2006 The Break-Up
Apple Martinis.
2008 27 Dresses
Vodka Soda and Grey Goose & Red Bull.
2008 Sex and the City
No drinks are mentioned, but the Cosmopolitan and Flirtini are seen.
2010 Cyrus
A Vodka Red Bull.
2010 Ghost Writer
Bloody Mary.
2010 Marmaduke
Pitcher of Bloody Marys.
2010 The Switch
Bloody Mary.
2016 Suicide Squad
Bloody Mary.
2018 Game Night
Harvey Wallbanger.
2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bloody Marys.
2021 No Time to Die
Martinis.
2022 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Gibson.
Celebrity-Owned Vodka - Updated in 2026
Celebrity spirits are nothing new, but by the 2000s and 2010s it seemed as though every celebrity eventually faced the same career decision:
Movies, music...or vodka?
Some celebrities actually founded or invested in their brands, while others entered partnerships or became the public face of an existing vodka.
Crystal Head Vodka — Dan Aykroyd
Actor Dan Aykroyd co-founded Crystal Head with artist John Alexander in 2008 and remains actively associated with the company. Produced in Newfoundland, Canada, the original vodka is made from Canadian corn and is famous for its skull-shaped bottle. A 2026 limited-edition bottle confirms Aykroyd's continuing role as a founder.
Good to know: Those famous “Herkimer diamonds” used in filtration aren't actually diamonds—they're quartz crystals.
Meili Vodka — Jason Momoa
Actor Jason Momoa co-founded Meili with his longtime friend Blaine Halvorson after spending years developing a vodka they actually wanted to drink. Meili is produced using Montana spring water, is distilled only once, and comes in bottles made from recycled glass. Its international distribution continued expanding in 2025.
Good to know: Momoa and Halvorson's motivation was wonderfully straightforward: they didn't particularly like vodka, so they decided to make one they did.
King St. Vodka — Kate Hudson
Actress Kate Hudson founded King St. Vodka, named for the street where she once lived in New York City. The vodka is made from corn and was created partly because Hudson saw relatively few women represented among spirits founders. Current celebrity-brand coverage continues to identify King St. as Hudson's vodka.
Good to know: The brand name isn't royal at all—it came from Hudson's former home on King Street.
Born and Bred Vodka — Channing Tatum
Actor Channing Tatum is a shareholder/co-owner of Born and Bred, produced by Grand Teton Distillery in Idaho. It's made from Idaho potatoes and mountain water. Despite some confusing older product listings suggesting it was discontinued, current evidence shows the brand remains active.
Good to know: The brand itself acknowledges the elephant in the room with essentially: the world doesn't need another celebrity vodka. At least they're self-aware.
High Rock Vodka — Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Amy Earnhardt
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Amy Earnhardt co-own High Rock Vodka, created with Sugarlands Distilling Company in Tennessee. Dale Jr.'s current official website specifically identifies him as a co-owner.
High Rock is made from 100% corn, distilled seven times and triple-filtered through sugar-maple charcoal. It's bottled at 88 proof—a nod to Dale Jr.'s famous No. 88 race car.
Good to know: This gives you another fun NASCAR connection immediately after finding the bootlegging/NASCAR connection for your Prohibition page.
Harridan Vodka — Ryan Murphy
Television producer and writer Ryan Murphy—creator of American Horror Story, Glee, Pose and other series—joined Harridan Vodka in 2023 as co-founder, investor and Creative Producer. Harridan's current website still identifies Murphy as co-founder.
The vodka is produced in New York from 100% certified-organic, non-GMO New York corn and bottled at a relatively robust 88 proof.
Good to know: Harridan is an old English insult for a bossy or belligerent woman. The brand deliberately reclaimed it.
Dirty Devil Vodka — Giancarlo Esposito
Actor Giancarlo Esposito, best known for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, became both global brand ambassador and a corporate stakeholder in Dirty Devil Vodka's parent company, St. Lucifer Spirits.
The brand remains active today and produces an 84-proof corn vodka blended with what the company calls hyper-oxygenated water.
Good to know: This one passes our test because Esposito didn't merely sign an endorsement contract—he acquired an ownership stake.
Rangeela Vodka — Ranveer Singh
Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh co-created Rangeela Vodka with ABD Maestro in India. The brand launched in 2025 and is expanding through India and travel retail in 2026. Current corporate materials explicitly describe Rangeela as co-created with Singh and cite his creative involvement in the company's premium portfolio.
The vodka is triple-distilled and platinum chill-filtered.
Good to know: This one is particularly useful for your page because it shows that celebrity vodka isn't just an American phenomenon.