It is the drink of choice in Russia, typically made from
grain and consumed by hard-bitten drinkers in sub-zero
temperatures.
But now farmer Jason Barber is making the world’s first milk
vodka – from his herd of 250 cows at Beaminster, Dorset.
Black Cow vodka has become the must-have tipple at
restaurants owned by Heston Blumenthal and Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall. Celebrity fans include 007 star Daniel
Craig and Liz Hurley.
The milk from Mr Barber’s cows is
separated into curds and whey. The curds are used to make cheese
while the watery leftovers – whey – are fermented into a beer using
a special yeast that converts the milk sugar into
alcohol.
This is distilled and treated in a secret blending process.
The vodka is then triple-filtered before being bottled – with a
gold top.
It has taken Mr Barber three years to perfect the process and
produce a vodka that approving experts say has ‘a creamy
nose’.
Mr Barber, 47, a sixth-generation farmer, had the idea after
watching a TV documentary about Tuva, a small republic in Siberia,
where locals make vodka from yak milk.
He said: ‘I’m a big fan of vodka – it’s the only drink that
doesn’t give me a hangover.’
Black Cow is made from the same milk used to make Barber’s
1833 cheddar, winner of the World Cheese Awards Cheddar Trophy
2012.
The Mail on Sunday’s food and drink writer Tom Parker Bowles
said: ‘OK, so vodka made from milk doesn’t exactly sound enticing.
But Black Cow Vodka is one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever
tasted – wonderfully smooth and beautifully rounded.
‘It’s made from the whey of proper Dorset milk and makes a
Dirty Martini you’ll never forget.’
