Gluttony: The Rose Villa Tavern

Vodka. National drink of Russia, Poland and Finland and a favourite tipple of James Bond.

For me, I rarely drink Vodka, other than in the odd Cosmopolitan. I’m more of a gin girl when it comes to clear spirits. However, in the latest installment of Brumderland’s 7 Deadly Sins ‘Gluttony,’  we were treated to a trip to Vodka haven The Rose Villa Tavern for a night of discovery.

Far from being a fairly cheap spirit you can throw with anything, The Rose Villa Tavern’s range of Vodkas is far more premium, with small batch options and the sort of rare vodkas that aren’t available with a Red Bull in your average Wetherspoons. Their bar staff are vodka experts too, who can recommend a choice for you based on your taste and how you drink it.

Our tasting menu featured neat samples from Five, Chase (who also make Tyrells crisps – who knew?), Reyka, Skyy and Belvedere, paired with snacks matched to each.

I was surprised by the variety in the flavours of each vodka, as so often we think of vodka as flavourless. From the clean, crispness of Reyka with absolutely no afterburn even when drunk neat, to the almost whisky-like flavour of Belvedere, there was a real distinction between each of the samples. I also really enjoyed the snacks. One of my best friends is Polish, so we often drink Polish vodkas with a pickle chaser when we go to parties at her house, so it was great fun to do at a bar as it’s something you don’t often see. Na zdrowie!

They also furnished us with a selection of their delicious vodka-based cocktails.

This one was Winnie the Pear, with Grey Goose pear vodka, honey and ginger. Warming and very drinkable!

The classic non-alcoholic St. Clements got a boozy twist with Grey Goose orange vodka and Limoncello. This was so refreshing and would make an ideal long drink for hot summer days.

The surprise winner of the night for me was this Caipiroska – a Caipirinha made with Luksusowa Polish vodka instead of Cachaça. Lacking the sweetness of Cachaça, the lime flavour really came through in this drink, packing a zesty punch but massively refreshing with the mint. I would happily swap the classic Caipirinha for this any day. High praise considering the Caipirinha is one of my favourites.

We also got to try a vodka and coke done properly, with botanical Fritz cola, which was really tasty.

 

Gluttony didn’t fail to disappoint on the food front either, with great mounds of chicken wings, fries and sliders.

After a belly full of vodka and wings you’d think we’d have had enough, but you’d be wrong! I just couldn’t resist the Mayan Martini as an after dinner drink. With Patron cafe tequila, fresh raspberry and espresso, this was surprising and absolutely delicious. A perfect end to the evening.

If vodka is your poison, then The Rose Villa Tavern is most certainly the destination for you with the biggest vodka selection in Birmingham and some real rare treats. As a Bitters & Twisted venue, you can be sure the cocktails will always be on point too.

See you there?
Cx

Thanks to Vicky at Brumderland and the team at The Rose Villa Tavern for their hospitality. I was an invited guest and all my food and drinks (bar the Mayan Martini) were complimentary, all opinions remain, as always, my own, and I was under no obligation to provide a positive review,