Vodka with a twist... (Smirnoff Ice)

Member Name: Belgian999

Product:	Smirnoff Ice
Date:	23/09/02 (2833 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Refreshing lemon flavour, Not too fizzy

Disadvantages: Too much Ice leaves a tacky aftertaste

I have a confession to make: I like beer. I like it a lot. Which means that living in Germany is perfect for me, as this country produces some of the finest beers around... and I’m not complaining about that. Thing is, until recently, bars in Germany have had what many Britons would see as quite a restricted range of alcoholic beverages, never straying far from beer, wine and spirits – and the latter are always expensive to buy in bars. However, back home, especially during my time as a student, I’d sample all sorts, especially if the drinks in question were on special offer!

That meant trying (for purely scientific reasons, you understand) a wide range of alcopops, as they only really came onto the market in the mid- to late 90s and the competing producers frequently offered excellent promotions on their new drinks. Over the last year or so, many of these brands (Two Dogs, Bacardi Breezer, Rigo and so on) have been introduced to Germany, and just a few months ago one of my favourite alcopops put in an appearance – Smirnoff Ice. This is basically a mix of Smirnoff Red Label, one of the most popular types of vodka on the market, and a soft drink that reminds me of the lemon variant of Fanta.

As with any alcopop, you don’t really get great value for money – the last time I was back in London, I made the mistake of ordering a bottle of this in a bar somewhere in Holborn, and was somewhat taken aback to be charged over 3 quid for it. But then that’s London for you. A bottle of Smirnoff Ice in the bars of Heidelberg normally costs somewhere around €3.50, and you can now pick up 6-packs at petrol stations and supermarkets for around €8, which isn’t too bad. However, when you consider that you’re only getting 275ml for your money, it is pretty expensive wherever you go.

The bottle itself does look quite smart – clear glass, with a silver label and the Smirnoff logo picked out
neatly in red. It does bear a passing resemblance to a miniature bottle of actual Smirnoff vodka, probably due to the red screw-top cap, and the ‘ICE’ brand name is printed clearly on the label around the neck of the bottle. Whenever I order Smirnoff Ice at my local bar, it is served with a glass, ice and lemon on the side, but quite often I prefer to just drink it straight from the bottle.

The drink itself is a sort of greyish colour and reminds me a little of home-made lemonade, the type that has that really fresh lemon flavour and little bits of pulp floating in it – but without tasting anything like it! It smells faintly of lemons, and the Smirnoff Ice taste is a bit tricky to describe - I tend to find that you get a little zesty burst of lemon on the first sip, followed by a pleasantly sweet, citrus taste for the rest of the bottle. It is nowhere near as highly carbonated as some other alcopops, but does have a few bubbles, although the fizz dissipates quite quickly after opening. The one main drawback is that after a couple, the sweetness can be a bit overpowering, and I have found that an excessive amount of Smirnoff Ice gives my teeth that horrible tacky feeling you get from drinking too much Coke. But then, that’s probably a sign that I’ve had enough and should be making my way home...

That lemon flavour is very refreshing to start with, but (as with any drink, I suppose), if you imbibe Smirnoff Ice and nothing else, it will become a bit dreary and monotonous. I seem to gravitate towards it at the end of a long evening in the pub, when the wheat beer is leaving a bit of an aftertaste and I want something a bit different. So if you’re looking for something other than a long, cold beer to refresh you, this is a drink best enjoyed chilled, sitting outside on a sunny afternoon. I can almost taste it already...

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