Spirits, By the Numbers - ZYR vodka

The new ZYR vodka is imported from Russia, but the man who masterminded it hails from the U.S. David Katz uses a patented "9•5•3" process: The water, drawn from 460 feet below Russia's heartland, is filtered nine times; the fermented blend of winter wheat and rye is distilled five times; and the vodka is taste-tested three times, to ensure its velvety smoothness ($33; www.zyrvodka.com).
-Andrea Strong

Published March 2003