What gorgeous world is this, where 70-proof booze is practically a nutri-drink?
Multi V is a, yes, vitamin-infused vodka, and it's being guzzled up by area restaurants and liquor stores alike. It's the brainchild of two local chaps who (no surprise) hatched the idea in college.
“We were big vodka drinkers,” Jacek Wiltowski says of himself and partner Jesse Rochman, who attended Southern Illinois University together. “The ultimate goal, of course, was to drink but not have the hangover.”
The vodka, consequently, is full of B vitamins (B1, B3, B5, B6, B12) and vitamin C, which not only provide an energy boost, but also keep the body hydrated.
Multi V is produced by a small distillery in Bend, Oregon, and Wiltowski says it's the pristine water of that state’s Cascade Mountains that accounts for the liquor’s purity. The vodka’s promotional video speaks to that purity: people hike and ride bikes in the video; they stretch out lithe bodies in yoga poses. And, come night, they party, only—one presumes—to rise the next day as bushy-tailed as ever.
“Our brand is directed toward the health-conscious consumer,” says Wiltowski, 35. “With Multi V, you can love your vodka and not feel guilty about drinking it.”
“We are presenting Multi V to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores that have a clientele who are aware of what they are putting into their bodies,” says John Giarrante of ShowMe Beverages, the vodka’s local distributor. “We are seeing very strong interest. Multi V has the credentials of a great craft spirit and will continue to get market acceptance because consumers continue to embrace hand-crafted products with local ownership and want to enjoy a guilt-free cocktail.”
Because Multi V Vodka is slightly lower-proof than most other 80-proof vodkas, it has fewer calories (82, rather than 100) per 1.5-ounce shot, and contains zero carbohydrates.
But the question remains: "How's the buzz?"
Wiltowski readily offers that he and Rochman each drank a whole bottle of Multi V to test its qualities. Although he won't claim he experienced no hangover, he said they felt a lot better than they should have.
In response to the assertion that the vodka has a vitaminny taste (a bit like the whiff you get when you open a fresh bottle of supplements), Wiltowski says it was intentional. Because of strict regulations from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, alcohol can make no claims of health benefits. Wiltowski says they can only hint at it. “The name and the slight taste were ways to do that," he says. While the taste might be masked by juices, like cranberry or tomato, he recommends that the vodka be drank as cleanly as possible, with club soda or a low-calorie Crystal Light.
There may be legislation in the works, Wiltowski says, that will allow liquor companies to list alcohol ingredients beyond calorie and carb content. "And we're excited, because then Multi V will be ahead of the game," he says.
Wiltowski and Rochman, a banker and lawyer respectively, grew up together in Carbondale, Illinois. They launched the Multi V Vodka company in that area last year; St. Louis is their first metro market.
Sub Zero Vodka Bar in the Central West End was the first retail account. Since then several dozen metro area restaurant have picked it up, including Three Monkeys, The Crow's Nest, Farotto's Pasta & Pizzeria, Spare No Rib, Edibles & Essentials, The Gramophone, Weber's Front Row, Culpepper's In the CWE, Twisted RAnCh, as well as several Mike Duffy's and Llywelyn's locations. (Find the complete restaurant list here).
Bottles of Multi V can be purchased at Straub's (in Webster Groves), Friar Tuck's (in Crestwood), and The Wine & Cheese Place (in Clayton and Creve Coeur). A 750-ml bottle of Multi V retails for about $25.
