Cosmik – Belgian Fruit Vodka from Wallonia

Cosmik – Belgian fruit Vodka

We all know Belgium is famous for beer and it’s not a stretch to learn Belgium produces good wine. What would you say if I told you there is a Belgian Vodka and it’s actually delicious? Cosmik Pure Diamond is listed among the top 10 Vodkas in the world but their fruit vodkas steal the show.When I first embarked on my quest to discover Belgium’s beverages beyond beer, I wasn’t too surprised to find Belgian fruit wine. Great Belgian sparkling wine was more of a shock, but Vodka? That’s something better left to Russia and Poland right? Maybe not any more.

In addition to the award winning Cosmik Pure Diamond vodka, a traditional vodka, distilled 6 times, they also produce Sweet Lemon and Blood Orange vodkas. Cosmik claims to be the only vodka made with real fruit rather than fruit flavours. There are no additives or artificial colourings.

I stumbled upon Cosmik at the Spirit of Wallonia booth at Culinaria and I was so impressed, I went home with a bottle of each of the fruit vodkas. So, when I had gathered my team of taste-testers, I was all set to surprise them with a blind tasting.

Cosmik Sweet Lemon and Blood Orange Vodka

First up was the Sweet Lemon Vodka. Right off the bat, you can see the real lemon bits floating around in the bottle. It’s cloudy and looks like lemonade. In fact, our panel remarked it tastes like lemonade – dangerously so. Cosmik Sweet Lemon goes down very easily.

Cosmik Sweet Lemon Vodka with real fruit

It isn’t sweet and I like that. It is quite tart and lemony – just how I like my lemonade. It would be perfect for sipping on a shady terrace on a hot day, provided you don’t have to drive anywhere afterward.

Next up was the Blood Orange Vodka. This was the unanimous winner by our tasting panel. It’s red-orange in colour, just like the blood orange it is made from. Like the Sweet Lemon, you can see the bits of fruit floating around in the bottle.

Cosmik Blood Orange Vodka – Our taste panel winner

It is sweeter than its lemony sister, but not overly so. Delicious on its own, it would make a fabulous cosmopolitan. In fact, both the Sweet Lemon and Blood Orange vodkas would make excellent bases for cocktails (our mixologists are working on it as we speak). But at 13.2% alcohol you can enjoy a small glass straight up without too much guilt.

The downside to Cosmik having no preservatives is once you open a bottle, it must be refrigerated, so don’t stick it back in your drinks cupboard. It will keep in the fridge for 3 months – long enough for a Belgian summer.

What did our panel think? They loved Cosmik Vodka and were shocked it’s Belgian. I’m kicking myself for not buying a bottle of the Pure Diamond and having a blind tasting with some of the leading Russian and Polish brands. That sounds like the makings of a good party… Volunteer tasters should apply (and send bribes to) CheeseWeb HQ.

Cosmik Vodka can be purchased at Spirit of Wallonia in Brussels and other locations around the country.

Cosmik Vodka
Rue des Praules, 2
Gembloux, Belgium