“Once we hit 40, women only have about four taste buds left: one for vodka, one for wine, one for cheese, and one for chocolate” – Gina Barreca.

Vodka is a curious drink isn’t it? I mean let’s face it, it’s basically tasteless unless it’s sold as a flavoured version, and in many parts of the world (usually the chilly parts) it’s consumed neat, which means it’s basically a hit of alcohol.

It has also been well and truly put in the shade over the last few years by its pretty sister, gin, which in many ways is a similar product but with a bit of perfume and better public relations.

Like gin, it’s exceptionally easy to produce if you’re not too bothered about the quality, and as a result it became a much-maligned drink and was seen as a social problem for years with many a death caused by ‘bathtub’ production.

Vodka, however, isn’t going away any time soon, and while I’m no expert I believe it could be on the verge of a new renaissance, perhaps even at the expense of the long predicted rum revolution.

Why? Well for a start its basic weakness is one of the things I love about it. Vodka is graded, if you like, on its purity and while as I mentioned earlier it’s basically a tasteless product, you can line up dozens of them and detect interesting nuances and characteristics across the board and that makes it such an interesting base for cocktails.

Rum on the other hand is generally quite overpowering and becomes the dominant flavour in whatever way it’s served – which is fine if you like rum, but not everyone does.

Flavoured spirits have taken a strong position on the shelves lately, particularly gin and vodka, but here again the latter has the advantage because of its basic neutrality while flavourings added to gin have to combat the often overpowering main botanical, juniper. Personally however, I prefer to add my own fruit to a drink and, for me, vodka is at its best in the classic ‘Screwdriver’ with one part vodka, two parts orange, a slice of orange clipped over the glass and served as close to zero as it is scientifically possible to achieve.

By way of a bonus, did you know that you can replace water with vodka in your pastry recipes to create a flakier finish and a talking point to boot! Pip pip.

GERARD’S CHOICES

Beluga Celebration Gold Vodka: Faint oak flavours with hints of citrus fruits and a touch of honey on the finish. A really fabulous and well-dressed vodka. Richardson’s of Whitehaven, £46.

Distil No 9 Ukrainian Vodka: A clean, refreshing style with a lovely hint of spice on the finish. Sainsbury’s £20.