Who You Gonna Call?

Quite possibly the coolest looking - or most sinister depending on the way you look at it –bottle of vodka currently on the Hong Kong market, Crystal Head vodka is not only visually stimulating but also stimulating in the sensory sense too as, contrary to what one might expect from some products that focus more on the marketability than the quality, the vodka tastes great too.

What first attracted me to the vodka (before I had tasted it) was the fact that Dan Aykroyd is the part owner of the brand. To me, Dan Aykroyd is a childhood legend for more reasons than one. Firstly, he was one of the stars of the first movie I ever saw in the cinema – Ghostbusters. That iconic tune from Ray Parker Junior is still a classic 29 years later and I can still envisage downtown New York as Ray, Venkman, Egon and Winston use their proton packs to ‘save the world’ from an unusually large marshmallow. Then, of course, there are his classics such as “Blues Brothers” and “Trading Places”!

But, I digress, so back to the vodka. Crystal Head is made in Canada “from the highest quality grains” and “pristine waters” of Newfoundland. It is quadruple distilled and triple filtered through charcoal and Herkimer Diamond crystals. The unique bottle is manufactured by Stolzle glassware in the United Kingdom and Bruni glass in Milan, Italy.

So why the skull? Actually, founders Dan Aykroyd and John Alexander are big believers in the legend of the Crystal Skull. In recent times, 13 crystal skulls have been unearthed around the world from Tibet to North America and have been dated from between 5,000 and 35,000 years old. The original skulls are thought to offer spiritual power and enlightenment to those who possess them and thus symbolize life, rather than death.

And the vodka itself? Well, it’s smooth as silk and makes for very easy and pleasurable drinking. Its subtle flavours tell me it’s more a vodka for sipping delicately and appreciating slowly over the evening (but you can knock it back too if you like!). It would also do well in cocktails, especially Martini’s if that’s your thing, although as it’s so smooth you may find it a little tough to taste it over the mixers in other drinks such as a Cosmo. The company actually recommends cocktails called Brain Freeze, Lobotomy and Red Head amongst others, the recipes for which can be found on their website www.crystalheadvodka.com

This is one product you most probably want to buy by the bottle as having this sitting on your table as you kick back at Hong Kong’s trendiest nightclubs and bars screams ‘trendsetter’ to others and most certainly will have people queuing up to drink with you – especially the ladies!

So, who you gonna call? Well, you could call 555-2368 (but there will probably be no answer from Ghostbusters HQ until Ghostbusters 3 is released – yes, they’re making another one!) so I suggest you get on the phone and call Hong Kong distributors IB Distribution on 3998-4771 or get in touch with them by e-mail on gar@ibdistribution.com