Ciroc Premium French Vodka 175 cl 40%

Some evenings run out of vodka long before they run out of conversation. This format is built for exactly those. Big, heavy and made to stay in the middle of the table while everyone takes a turn pouring.

Expert description

Ciroc Premium French Vodka in the large format is a French Vodka distilled five times from French wine grapes and bottled at 40%.

The format changes nothing about the liquid, but it changes how the bottle gets used. 175 cl covers roughly 43 drinks at 4 cl, and that is precisely where a grape based vodka earns its keep. It carries enough fruit acidity to keep a long drink alive through a whole evening without anyone reaching for more lemon juice every round.

The spirit comes from Mauzac Blanc and Ugni Blanc, fermented into wine first and then run through four column distillations. The fifth pass happens in a traditional copper pot still at Maison Villevert in southern France, built along the same lines as the stills used for armagnac. That step is what delivers the soft, faintly oily texture that makes the vodka work neat and in volume alike.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and fairly discreet. Grapefruit peel on top, a dry, almost wine like note beneath it and a trace of almond blossom.

Palate

Round and generous through the middle, where the white grape steps clearly forward. There is a light sweetness with nothing syrupy about it and a cooler mineral line running through.

Finish

Clean and short, with a dry bite right at the end. It leaves nothing heavy sitting on the palate, which matters over a long session.

Specifications

Name: Ciroc Premium French Vodka
Distillery: Ciroc
Region/Country: Cognac, France
Type: French Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 175 CL
Distillation method: Five times distilled
Serving suggestion: Fridge cold in a Vodka Soda with lime, or as the base of a batched cocktail for the whole room.

Flavour profile

Fresh · Round · Dry grape character · Mineral

Did you know?

Ciroc struggled out of the gate and moved fewer than 40,000 cases a year in its first seasons on the market. By 2014 the brand was passing two million cases annually. Very few vodkas have made a jump that steep in that short a time.

See our full range of Vodka

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Ciroc Premium French Vodka large format

How many drinks does the bottle cover?

Around 43 if you count 4 cl per serve. Pour 5 cl, as many bars do, and you land near 35. In a party of ten that means three or four drinks each without anyone having to leave for another bottle halfway through the night.

Is the large format worth it?

Yes, if you are serving more than a handful of people. You get exactly the same spirit as in the small bottle: grapes from Gaillac and Cognac, five distillations and a copper pot still finish. Ciroc is one of very few vodkas in the world built purely on wine grapes, and that raw material takes more work than grain, since a finished wine has to exist before distillation can begin. The large format simply gives you more of it.

How do you pour from a bottle this size?

With two hands or with a pourer fitted. A full 175 cl bottle is heavy enough that free pouring turns sloppy after the tenth drink. Set it on a firm surface, use a speed pourer, and decant into a smaller carafe if it has to circulate around the table.

What does Ciroc actually taste like?

Softer and fruitier than most grain vodkas. Grapefruit and white grape sit at the front, the texture is lightly oily, and the finish is short and dry. It fills more of the mouth than a neutral vodka but lets go faster.

Does it work for batched cocktails?

Very well. Because the fruit acidity is built in, a pre mixed drink does not collapse once the ice starts melting. Mix it with grapefruit juice, a little sugar syrup and soda water, chill it in a jug, and you have a drink that holds its line all evening.

Should the bottle go in the freezer before guests arrive?

No, the fridge does a better job. The freezer thickens the texture and shuts the aromatics down, and a bottle this size takes more room than most freezers can spare. Around 8 degrees is the point where both citrus and grape sweetness still register.

What happens during the fifth distillation?

Character is put back into an otherwise very clean spirit. The first four column runs strip out almost everything, while the fifth in copper recovers fruit and texture. To compare approaches, browse our Vodka brands.