Oscar host wild about NZ vodka

By REBECCA WALSH

Cameron Diaz, Steven Spielberg and Ben Harper will be among those sipping New Zealand vodka on Oscar night.

The stars will also get their own bottle of 42 Below, distilled just outside Upper Hutt, as part of a $1135 take-home gift pack.

42 Below owner Geoff Ross said the vodka, which gets its name because it is distilled 42 degrees south of the equator and is 42 per cent proof, was voted second best in a world taste test last year and the head chef at the Beverly Hills Hotel had ordered 27 cases for the after-Oscars party.

"We are rapt about it," said Mr Ross, who began in his garage a few years ago and is now getting other orders from around Los Angeles.

He says the vodka's appeal is a secret recipe that is "closer to the grain-based process" favoured by Scandinavian distillers. It has a smoother taste than the watery textured, but hot Russian vodka.

"Our vodka is much smoother, almost syrup-like in texture. You can roll it across the top of your tongue and savour it without grimacing."

Mr Ross said New Zealanders often did not take things seriously until they had been proved overseas and had been a little wary of trying 42 Below.

"As soon as I give them a taste, it converts them."

nzherald.co.nz/oscars

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