We Tried Hangar 1 Rosé Vodka, Here’s the Verdict

Hangar 1
Hangar 1

Wine isn’t the only way to rosé all day anymore. Hangar 1, a Northern California distillery making upscale vodka, released its rosé-flavored vodka on February 1 and the only question is, how did this take so long to exist?

Hangar 1 Rosé Vodka is a blend of vodka and rosé straight from California wine country. The vodka is made from a mix of grapes and grains, and the rosé is made from Petit Verdot and White Meritage. It’s for vodka lovers, rosé lovers, wine drinkers, people who call rosé “summer water” and anyone else with even an ounce of joy in their heart. Plus, any drink made with this vodka is instantly ready for the ‘gram.

“We looked at the booming rosé trend throughout American and in my own backyard, and created something that wine lover will want to sit and sip year long,” Caley Shoemaker, the head distiller at Hangar 1, said in a press release. “Hangar 1 Rosé Vodka is a natural progression for us, celebrating the composition of our straight vodka, while expanding into an exciting new territory with this first in the vodka category.”

Sold. We got a bottle to try for ourselves, because who wouldn’t want to give it a taste? Sipped straight, it has flavors of strawberries and pink peppercorns. It’s on the sweeter side, and lacks the tart and dry notes of quality rosé, while also lacking any residual burn or general alcohol taste associated with vodka. It has a lower proof than your average vodka—30 percent ABV instead of 40—and is slightly viscous. Hangar 1 Rosé Vodka would be nice on ice, and would do well as the vodka in a lemony cocktail, like a Lemon Drop Martini, or in a simple spritzer.

You can get a bottle for yourself nationwide for about $30, just remember that this summer water is a lot stronger than the stuff from the Hamptons.