Cocktail Oddities Pt. 2

Oh, how I wish there hadn't been a Part 2 to my earlier entry, but I have no choice. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on maple syrup vodka:

Vodka, of course, is most famously made from rye or wheat, potatoes or beets. But any sugar - from rice or barley, or even the lactose from milk or the sucrose from maple sap - that yeast can convert to alcohol (what is essentially beer at first) will do.

The rest is the precision craft of distilling and filtering - in his small operation, Holaday explains, a very careful batch distillation that eliminates impurities, and a very light charcoal filtering that leaves the subtle, sweet note of maple that gives his high-end ($31-a-750-milliliter-bottle) vodka its unique signature.

Be prepared for some demented "bar chef" to serve this stuff straight up in a martini glass with a mini-waffle for garnish.