Review: Magic Moment Remix Lemon Flavoured Vodka  87.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Published October 18, 2012

Magic Moments Remix Flavoured Vodkas are triple distilled grain spirits from Radico Khaitan Ltd. (Radio Cask) who is one of India’s oldest and largest liquor manufacturers. (Radico Khaitan was formerly known as the Rampur Distillery which was established in 1943.) The Magic Moments brand was launched in November of 2005, and quickly became India’s fastest growing deluxe vodka brand, and since then the company has also introduced 6 new vodka flavors or ‘remixes’,  Green Apple, Lemon, Orange, Chocolate, Raspberry, and Ginger and Lemongrass. All of these remix flavours have been recent award winners at the International Spirits Challenge and Monde Selection Award 2011.

AA Impex Ltd. has recently began to import the Magic Moments Vodka and the Remixes from India into Canada. They sent me samples of each spirit such that they could be reviewed here on my website. Going through the additional information they sent me, I learned that the base spirit for each remix Vodka is distilled from long grain rice, and that all flavours for this product are considered natural. Here is a link to the Magic Moments Website where you wish you can learn more.

This of course is the review for the Magic Moment Remix Lemon Flavoured Vodka.

In the Bottle 4.5/5

All of the Magic Moments Remix flavours arrive in the same stylish frosted bottle which has the label printed directly onto the bottle itself. A clear window in the frosting on the front of the bottle allows a graphic which is printed on the backside of the bottle to show through. The graphic is of young people dancing or perhaps ‘clubbing’ and having fun. The way the bottle and graphics are designed makes it sort of appear like the persons are dancing within the bottle.

The back of the bottle provides some nice ancillary information about the remix, including that it is distilled, blended, and bottled by Radico Khaitan at the Rampur Distillery. There is also a list of ingredients which tells me that the product is made from vodka, sugar and flavouring. As indicated earlier I have been told that all flavours for this product are natural, and the vodka is a triple distilled long grain rice vodka.

The bottle is topped by a plastic cap which when opened reveals a plastic diffuser. I dislike diffusers as the they have a tendency to clog up preventing an even pour when I am measuring out my amounts for cocktails. But that is really the only negative in an overall presentation that has me well pleased.

In the Glass 8.5/10

I poured myself a glass of the Magic Moment Remix Lemon, and brought it up to my nose. The initial impression is of a lightly laid back aroma of lemon and balsam. I gave the glass the customary tilt and swirl. The spirit deposited light sheen of liquid onto the side of my glass, and I watched as droopy legs formed. The legs are perhaps thickened by sugar, but the spirit does not have a syrupy look which is quite common in liqueurs.

The lemony scents grow only a little in the glass over time, I detect no sharpness or anything at all which is untoward. The aroma from glass just kinds of sits there in a nice mellow way.

In the Mouth 52/60

Sipping on the spirit is very pleasant. The lemon flavour is lightly sweet and not aggressive at all. The palate is heated by grain spices in a pleasant way, and the overall effect of the spice and the lemon reminds me of lemon drop candies; (although not a s sharp nor as sweet as those candies can be).

On an impulse, I decided to throw back about 1/2 ounce as if this were a shooting vodka. I was rather pleased with the result. The flavoured remix went down quite smoothly in spite of the spiciness, and I rather liked the pleasing aftertaste left in my mouth. In fact, this experience was so nice that I bumped the score up a little. Next, I mixed a standard Cosmopolitan with the Lemon flavoured spirit, and I was very impressed. The Lemon Flavoured Remix certainly takes to the cocktail experience in a very nice way.

In the Throat   13.5/15

I tipped my hand earlier when I revealed that I really enjoyed my swallow of the Magic Moment Remix Lemon when I threw back a good-sized swallow ‘shot-style’. The spirit is very smooth and appealing. Lingering flavours of lemon and spice reside upon the palate and in the back of the throat. I even sampled a little food between swallows just as I would a shooting Vodka, and the experience was thoroughly enjoyable.

The Afterburn  9/10

The Magic Moment Remix Lemon Vodka is a great flavoured spirit. I was able to enjoy the spirit as both a sipper and as a shot style vodka which is quite unusual in the flavoured Vodka category. And of course the lemon flavour mixes easily into cocktails. What more needs to be said?

You may read some of my other Liqueur and Favoured Spirit Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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Suggested Recipe:

Lemon is, of course, a flavour which works great in cocktails, and I worked out a nice breeze style cocktail, which I decided was so nice and laid back, that I called it Pleasantville.

Pleasantville

1 1/2 oz Magic Moment Remix Lemon
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
3/8 oz sugar syrup
Ice
Soda
Cucumber slice for Garnish

Fill a rocks glass with large ice cubes
Add the flavoured vodka and the juice and the sugar syrup
Complete with soda
Garnish with a cucumber slice
Enjoy!

Of course, I also enjoyed the Lemon Remix ‘shot-style’.

The Lemon-Sky Soldier

1 1/2 oz Magic Moment Remix Lemon (Well chilled)
dash Brown Sugar
pinch grated ginger
ice

Shake the three ingredients over ice
Strain into a Large Chilled Shot Glass
Salute your friends with a toast
Consume the drink “shot-style”

Cheers!

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret that score as follows:

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing spirit.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89    Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94    Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)