Some of the first distilled spirits were created in the Arab world- not for drinking, but for perfumes. Alcohol has the ability to absorb flavors and aromas from plants such as flowers, fruits and herbs. When distilling technology arrived in Europe, monks and physicians began making medicinal tinctures by combining herbs and alcohol. Over time this practice evolved into a method of flavoring alcohol for drinking, and eventually turned into specific styles of drinks, one of which was flavored vodka. Today, there's almost no limit to the types of flavors that can be imbued into flavored vodka, creating endless opportunities for mixing and enjoyment.
Any country in which vodka is made, flavored vodkas are made as well.
In other spirits such as whiskey or gin there are a number of traditional flavors and some less common or experimental flavors. Flavored vodka, however, is unique in that the skies are the limit when it comes to flavor. Nearly everything imaginable has been turned into a flavored vodka. Familiar flavors such as citrus, vanilla, berries and hot peppers have had their time as well as more unusual flavors such as Old Bay seasoning and birthday cake.
Infusion/Maceration: Infusion and maceration are two terms that describe an almost identical process. In both instances a flavoring element (fruits, herbs, or other botanicals) is soaked in alcohol to extract its flavor. Sometimes maceration is used to refer to an intermediate step before distillation or some other process, while infusion can refer to the same extraction as the end product.
Harmless coloring/flavoring/blending materials are defined by the US Government as an essential component of the particular class and/or type of distilled spirits and may not require label disclosure. For flavored vodka, more than 2½% of the finished product may be blending materials that could include sugar, glycerin, citric acid, natural and/or artificial flavors and coloring, which must be labeled.
An industry term used to describe a subset of flavored vodkas that have been flavored through the distillation or maceration of real botanicals, not extracts. The color in the spirit is the result of post-distillation maceration of real botanicals.