[booze] han asian vodka

The new Asian vodka Han is featured in the Feb 2006 issue of Cargo magazine as a vodka that "promises hangover-free fun." Han vodka claims to be the first rice-infused vodka and the first vodka imported from Asia. Oddly enough, their website doesn't seem to address where exactly in Asia it is imported from. Apparently just saying that it's made somewhere in Asia gives Han that eclectic edge they're looking for. Made with barley, polished rice and spring water, the vodka goes through a freeze filtration process that eliminates impurities that causes hangovers. One of the reasons this vodka won't kick your ass in the AM like, say, Absolut (shudder) is because Han is 48-proof alcohol content, compared to the 80-proof for most standard vodkas. The Cargo editors who tasted Han vodka noted it had a "distinct sweetness most other vodka's don't; while afficionados won't find it authentic, the average drinker will like it just fine." As for the hangover-free claim; the Cargo folks say that they "can't guarantee you a painless wake-up." Well, thank god for Gatorade.