If you believe the experts, whoever they might be, vodka is supposed to be one of the most popular hard drinks in the world. Up until recently, the various types of flavored and straight vodka beverages could make the claim that they are the premier mixer of choice in a variety of staple drinks.

Red bull, the college student's staple drink, mixes reasonably well with vodka; and who could imagine a cosmopolitan, vodka martini, assorted bar drinks such as the screwdriver, cocktail recipes, Jell-O vodka shots and other vodka drinks without, well, vodka?

Apparently the folks from VeeV are not buying into the old-world hype of easy vodka mixes, and they have come out in defense of those discerning bar and club patrons thus far condemned to the same old, distilled liquid made from fermented rye, wheat, beet molasses or potatoes. Instead, VeeV offers something so new and unique that it could not help but take the sophisticated centers of the hip and trendy by storm.

Already patrons in Los Angeles, New York and Boston are asking for VeeV by name, and why not? Consider the following: vodka is made from fermented potatoes; VeeV is made from the açaí berry, a fruit considered to be a super food contender! Heart healthy, loaded with antioxidants and from the famed Brazilian rainforest, the açaí berry beats fermented potatoes hands down.

The profits of different types of vodka go into the pockets of big business, but VeeV donates $1 per bottle sold to protect the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and to ensure that the açaí berries are not over harvested. Ecologically sound, environmentally responsible and healthy to boot, once again VeeV sends the various types and brands of vodka packing.

Last but not least, the buzz on the healthy qualities of the açaí berry aside -- and never minding the fact that VeeV contains organic ingredients -- consider that it is a bona fide replacement ingredient in easy and complex vodka drinks. Replace the vodka in your favorite cocktail recipes, martinis, cosmopolitans or screwdrivers and live a little!

With the arrival of an ecologically sound drink containing one of the world's super foods, the end of vodka draws near.

Written by Sylvia Cochran

Will vodka soon see its last call?

R.I.P. Here lies Vodka, born in a common still in the European vodka belt sometime in the middle ages, died on the rocks in a nondescript cosmopolitan lounge at the start of the 21st century.

The body isn't yet in the grave, but the stone cutter and grave digger are standing by.

It's been a long time since straight vodka (or vodka drunk "neat," as they say in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe) has been considered anything short of yawn-worthy. Determined to postpone its inevitable demise, vodka quietly spirited itself into a variety of trendy liquids in a desperate bid to cast itself as an essential ingredient for the nouveau social drinking experience. In its travels, vodka struggled to identify itself as cosmopolitan, pairing up with ingredients far from its pedestrian Eastern European origins.

But instead of reinvigorating its reputation, vodka became a laughingstock. Vodka's first effort to bolster its flagging reputation saw it latching onto poor Red Bull, the Austrian energy drink. Rejected by Red Bull, which packs a punch by itself and has no need for an albatross like vodka dimming its effects, vodka's desperation took a ludicrous turn. Knowing that it would never again bask in those glory days of vodka shots, vodka tonics and the staple martini, vodka scurried off to Vermont for infusions of (oh, please try to be sensitive and not laugh too hard) - cow's milk and maple syrup. Even vodka could see that the result was lame.

When competitor Brazilian VeeV hit the markets, poor, befuddled vodka simultaneously grasped at faint marriage prospects with South American guarana and Asian ginseng but was soundly rebuffed. VeeV, açaí fruit-derived liquor with acerola cherry and prickly pear accents, not only outdid vodka drinks in the taste and sophistication categories, it lured in remaining vodka loyalists with its eco-friendly aura. With VeeV boasting 57-percent more antioxidants than popular pomegranate and 30-percent more cardiac-protective anthocyanins than red wine, vodka seemed to accept its looming diagnosis and crept away toward oblivion.

VeeV cheerfully filled the glasses once reserved for vodka and innovations sprung forth. From simple pairings with lime and club soda to intertwining with cucumber, basil, mint and tea rose fusion, newcomer VeeV's versatility fed the perception that VeeV is destined to become even more ubiquitous than vodka once was.

And what of those whispered rumors of a last-ditch vodka comeback? No, folks aren't drinking vodka again.

Wine X Magazine reported in its current issue that some young Irish and Brits have resorted to snorting pure vodka through straws. Its VeeV folks are drinking. Vodka is destined to spend its final days in the dank, dark nasal passages of retrograde British Isles bar-goers.

Written by Carol Bengle Gilbert

After centuries of drinking this tasteless, odorless spirit the Russians have finally conceded that 2008 brings the end of vodka. What brought about this historical concession? Global warming for one. Without the bitter cold Siberian winters of centuries past, Russians can actually feel the burn of this over-hyped drink as it goes down their thawed out throats. With warmer climates, the need for Brazilian concoctions reigns supreme, rendering vodka "a product unsuitable for the modern civilized society".

VeeV's clever website, TheEndOfVodka.com, also contributed to the waving of the white flag. The Russians are so horrified by how dumb vodka has made Americans, they have admitted defeat and are mortified to have been such a pivotal part of the decline. They even go so far as to label the vodkabots on the site as "despicable characters who do not know how to behave in society".

To read their full concession speech, including an admission that VeeV is indeed a better way to drink, visit their site.

I can find few people who enjoy drinking vodka in any form.

Namely, international spies. "Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred." Why shaken and not stirred? I suppose that stipulation was to make James Bond, who travels around wearing a tux, look very cool. Bond knows what he wants, even if the drink is just a mixture of vodka and vermouth, shaken with ice and served up with an olive. Kind of lame when you think of it that way.

Alright, I have to admit that vodka does go well in a screwdriver, a drink first invented, it is said, by Texas oil workers. It consists of vodka and orange juice, stirred up, but not necessarily with a screwdriver. But you can easily swap the vodka for something better, like VeeV. This spirit is made with the açaí berry, which grows in the rainforest of Brazil. For every bottle of VeeV sold, $1 is donated to the Brazilian Rainforest. Açaí berries offer a wealth of health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants and heart-healthy anthocyanins. When you drink a cocktail make with VeeV - instead of vodka - you are doing a service to your own health as well as that of our planet.

What better drink to recline with, whether you're on the beach, the deck of a cruise ship or even your own porch? Can vodka provide the same pleasure? I think not.

Written by Mark Whittington

Although the origins of vodka can't be traced back to a definite era, it has certainly built itself a legacy, which has gone from a well-loved alcoholic beverage to a well-avoided drink. This colorless liquor has been climbing the alcohol by volume scale. If you walk into your local liquor store, there is an entire wall dedicated just to vodka. Vodka comes from many countries, in many size bottles and with many added flavorings. If you look closely, you can find up to 80-proof vodka just sitting on the shelves at inexpensive prices.

Vodka is turning into the cheapest of liquors. For example, the cheapest vodka in my local Wines and Spirits is Nikolai Vodka 1 liter for only $7. Being under the influence of vodka is like playing Russian roulette. No matter how much you drink, your experience level, the brand of vodka, when you drink or how you drink, each time is an entirely different experience. Two screwdrivers (vodka and orange juice) can put you in the same boat as five straight shots of vodka.

If you want to take into consideration your health, vodka (along with whiskey, beer and some wines) contributes to heartburn and abnormal functioning of the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve that keeps stomach acid in the stomach and out of your food pipe.) If the condition becomes severe enough, it could result in surgery or ongoing medication. It's better to go with VeeV, an açaí spirit that has antioxidants. Drinking VeeV is actually good for you.

With vodka's price falling and alcohol content on the rise, the possibility of fake vodka is becoming a problem. Since vodka is mostly made of water and ethanol, which is made from fermenting potatoes, the dangers of obtaining fake vodka have already been seen in the United Kingdom where many were exposed to methanol poisoning. Fake or black-market vodka, sometimes called "bathtub vodka," can cause blindness and even death due to the industrial ethanol substitutes. According to the BBC News, at least 120 people have died due to this "vodka," and more than a thousand have been poisoned by black market vodka.

If you are planning on having some fun with friends, vodka is a dangerous way to go.

Written by Pcmiztress