Ram Krishnamoorthy, a Sydney business student, gained an important nod for his tea-flavored vodka at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this spring.
LongLeaf vodka received a silver medal for tea vodkas and was rated the best flavored vodka in Asia Pacific. This 14th year of competition drew 1,474 entries from 64 countries. LongLeaf beat out known brands like Absolut and Svedka in one of the world’s premiere contests.
Krishnamoorthy used a pekoe grade Ceylon tea that had been hand-plucked on his family’s Sri Lankan tea plantation. His family has operated the plantation for three generations. He moved to Australia in 2009 to enter an MBA program at the Australian Graduate School of Management intending to return to run the tea business. It was during these years that he and some friends decided it would be interesting to make use of his tea experience and connections to develop a new product.
Krishnamoorthy spent a year and a half developing the perfect combination. The spirit, launched in 2013, is described as “smooth with a touch of sweetness and a crisp tea finish.” Regarding his vodka, Krishnamoorthy told Food Magazine, “It evokes nostalgia, celebrates life’s little joys and encourages consumers to take pause and relax – just like your everyday cuppa.” LongLeaf is produced by NovelTea Pty Ltd.
The vodka is served in bars in the Sydney and Melbourne areas. He is currently developing tea-based vodkas with ginger and cinnamon.
Source: Good Food and Business Because
Photo courtesy of LongLeaf.