Getting Bombed by the Russians at Long Last

At Diaghilev, the stylish Franco-Russian restaurant in West Hollywood’s Wyndham Bel Age Hotel, they’ve got a new favorite vodka. Though they use Russian-made Stolichnaya for their house-infused drinks, it’s Boris Yeltsin vodka that’s getting all the attention at the bar.

This French-produced, smooth-flavored vodka named for the Russian premier has found its way into a few quirky libations. The Molotov Cocktail, served flaming, naturally, mixes Yeltsin vodka with orange-flavored Cointreau, topped with combustible Bacardi 151. A Dr. Zhivago mixes the vodka with Godiva chocolate liqueur and Kahlua, while the Karpov 7, named for the great Russian chess champion, throws together vodka, apricot schnapps, triple sec, Cointreau, Chambord, pineapple juice and sweet-and-sour mix in a colorful cocktail, more photogenic than its namesake.

Meanwhile, at Lucques, the bartenders have found good uses for the same vodka with their Boris on a Tank, a pun on the Tanquery Gin in this double-barreled martini with Boissiere Vermouth and a slice of orange peel. The Yeltsin takes some of the bite out of the gin. And they also pour it into the Boris Americano, where it mixes with Campari, a splash of gin, orange juice and soda water into a refreshing, fruity drink in which the orange juice balances the bitterness of the Campari.

Na zdarovya!