WHEN YOU think of products for which New Zealand is best known, what comes to mind? Er, yeah - us, too. That's why we're welcoming, with open arms (and mouths), the country's number-one vodka to our liquor cabinets. 42 Below is now available in the United States and, more specifically, on Boston shelves. The stuff is 42 percent alcohol by volume, which is slightly higher than other comparable vodkas - thus subjecting the brand to higher taxes in its home country. But those hard-partying maniacs don't seem to care. All in the name of the best booze, we suppose. It's produced at the 42nd parallel, 42 degrees below the equator, using water that's hauled up from beneath an extinct volcano. The spirit goes through a rigorous distillation process - four times, to be exact - and is run through 35 different filters that render it clean, smooth, and easy to drink. Still need convincing? 42 Below has beaten competitors in the International Wines & Spirits Competition, the World Spirit Awards, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and others. It's stocked at Louis Boston's new Boston Public Meat (234 Berkeley Street, Boston, 617.266.4680) and at posh party hot spot Saint (90 Exeter Street, Boston, 617.236.1134). Or pick up your own bottle ($19.99) at Kappy's (10 Revere Beach Parkway, Medford, 781.395.8888) or Atlas Liquors (591 Hyde Park Avenue, Roslindale, 617.323.8202; 156 Mystic Avenue, Medford, 781.395.4400). Want to whip up one of the brand's signature drinks? Try the Cocktail 42: one and a half parts vodka, three parts cranberry juice, two parts sour mix, and a dash of, yup, kiwi liqueur. Sounds like New Zealand to us.
