Pinky and perky

If you can't judge a book by its cover, then what are we to make of drinks labels? The fad for "witty" marques like "Old Git" and "Goats do Roam" seems to have passed, if the shelves of my local off-licence are anything to go by. But unless you're a very attentive or well-informed wine buff, it's difficult to know what you're getting into with wine.

If you can't judge a book by its cover, then what are we to make of drinks labels? The fad for "witty" marques like "Old Git" and "Goats do Roam" seems to have passed, if the shelves of my local off-licence are anything to go by. But unless you're a very attentive or well-informed wine buff, it's difficult to know what you're getting into with wine.

Hard liquor, on the other hand, is easier to understand. You can, by and large, judge the contents by the cover, I mean label. Most single malt whiskies, for instance, feature autumnal rural scenes on the packaging, and taste accordingly damp and earthy. Tequila is often written in a typeface otherwise only seen on "wanted" posters in very bad spaghetti westerns. It's a forewarning that you'll have cactus breath after you've drunk it.

Vodka is different. Vodka is the most fashionable of alcohols, the Kate Moss of booze. It updates its look just when everyone's getting ever-so-slightly bored of the last image. Absolut had a good run, culminating with Mandarin, featuring an orange dome in the base of the bottle. Not sure quite where they can go next – a banana just wouldn't be as aesthetically pleasing.

So, a newish company is stepping forward to become the trendy tipple. It's called "seriously ... ", which makes me want to say "oh, come on ... " I don't know what the name means. And to make matters worse, the "serious" is red, while the "ly" is black. Is this some code that I don't understand? Is it for young people?

The original seriously ... vodka is a favourite with London's trendier mixologists and is sold at Harvey Nichols, naturally. The Harvey Nichols food hall is always full of rather louche men, with steaks and dragonfruit in their baskets, prowling around at 8pm. This vodka is perfect for them. Now the company has launched "pinky", a "[flower] powered" version of the original – presumably aimed at the Marc Jacobs-clad, Fendi-bag toting female of the species. What "seriously ... pinky" means without metaphorical quote marks is that it's pale pink in colour, and looks and tastes a bit like Parma violets and lavender.

These properties come from natural botanicals, I'm told, and make the vodka perfect for blending with juices and for making cocktails. Personally I liked drinking it straight – that is, straight from the freezer and with extra ice. It's a bit like an old-fashioned sweetie, but with a hell of a kick.

That's not the only blow. Pinky costs a distinctly unfragrant £20 a bottle. And I quote: "Natural botanicals of the calibre used in pinky are very expensive. Expect seriously ... pinky to cost a bit more, in return for which you will get a lot more." I'm tempted to add another word on the end, like "drunk". But I won't, because pinky is classy.

seriously ... pinky is available from Harvey Nichols wine shops in London, Birmingham and Leeds. For more details telephone 020-7235 5000.