Full Article: Food & Beverage Magazine

Published: 11/23/20

E11EVEN, Miami’s iconic 24/7 Ultraclub that opened in 2014, now has a Vodka named after it. E11EVEN Vodka is the first-ever nightclub-branded ultra-premium Vodka, and it’s also women-owned.

Born & raised in Miami, E11EVEN Vodka CEO Nikki Simkins loved seeing what E11EVEN had done for the city. So, when she set out to create an ultra-premium Vodka, she knew that the energy, spirit & vibe of the E11EVEN lifestyle was one that would translate flawlessly into a bottle. Simkins licensed the iconic brand’s intellectual property, and in October 2020, E11EVEN Vodka made its debut.

E11EVEN Vodka is currently available for nationwide shipping and in South Florida (at stores and restaurants/lounges). Next year, the brand will focus on rolling out in new markets across the U.S., and eventually, internationally.

We spoke to Nikki Simkins about E11EVEN. See what she had to say!

Food & Beverage: Why E11EVEN?

Nikki Simkins: E11EVEN Miami is one of the world’s most recognized clubs and has become a lifestyle brand. People trust E11EVEN to do things better. It’s all about crushing the day and owning the night, living your best life, and having fun – being an E11EVEN! E11EVEN Miami truly changed the landscape of nightlife, and that’s what we want to do with E11EVEN Vodka.

Food & Beverage: You have the advantage of working with one of the best nightlife brands in the world. Considering that people go to E11EVEN to have an unforgettable time, how do you tie that into the Vodka?

Nikki Simkins: E11EVEN represents Miami. If you love Miami, you love E11EVEN. Like the nightclub, E11EVEN Vodka embodies Miami’s characteristics, the spirit, energy, sexiness, and excitement. And we want to share it with the world. We want to export Miami, through E11EVEN Vodka, to the entire world.

Food & Beverage: Why did you choose to launch a vodka as opposed to another spirit?

Nikki Simkins: One night, after drinking too much tequila, I woke up with a horrible hangover! I began researching how to remedy it and came across tons of articles that spoke about congeners. Congeners are toxins – literal chemicals like acetone & acetaldehyde – found in alcohol after the fermentation process and cause hangovers. Out of all the alcohol types, I learned that tequila has the highest congeners levels and that Vodka has the lowest (congeners levels), and it’s the cleanest! I have always been very into health & wellness, and I’m very conscious about what I put into my body – so, from that day forward, I became a Vodka drinker.

E11EVEN Vodka is All-Natural & Gluten-Free, has no carbs and no sugar, is vegan & keto-friendly, and is distilled six times from 100% Florida grown organic NON-GMO corn.

Food & Beverage: How did you develop the Vodka?

Nikki Simkins: The process of developing E11EVEN Vodka was challenging and really fun. It was challenging because I insisted on creating the best Vodka in the world that embodied the Miami spirit. It was fun because I got to work with really great people to make this a reality. We found a fantastic master distiller in Miami and did hundreds of taste tests until we found the perfect spirit.

E11EVEN Vodka is handcrafted in copper stills, distilled six times from 100% Florida grown NON-GMO corn, and then refined through a proprietary seven-step filtration process. It exudes a rounded sweetness that is clean and smooth and has subtle notes of citrus peels and cacao nibs that flawlessly blend to create a divine flavor delicately teased with hints of vanilla and cracked peppercorns. The proprietary hand filtration process softens the palate, leaving a graceful finish that is long, warm, and seductive. Once we knew we had the best tasting Vodka, we set out to create the bottle. The vision for designing the bottle was, “how do I put Miami in a bottle?.” Knowing we were putting the E11EVEN brand name (on the bottle), everything had to be elevated…it had to stand out. We went with an eye-catching Miami-blue neck sleeve, a translucent frosted glass, and an easy to remove cork.

Once we had the liquid and bottle finalized, we signed up with the most prominent and respected alcohol distributor in the country, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. We then began the process of getting E11EVEN Vodka on the menus of South Florida’s best restaurants & bars and liquor store shelves. E11EVEN Vodka is also available online for nationwide shipping. After three years, I am so excited to (finally) introduce E11EVEN Vodka to the world!