Because vodka can be prepared from anything with simple sugars—grains, fruit, potatoes, etc.—and isn't aged in wooden casks like many spirits, the room for experimentation is great. Beveridge himself starts with corn, supplied largely from farmers in Texas. American vodkas are, by law, neutral spirits, meaning they aren't treated so as to detract from their inherent aroma, taste, or color, but Beveridge's own palate dictates the subtle attributes of his final vodka product.

“I make vodka that I like to drink,” says Beveridge. “I like it smooth, not face-quenching. A little burn. A little tartness after the sweetness passes. I want it to be vodka that you can sip, not vodka you have to shoot.”

Since Beveridge founded his own vodka career through mixed infusions, The Informed Drinker asked him to recommend three Tito's mixed drinks for three different scenarios.

Let's face it: many people drink vodka to party. What's a good Tito's drink for a celebratory occassion?

“Keep it simple,” says Beveridge. “Almost anywhere you go in this town that carries Tito's, you can ask for that, [San] Pellegrino, and squeeze of lime. It's refreshing and goes down easy.”

How about when you're on a date, and want to savor your vodka experience?

“Well, a Mexican Martini of course,” says Beveridge. “It's fantastic with Tito's. All you need is that, triple sec, and fresh lime juice if you're making it at home. At a restaurant, order one Mexican Martini and two glasses, so you have to share it. That's more of a romantic way to drink.”

When you need to put on a more professional front—entertaining clients, for example—what then?

“You can't beat a classic shaken martini,” says Beveridge. With three ingredients—vodka, dry vermouth and an olive—it's easily the MVP of Brat Pack beverages.

“Wife says I drop too many F-bombs when I drink martinis though, so I'm not allowed to order them,” says Beveridge. “At least in polite company.”

The Statesman has also made available the actual state summons sent to Tito's Homemade Vodka on Friday: download (PDF)

Tito Beveridge's official response, sent out Friday night, is reposted below:

To whom it may concern:

Tonight we at Fifth Generation Inc., Titos Handmade Vodka, were disturbed to find out we may have been charged with unauthorized discharge from our distillery. We would like to set the record straight. First of all, all alcohol from our distilling process which is not deemed worthy of being bottled is disposed of off site by a permitted facility which recycles it into fuel in accordance with all state and federal laws. The state regulatory agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, has had this information on file for years and we are in compliance having notified them years ago. A county official had seen discharge water coming from our property which ultimately was concluded to come from a valve which was accidentally left on providing cooling water for a condenser. This is city of Austin water going through the condenser which does not touch alcohol. Even though we are in the city of Austin, we have yet to be put on the city sewer system. While on the property officials touring the plant noticed that our drains from our buildings do not go to a sewer system since there is none. After we finish a day of production it is customary to wash down the still house floors and bottling room floors to get ready for the next days production. The officials even commented that hardly any vodka escapes to the floor when bottling. It was explained that the TCEQ had informed us that this washdown water did not need to be contained and that it is diluted and a natural process. At the time we asked them they stated that fruit dropping off a tree ferments to a much greater degree of alcohol content naturally than our washdown water from daily cleaning has. The officials said that we needed to contain this water and we immediately dug trenches, laid drain pipes from all buildings in question, and installed large poly tanks underground to contain the washwater in question. We called the TCEQ and spoke to the official who told us we didn't need to contain the washwater and he said he didn?t realize we were not on city sewer since we are in the city of Austin. He concurred that containment was necessary and advised that a mulch pile would be the most cost effective way to dispose of this washwater. We discussed with the TCEQ about recycling the washwater on site and concluded that to play it safe we would dispose of the washwater off site. We contacted Texas Disposal Systems and filled out their forms to put the washwater on their mulch pile. The TCEQ also said it could be used for dust control or fire suppression. we spoke with the TCEQ today and the Director of the Travis County Environmental Quality Division today who thanked us for moving so quickly on this. Our employees respect the environment and have always strived to be in compliance with all federal, state, county, city and voting district regulations. We would never intentionally do anything to harm the environment and actually, just the opposite, strive to recycle. We have cooperated with the environmental authorities completely. To our knowledge, the incident has been taken care of as soon as we were notified and all city, county and state environmental agencies have agreed that containment and disposal of the washwater under TCEQ recycling guidelines is the correct action. We strive to be the best and will continue making award winning Titos Handmade Vodka proudly in Austin, Texas. We are highly regulated and strive for complete compliance. Thanks for your support and understanding on this very unfortunate event.

“Our happy hour deal is the best in town,” says Alan. “Five dollar classic cocktails and five dollar bar food. Nobody serves a drink of this quality for this price in town, I would almost guarantee it, because almost nobody serves drinks of this quality at any price.” Alan’s favorite bar food? The Margherita pizza, the Moule Frite and the Poutine "Texas Style" (frites, Texas cheddar and chile con carne).

How about when our bank account is flush?

“Let's start drinking some fat cat Cognac cocktails like the Vieux Carré, or old-school whiskey cocktails like Manhattans, something that makes us feel like bankers,” says Alan. A product of the Carousel Lounge in New Orleans' Hotel Monteleone, the Vieux Carré is made with cognac, rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Barspoon Benedictine, 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, and garnished with a lemon twist.

What should we throw back when feel like ripping off our business ties and getting crazy?

“I think you should order a bottle of Champagne, but not to drink by itself,” says Alan. “Let the bartenders use it up in a series of cocktails with Champagne. French 75's, Ritz Cocktails, St. Germain Cocktails, everybody will think you are SO fancy. Just make sure you drink a lot of water along the way! And eat some of our fabulous mussels. There is something about the combination of shellfish and champagne that makes me feel celebratory.”