# Vodka choices



## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

What do you believe? 

I have a friend who claims to prefer Gray Goose vodka. Listening to her vodka-drinking history, it reads like a chronicle of following the trends: first Stolichnaya, then Absolut, now Gray Goose. She likes it in Cosmopolitans.

I doubt that she can taste the difference, and I contend that she would fail a blind taste test, especially in a mixed drink like a Cosmo.

What do you think?


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Yes, it's very hard to tell in a mixed drink like that. Furthermore, I would pick different Vodkas for cocktails than I would for drinking neat from the freezer.


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## chatsworth osborne jr. (Feb 2, 2008)

*The Goose is still the trendy drink?*

I used to buy Stoli, Ketek, Belvidere, Grey Goose. I was big on elitist pretension.

Now I'm buying Popov, after realizing there was something even cheaper than Smirnoff. I detect no real difference, and I'm mainly mixing with stuff lighter than a cosmo.

Who drinks vodka for the taste? If one cheap brand tastes fishy and oily, move on to the next cheap brand.


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## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

I always say it only matters for the first drink ...I can definitely tell a difference on the first, but beyond that, not so much...9 times out of 10 I am mixing with tonic and maybe a splash of lime juice.

It isn't so much the taste, some just go down smoother than others...


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## Spence (Feb 28, 2006)

Definately can taste the difference between cheap and good vodka, but the differences between say Stoli and a more premium product are only noticeable when you really try...

Vodka is such a boring drink, why try?

I say don't go cheap, but don't waste your money.

-spence


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## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

Vodka is, by definition, 40% ethyl alcohol and 60% water. That's it. If you taste something other than alcohol, it hasn't been filtered enough or they are adding something to be fancy. The better stuff is filtered more thoroughly, though, the best vodka would be, theoretically, lab-grade pure ethyl alcohol and distilled/deionized water.

As for tasting differences, Mythbusters showed that a professional spirits drinker could tell the difference between super cheap stuff, filtered cheap stuff, and very expensive stuff. I doubt anyone could tell the difference between a decent vodka and a really expensive vodka in a mixed drink.

I wouldn't pay much more than $20-$25 for a bottle, I only mix it anyways.


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## XdryMartini (Jan 5, 2008)

jbmcb said:


> As for tasting differences, Mythbusters showed that a professional spirits drinker could tell the difference between super cheap stuff, filtered cheap stuff, and very expensive stuff. I doubt anyone could tell the difference between a decent vodka and a really expensive vodka in a mixed drink.


Most of us have attended one university or another... Does that make us semi-pro's??


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

jbmcb said:


> Vodka is, by definition, 40% ethyl alcohol and 60% water. That's it. If you taste something other than alcohol, it hasn't been filtered enough or they are adding something to be fancy. The better stuff is filtered more thoroughly, though, the best vodka would be, theoretically, lab-grade pure ethyl alcohol and distilled/deionized water.
> 
> As for tasting differences, Mythbusters showed that a professional spirits drinker could tell the difference between super cheap stuff, filtered cheap stuff, and very expensive stuff. I doubt anyone could tell the difference between a decent vodka and a really expensive vodka in a mixed drink.
> 
> I wouldn't pay much more than $20-$25 for a bottle, I only mix it anyways.


So why not just buy a bottle of ethyl alcohol and use 2/5 of the vodka measurement? Even cheaper.:icon_smile_big:


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

misterdonuts said:


> So why not just buy a bottle of ethyl alcohol and use 2/5 of the vodka measurement? Even cheaper.:icon_smile_big:


Actually, that's almost what they supposedly do for Iceberg vodka. They buy pure Canadian hard-wheat grain alcohol from a commercial manufacturer and mix it with melted iceberg water, which is pretty much just distilled water. In one Grey Goose ad, it was shown rated #2 (Grey Goose, of course, was #1). I think Consumer Reports once came to a similar conclusion using distilled water/200-proof industrial grain alcohol vs various bottle brands.


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## nolan50410 (Dec 5, 2006)

I can tell a difference when I drink martinis, which is very close to straight up. I won't go below a Stoli and prefer Belvedere or Grey Goose. A coworker has been hounding me about trying a potato vodka, supposedly much smoother then grain vodka.


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

I agree that in a cocktail, it makes very little difference unless the vodka in question is "lighter" like Smirnoff, from the Midlands no less, so you have to drink more...:icon_smile_big: If served neat, it's-all-the-same-alcohol-to-water-ratio does not work for everyone. My fave vodka to be had neat is expensive enough to attract a look of displeasure from my missus, but it is grain based and smooth as silk. Some Polish potato vodkas are indeed rather smooth, but I do not believe that one can generalise all potato vodkas to be smoother than grain vodkas. The French produce grape vodka but I have not tried it yet -- and inevitably there is some squabble about whether grape based vodka can or should be marketed as vodka, which I find rather tiring...


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## Calle (Jun 5, 2008)

I very seldom drink vodka, but in my mid teens I could easily tell the difference between Absolut Vodka and the dirt cheap polish smuggled brands, such as Zaranoff.

Is anyone here familiar with Zaranoff? :icon_smile_wink:

Buying expensive vodka seems like an awfull waste.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

*re: Svedka*

So I'm new to this forum, and it seems only appropriate that my first thoughts to appear publically will relate to alcohol.

I haven't seen anyone mention Svedka, the Swedish vodka. It is quite good, and quite inexpensive: a 750 ml goes for around $14.00 where I live. I'll buy this 99% of the time. When I'm in the mood for something different, I'll buy Stoli, because frankly you should trust the Russians when it comes to vodka.

I also don't understand the fuss people make about Absolut. For some reason, I don't like it. They do have a brilliant ad campaign, though.


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## TommyDawg (Jan 6, 2008)

nolan50410 said:


> I can tell a difference when I drink martinis, which is very close to straight up. I won't go below a Stoli and prefer Belvedere or Grey Goose. A coworker has been hounding me about trying a potato vodka, supposedly much smoother then grain vodka.


I'm hardly a vodka expert, so this is just my 2cents worth. When I drink vodka, its in a martini with a twist of lemon. I got hooked on the Chopin, which is a potato vodka. I still enjoy Kettle one, but think the Chopin is very very good.


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Vdka*

Gentlemen
If I drink vodka, a very, very dry martini.

Ketel one, Belvedere. Straight, with ice. Olive, and whisper vermouth.


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## Francisco D'Anconia (Apr 18, 2007)

According to a 20/20 Segment on Vodka Snobbery, unless you're drinking it neat, you probably won't notice the difference.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

Francisco D'Anconia said:


> According to a 20/20 Segment on Vodka Snobbery, unless you're drinking it neat, you probably won't notice the difference.


That is a charitable understatment. Most regular whiskey drinkers (whether scotch, American, Canadian, or Irish) can distinguish brands without difficulty. Some gin drinkers can too, especially in martinis. But vodka? The differences are 99.99999% hype. While I'll concede the possiblity that some people can tell the difference in blind testing situations, I suspect that number is very small.


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## video2 (Feb 11, 2008)

I like vodka very much.


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