11 "essential" Vodkas

My first question: Is there anyone on God’s Good Earth that would stock their liquor cabinet with eleven brands of vodka?

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Oh I have been on more than a few tour buses that had entire closet filled with vodka…lol.

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Ok Stoli is on the list so it’s legit!

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:grin:

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11 seems excessive for any liquor, let alone vodka

There are some on that list that I haven’t tried though, may have to give some a chance.

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Even for a well curated restaurant…

" And it’s key for entertaining; while some drinkers aren’t partial to gin, say, or tequila, virtually no one has a vodka aversion"

raises hand
I don’t like vodka and I never have any in the house. It is the boneless skinless chicken breast of spirits. Bourbon, gin, tequila, rum, Irish whiskey, now those are essential.

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Vodka is in the cabinet for vodka drinkers. A decent corn vodka, oh and it’s gluten free ;). Don’t get me started on the Titos handmade pot still BS but the stuff does taste like water to me.

My BIL once claimed he only drank Belvedere vodka. I did a blind tasting of Titos and Belvedere in identical glasses. To me they tasted the same (water) but he and my wife consistently picked the Titos. Currently I have a handle of Tower Vodka in the cabinet. Another Texas corn vodka that is close enough even if it’s number of times run through the still is a couple less.

I do agree there are differences in vodkas but they are very small in most cases. But this is from a whiskey drinker where there are big flavor differences between different bourbons, ryes etc…Wild Turkey products taste quite different from Four Roses

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Consistently picked the Titos thinking it was the Belvedere, or they picked it knowing it wasn’t Belvedere?

“Wild Turkey products taste quite different from Four Roses”…I bet a Wild Turkey would smell a lot different than Four Roses as well.

I think I left it open but pretty sure in my BIL’s mind it was pick the Belvedere

Admitted sales pitch for rye vodka:

http://www.vodkasobieski.com/whyryevodka/made-of.php

Love those flavor attributes for each type of vodka. Most have been distilled to such a high proof ~190 proof or 95% ethanol before being proofed down with water that all flavor has been stripped out. And being stored in stainless tanks there are no flavors to acquire.

Ummm, I think most vodka drinkers don’t drink vodka for the flavor…! They just think/hope it doesn’t give them a hangover and that it blends into their cocktail well enough.

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Agreed but thought the website was funny with the tasting notes of lemony, nutty, herb and licorice. I do drink vodka on occasions and my only expectation is that it taste like water and not rubbing alcohol.

At most family gatherings where vodka rules it’s usually vodka on ice and folks are looking to catch a buzz quickly. My most recent contributions to these events has been a handle of vodka infused with jalapeño’s and a bottle of Barbados rum for for the few who want to sip something with taste

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I willingly admit to drinking vodka, although almost always mixed into a cocktail. Actually my favorite has been those swedish aquavit, which certainly no longer taste like vodka but take on the flavor of the cloudberries or whatever. Nice to sip.
The nuances between various brands are lost on me, i know vodka and soda is a popular drink but I can’t imagine one could appreciate the differences that way either.

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I will be the first to admit, I started drinking vodka not out of desire, but out of necessity. I can’t drink enough beer or wine (without getting horribly bloated) to catch a good buzz, thus it’s vodka straight. Not for the taste but just to get the job done.

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I am certainly an alcoholic… Practicing alcoholic. My desert friends all threw in $20 and we lined up at least 10 vodkas. Including whip cream and blueberry… but most were straight up. For the people who believe all vodka tastes the same or that Costco is premium… You would fail. My buddy and I nailed each one. These days I prefer wine.

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Weill first of all I saw your post in the Welcome to HO thread, so please let me give you a warm welcome to Hungry Onion!! Please do tell how you stumbled upon us here. (also as an aside, thank you very much for your service to our country, God Bless for that) Other than that please tell me more about the result of your vodka research there, I would be very curious to see / hear your thoughts. As a fellow alcoholic and Stoli lover all I can say is:

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Thank you!
I have found Stoli to be the best inexpensive vodka… Doesn’t have any odd flavors. My go to is probably Belvadere if I am having a Martini. Effin is probably my favorite to ask for.
My Armenian friends can destroy a bottle of vodka in no time… Wanna drink like them… Eat a pat of butter before you start drinking… Shot after shot after shot! Ha ha

I left Chowhound due to the “natives,” they were very against free speech… Seems you can’t tell someone the truth about your very own experiences on a very close minded site. They just tried to sell crap and shove opinions down your throat! Anyway I found this site and going to give it a go. I look forward to making friends!

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Exactly, I’ve found Stoli to be the best mid-range vodka. Tell you the truth when Svedka came out at “discount” ($19.99 for 1750ltr) I was shocked at how good the taste was. Only thing was I started having insufferable hang overs, which I initially contributed to age. On a whim I went back to Stoli and hangovers gone! Something about them dam cheap vodkers!

I noticed you mentioned some flavored vodka’s, what brand did you try? I found VanGogh to be the best quality flavored vodkas. While Pinnacle has the widest variety of flavors we are again in the cheap vodker territory when you start drinking too much of them. A VanGogh single espresso vodka on the rocks (the clear not the dark double espresso) has become a summer after dinner favorite of mine. Sambuca is too heavy on a summer night to drink. I save that for winter now.