Calling on Vodka Experts

[makatee]

My 21st birthday is on Saturday and I will finally be able to legitimize my drinking in the good old U.S.of A.! I've decided that I want to buy myself a nice bottle of Vodka. Now here is what I ask of you. I want to be able to go to my local liquor store and buy this and I dont want to break the bank. I just want a nice, fairly priced vodka. So give me some suggestions :woot:

[specofdust]

My 21st birthday is on Saturday and I will finally be able to legitimize my drinking in the good old U.S.of A.! I've decided that I want to buy myself a nice bottle of Vodka. Now here is what I ask of you. I want to be able to go to my local liquor store and buy this and I dont want to break the bank. I just want a nice, fairly priced vodka. So give me some suggestions

Well, there are a few things you might be able to get that are worth trying. I'm not sure if you guys drink much underage there, but if you know that you want to mix this with a soft drink(bad, but done commonly) then I'd suggest something like wyborowa(vi-brov-a) or just good old stolichnaya. The former is a nice polish vodka that I've taken a liking too as my regular party drink over the last year or so. It's not got the harshness that's so common in crappier vodkas. Stolichnaya isn't bad either, fairly bog standard vodka but reasonably good for a bog standard one, if that makes sense. Neither should break the bank. I don't know how much drink costs over there compared with here, but you can pick up 70Cl bottles of either of those for around £15-18 over here.

If you're after trying something new then a vodka I'd suggest would be zubrowka(zhu-brov-ka). It's another polish vodka, and is traditionally mixed with appple juice. If you buy Zubrowka you have to buy some apple juice and at least try mixing them together. It has a far more noticable flavour than most vodkas I find. Most vodkas seem to be about subtlety and almost just a case of not having much flavour. Zubrowka is not like that, it definatey has a flavour. Whether you like that flavour or not will determine whether you like it - it's not for everyone, but many people love it. I should note that you can't get the proper stuff over there, since Bison grass is for some reason illegal in the US, but they use a substitute and flavourings so it's probably still worth a try.

Other then that there are things like absolut and Smirnoff, there are various verions of them both and some of the more expensive ones aren't bad. Generally I see those as the cheap "get drunk" drinks though, not things for when you actually want to enjoy the taste.

Oh and one final thing, just in case you don't know, vodka must be cold. Ice cold. Keep it in the freezer.

Hope that helps, and have a great 21st :)

[Nosfer@tu]

vodka is Pure Alchohole and Water, it never tasted god :)
In mu humble openion it is somthing for girls and teenagers :)

Buy a Nice Wiskey in stead and drink it with coca cola and ice cubes.

And Dont get the cheapest one. get a Higly priced one for around 35 $ :)

[specofdust]

Strongly disagree there. Vodka is like any other drink, most people drink the crap cheap varieties of it because most people like to drink cheap crap. If you spend some money you can get very enjoyable drinks. As for whiskey, don't bother. Get some proper Whisky. There are some reasonably priced whiskys like Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, and Glenfiddich - that are all worth trying if ones interested in whisky.

As for putting putting coke in it.....:slap:

[sbin]

Stolichnaya with a little soda water and lime!

Patron Tequila - Anejo great for sipping.

Buy the good stuff and enjoy in moderation quality > quantity

[p0tter]

Pricey - Grey Goose

Inexpensive - Svedka

If you like vodka, search for a martini bar.

I perfer svedka tonic w/o lime.

[makatee]

vodka is Pure Alchohole and Water, it never tasted god :)
In mu humble openion it is somthing for girls and teenagers :)

Buy a Nice Wiskey in stead and drink it with coca cola and ice cubes.

And Dont get the cheapest one. get a Higly priced one for around 35 $ :)

Please...I've done a lot of drinking in my days. More than I should have probably. I like Whiskey more than I like most other drinks. However, I've decided I want a nice Vodka for a change, not the filth I normally drink. My birthday is going to be a liqour night, the next day I have a bunch of Old Speckled Hen for my friends and I. :D

[crodan85]

Stolichnaya red very nice and not very expensive.

[makatee]

Has anyone here tried Chopin Vodka? I'm rather intrigued by it

[J-Mag]

Grey Goose FTW!

If I have to go midshelf then Stolichnaya it is.

Trader Joes markets another vodka under the brand Moskovskaya that is produce by the Stolichnaya Distillery. It is essentially the same stuff but cheaper.

[sparkie34]

Grey Goose FTW!

If I have to go midshelf then Stolichnaya it is.

Trader Joes markets another vodka under the brand Moskovskaya that is produce by the Stolichnaya Distillery. It is essentially the same stuff but cheaper.




Another Grey Goose fan here! Goes down smooth but it sneaks up on ya quick!

[Reznik Akime]

Yep, The Goose.

[LagunaX]

hangar one mandarin blossom vodka. smooth, no bite, no hangover headache compared some others. Nice but dangerous one since it goes down so easily. Smoother than the goose and ketel one.
http://www.hangarone.com/ourvodka.html

[Duh]

If I where you I would stay away from vodka. My mate is Russian and I know what I talk about.
I would buy some Guinness beers and stay cool :cool:

[grudgelord]

I'm rather partial to Grey Goose myself with Stolichnaya as a marginal second. I recommend steering clear of the silly flavored vodka and for the love of all that's holy, stay away from cheap crap. If you want flavors they can be added on a per drink basis.

Consider picking up a nice dry vermouth, some good olives and a few other items and give a few martini recipes a try (hint: simpler is better with martinis).

[bullet2urbrain]

Belvedere > Goose > Stoli > Absolut

however i will tell you that my personal fave to make for girls is 3 olives/Stoli Grape vodka with Red Bull.

This is all coming from a beer snob tho :toast:

[kiwi]

You don't argue about personal favorites and taste! :p:

[BobyTT]

Pricey - Grey Goose


Since when French people are making Vodka?

Vodka "Finlandia" , "Smirnoff" "Stolichnaya" thats classic

[Soulburner]

Rum > Vodka

Same drunk, less crappy taste.

But then again I only have experience with Smirnoff. Haven't tried any of these so-called "smooth" Vodkas like Grey Goose (yet).

[[XC] moddolicous]

Although I don't exactly drink a lot (being only 16) my dad had some of his friends over for a card party (ended up being more of a drinking party). Either way, my dad couldn't stop raving over how good absolut and orange juice was (screwdrivers). My dad's friends all enjoyed a bottle of Jamesons more than his screwdrivers. All I know is most of my dad's friends woke up with hangovers and my dad was fine (I'm pretty sure he drank a good amount).

[hoax]

go with a good russian bottle if you can...Stolichnaya is excellent but deffinetly dont get Smirnoff....:stick:

Not sure if you can find it or not, but when we want good vodca around here, a bottle of Absolut keeps everyone happy.. Very good stuff for the price you pay...and much better then smirnoff no doubt

[BAR*B*Q]

even the mildest vodko is disgusting to me. and its not that im not into liqours.
please dude... go for anything else !

[nn_step]

make a nuclear meltdown.
1cup vodka
+
1cup AMP
=
1 Night you can't remember

[specofdust]

Regarding the hangover thing you mention [XC] moddolicous - that's correct. Vodka gives less bad hangovers than nearly any other drink. Something to do with not containing the substance that constricts the brains blood vessels or something. In general the darker an alcohol is, the worse the hangovers going to be.

[Holst]

If you can get a bottle of Parlement thats pretty good.
Putinka is also ok, if a little harsher.

Living in Russia has some perks as a bottle of vodka is only $5 for some decent stuff :D

[pissboy]

Another grey goose fan here, although I'll have a bottle of ketel one from time to time. Either mix well with cranberry juice, orange juice, whatever. If you're going to make screwdrivers, there's no better OJ (at least where I'm at) than Simply Orange. Also.. injecting cheap vodka into pineapples and oranges to serve at a party is good. The last time I did that I didn't get a single slice of pineapple, the girls at the party ate it before I could get any.

[mr_knowitall15]

Belvedere > Goose > Stoli > Absolut

however i will tell you that my personal fave to make for girls is 3 olives/Stoli Grape vodka with Red Bull.

This is all coming from a beer snob tho :toast:

Holy crap that was pretty much the set i was gonna post :toast:
Kettle One isnt bad either though,

[Sorrow13]

burnettes if you've got it near you. Cheap price, has good flavor (i agree, vodka has to have flavor) and nice and smooth.
i cant stand smirnoff/absolut, and i didnt like the goose either.

[Pinnacle]

Has anyone here tried Chopin Vodka? I'm rather intrigued by it

Pototo Vodka! Makes me proud!

:D

[makatee]

The weekend of my 21st has begun. I'm going to call the hospital and tell them to put Care Flight on standby. :toast: Jk. Ill be safe, however I am still going to drink like a big fish

[bullet2urbrain]

The weekend of my 21st has begun. I'm going to call the hospital and tell them to put Care Flight on standby. :toast: Jk. Ill be safe, however I am still going to drink like a big fish


Well i hope you are enjoying your bday, i took my one friend out for his 21st last night,

what a blast we had... Cabo Wabo @ 100am was a bit too much for him :D

Please be safe, i dont remember all of my 21st, not that thats such a bad thing.

:toast: Happy Bday.

[s1rrah]

vodka's my favorite heavy liquor. for the most part, you get what you pay for, but there are a few gems out there which are much cheaper and about as good as the pricey stuff.

here's my breakdown for you:

1. for medium budget folks (won't break the bank), then definitely go with Monopolowa, a Austrian potato vodka that's very very nice: Monopolowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopolowa)

2. for medium to slightly high budget (getting a bit more pricey but still not too bad), then there's nothing better than Shustoff, a Ukrainian wheat vodka that's just so damn good straight and right out of the freezer: Shustoff (http://www.specsonline.com/ads/ShustoffStory.pdf)

...

i really can't think of any others to recommend, other than the standard, trendy and, frankly overpriced vodkas like grey goose, belvedere, etc.

..

go with Shustoff, mang. unbelievable. about 25 dollars for a standard size bottle.

[KoHaN69]

Whoever thinks that taste must be sacrificed in vodka has never tried

NEMIROFF - Honey & Pepper Ukrainian Vodka

http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=1986

It can be bought at any Russian/Armenian store or at a decent liqueur store for $25

[Soulburner]

vodka's my favorite heavy liqueor. for the most part, you get what you pay for, but there are a few gems out there which are much cheaper and about as good as the pricey stuff.

here's my breakdown for you:

1. for medium budget folks (won't break the bank), then definitely go with Monopolowa, a Austrian potato vodka that's very very nice: Monopolowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopolowa)

2. for medium to slightly high budget (getting a bit more pricey but still not too bad), then there's nothing better than Shustoff, a Ukrainian wheat vodka that's just so damn good straight and right out of the freezer: Shustoff (http://www.specsonline.com/ads/ShustoffStory.pdf)

...

i really can't think of any others to recommend, other than the standard, trendy and, frankly overpriced vodkas like grey goose, belvedere, etc.

..

go with Shustoff, mang. unbelievable. about 25 dollars for a standard size bottle.
Wheat vodka huh...what I'm after is something that will seem more "invisible" when mixed with just about anything you like. How are those when mixed? I'm not a big fan of drinking it straight.

[s1rrah]

Wheat vodka huh...what I'm after is something that will seem more "invisible" when mixed with just about anything you like. How are those when mixed? I'm not a big fan of drinking it straight.

the shustoff hides very well. not a burning vodka ... real smooth ... mixed with OJ or sprite ... hardly present ...

[Pinnacle]

1. for medium budget folks (won't break the bank), then definitely go with Monopolowa, a Austrian potato vodka that's very very nice: Monopolowa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopolowa)



Another great Polish vodka

[s1rrah]

Another great Polish vodka

i buy it regularly. just can't warrant the greater expense for the so called 'top shelf' bottles.

the monopolowa is just as good ...

[makatee]

I've never experienced a hangover quite like today's ;) But, I managed to get through the night without puking ( thanks to a lot of previous practice ) and Im alive so Im grateful.

[Soulburner]

the shustoff hides very well. not a burning vodka ... real smooth ... mixed with OJ or sprite ... hardly present ...
I will have to see if I can find it around here...if not the Grey Goose is probably the next best thing. What I really don't like is the nasty vodka taste of most of the cheaper ones.

[SF3D]

There's no alternatives: Finlandia :)

http://www.finlandia.com/Default.aspx

[Soker]

Who know what is Zubrowka (eng. Bison Vodka) from Poland?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Bisonvodka.jpg/555px-Bisonvodka.jpg

[Pinnacle]

80 Proof, this stuff has been around for hundreds of years! flavoured with a type of grass.

[Northwood]

if ya live out in the sticks, buy some plums and distill ya own vodka, made many a bottle here, illegal as hell but gets ya pissed and makes ya a few quid from local teenagers pocket money.

[Solarfall]

There's no alternatives: Finlandia :)

http://www.finlandia.com/Default.aspx

i agree 100% :toast:

[specofdust]

Who know what is Zubrowka (eng. Bison Vodka) from Poland?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Bisonvodka.jpg/555px-Bisonvodka.jpg

I'm very familiar with that one :D

'tis an enjoyable vodka, but like I said further up I prefer its polish brother, Wybrowa