Author Topic: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'  (Read 5219 times)

HipGnosis

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Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« on: March 04, 2020, 06:58:06 AM »
https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-crappy-cheap-vodka-taste-like-good-stuff-0152103/

"Yes, it's true, pouring vodka several times through an ordinary water filter like a Brita or Pur can really improve the taste of vodka. A test by America's Test Kitchen showed a marked improvement in flavor, especially when the vodka was used in cocktails or cooking. You have to run it through the filter four or five times to get a noticeable difference in taste."

RWD

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2020, 08:16:09 AM »
I remember hearing about this around a decade ago and there was a question of whether it was actually cheaper because of the cost of Brita filters. I see the article didn't try to do any actual cost calculations.

A Brita filter needs to be replaced every 40 gallons of water (probably more often for Vodka, but I couldn't find any numbers). Cost of a filter is around $5. They say you need to run it through 4 times. So $0.50/gallon added cost best case scenario which sounds reasonable.

This article claims it doesn't actually make much difference though:
https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/to-brita-or-not-to-brita-your-cheap-vodka/

dcheesi

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2020, 09:00:34 AM »
In my personal experience, it's better/easier to identify the type of commercial vodka that has the best taste/price ratio for you. For me, it turns out that I like corn-based vodka, which tends to be moderately priced; YMMV of course.

Many USian vodkas are made from corn, and I find it provides the best combination of neutral flavor and minimal after-burn. I honestly prefer it over the likes of Grey Goose, etc., which tend to have too much alcohol-burn on the back end. My initial discovery of corn vodka was with a relatively pricey local distillery, but I later found Tito's, which is a moderately priced national option with similar flavor.

SpacemanSpiff

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2020, 03:38:13 PM »
Mythbusters did an episode on this.  They brought in a vodka connoisseur, and put 11 different levels of filtration of a cheap vodka in front of him, Jamie, and Adam (or maybe just one of Jamie and Adam?) - not filtered, filtered once, filtered 2x, filtered 3x... up to filtered 10x.  Each taster then tried to arrange the samples from least to most filtered.  Jamie and/or Adam had no idea and could not tell the difference at all.  The connoisseur perfectly ordered them, but emphasized that the improvement was so slight that it was still significantly worse than even a slightly nicer vodka.

Moral of the story: the only people who can tell the difference are people who are going to want much nicer vodka than 10x filtered cheap vodka.

TLDR: Probably not worth the time (or minute savings left over after paying for filters, etc). 

dcheesi probably has the right idea above: "better/easier to identify the type of commercial vodka that has the best taste/price ratio for you"

Maenad

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2020, 05:23:11 AM »
Years ago the NYTimes did a taste testing of vodkas, and found that the "cleanest", with the least taste (which is what vodka is supposed to be) was Smirnoff. That's what I've used ever since for making vanilla extract, liqueurs, etc. They found that cost != quality.

Davnasty

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2020, 09:43:41 AM »
You can also buy activated carbon by the pound so that you're not paying for all the plastic that comes with a Brita filter.

Filling a hose/pipe/funnel with carbon and running the vodka through would be more efficient all around. With a Brita filter you're filtering through the same tiny bit of carbon again and again. You need much more carbon to get noticeable results. When I distilled my own alcohol I ran it multiple times through a 6' hose holding several pounds of carbon until the taste was clean. Using Brita filters to do the same thing would have taken thousands of runs through and probably hundreds of filters.

In principal using Brita filters make sense but the scale is way off.

« Last Edit: March 06, 2020, 09:48:30 AM by Davnasty »

GuitarStv

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2020, 09:48:11 AM »
There's a much simpler way to make cheap vodka taste better - increase consumption.  About the fifth or sixth shot and the taste is much less of a problem.

HipGnosis

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2020, 11:36:14 AM »
You can also buy activated carbon by the pound so that you're not paying for all the plastic that comes with a Brita filter.

Filling a hose/pipe/funnel with carbon and running the vodka through would be more efficient all around. With a Brita filter you're filtering through the same tiny bit of carbon again and again. You need much more carbon to get noticeable results. When I distilled my own alcohol I ran it multiple times through a 6' hose holding several pounds of carbon until the taste was clean. Using Brita filters to do the same thing would have taken thousands of runs through and probably hundreds of filters.

In principal using Brita filters make sense but the scale is way off.

Dang, just when I gave up on this idea....

Fomerly known as something

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2020, 07:42:29 PM »
NPR just did an episode of planet money about vodka, the results were basically the cheap stuff is not much different from the expensive stuff at least based on science tested for impurities.

meghan88

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2020, 06:42:56 PM »
Check out this guy in Iceland, who dumpster dives for discarded fruit to make vodka:  https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/wxempw/dumpster-diving-for-vodka-in-reykjavik

Now THAT is Mustachian.

facepalm

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2020, 07:01:26 PM »
Check out this guy in Iceland, who dumpster dives for discarded fruit to make vodka:  https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/wxempw/dumpster-diving-for-vodka-in-reykjavik

Now THAT is Mustachian.


Yep. You can make vodka from anything.

nereo

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2020, 07:23:45 PM »
You guys are missing the obvious...
Use it in a mixed drink. Something like 98% of all vodka sold in the US is used in cocktails (and most of what’s left seems to be drunk by alcoholics).  As a ‘base’ spirit with an essentially neutral flavor to begin with, the quality of the mixers matter more than the quality of the vodka, and that’s particularly true whenever the mixers are especially potent, like lemon juice or ginger-beer.

...or if you actually like the taste of spirits, ditch the vodka and drink something designed to have flavor from the get-go.  Whisky or cognac or tequila or gin. 

Honestly, vodka is like water - the best strive to not taste like much of anything.  Where’s the fun or pleasure in that?

Raenia

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #12 on: May 04, 2020, 12:18:13 PM »
Honestly, vodka is like water - the best strive to not taste like much of anything.  Where’s the fun or pleasure in that?

I object to that comparison - good filtered water (from my under-sink filter, lest I be accused of anti-mustachianism) is delicious.  Much better than vodka!

It is nice to have a good neutral spirit for making vanilla extract and other such infusions, but I've given up on vodka and go straight to Everclear now.

BlueHouse

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #13 on: May 04, 2020, 12:23:04 PM »
Years ago the NYTimes did a taste testing of vodkas, and found that the "cleanest", with the least taste (which is what vodka is supposed to be) was Smirnoff. That's what I've used ever since for making vanilla extract, liqueurs, etc. They found that cost != quality.

Yep.  Smirnoff is good quality and inexpensive.  And doesn't give me hangovers.

remizidae

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #14 on: May 05, 2020, 09:25:43 AM »
Years ago the NYTimes did a taste testing of vodkas, and found that the "cleanest", with the least taste (which is what vodka is supposed to be) was Smirnoff. That's what I've used ever since for making vanilla extract, liqueurs, etc. They found that cost != quality.

Yep.  Smirnoff is good quality and inexpensive.  And doesn't give me hangovers.

Anything will give you hangovers if you drink enough.

nereo

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #15 on: May 05, 2020, 10:05:08 AM »
Years ago the NYTimes did a taste testing of vodkas, and found that the "cleanest", with the least taste (which is what vodka is supposed to be) was Smirnoff. That's what I've used ever since for making vanilla extract, liqueurs, etc. They found that cost != quality.

Yep.  Smirnoff is good quality and inexpensive.  And doesn't give me hangovers.

Anything will give you hangovers if you drink enough.
Yes, but some faster than others

Villanelle

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Re: Buy cheap vodka, make it taste like 'good stuff'
« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2020, 01:10:55 PM »
Mythbusters did an episode on this.  They brought in a vodka connoisseur, and put 11 different levels of filtration of a cheap vodka in front of him, Jamie, and Adam (or maybe just one of Jamie and Adam?) - not filtered, filtered once, filtered 2x, filtered 3x... up to filtered 10x.  Each taster then tried to arrange the samples from least to most filtered.  Jamie and/or Adam had no idea and could not tell the difference at all.  The connoisseur perfectly ordered them, but emphasized that the improvement was so slight that it was still significantly worse than even a slightly nicer vodka.

Moral of the story: the only people who can tell the difference are people who are going to want much nicer vodka than 10x filtered cheap vodka.

TLDR: Probably not worth the time (or minute savings left over after paying for filters, etc). 

dcheesi probably has the right idea above: "better/easier to identify the type of commercial vodka that has the best taste/price ratio for you"

Also, if you are adding ginger beer or cranberry juice or whatever, or probably even soda water, it matters significantly less than if you are drinking it straight as a sipping cocktail.  Its like making sangria--you may not want to use $2 bottles of wine, but you also aren't going to use a $200 bottle of wine because all that other crap changes, and to some extent masks, the flavor. 

My parents are really in to tequila.  For a long time, I though tequila was the stuff I shot in college and tried not to taste very much.  Turns out really nice tequilas are lovely to just sip.  But for making a margarita, you wouldn't waste the really great stuff.  But I'm probably not going to use cheap Cuervo, or worse, for my margarita, either.  I nice mid-range tequila (vodka, gin, whatever) is just fine for mixed drinks.