What's a good vodka to choose for mixed drinks

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: lizardth
omg where is FMC?!?!?

I have different vodkas for different things. For shooters I like using Ketel One. For mixers, I like using Titos or Svedka--both are great vodkas for the price. If I want to go more high end for the shooters, then I like to use the French Vodkas (Rain, etc). In my vodka batches of limoncello, I've found that Skyy makes the best tasting batches. It is rather strange, because I don't particularly like using Skyy for mixed drinks.

Some of my vodkas I did testing on

 

[Mr Pickles]

You insult top shelf vodkas when you mix them. Vodkas like Grey Goose are made smooth so they can be taken straight.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: crt1530
There is no way you'll be able to tell the difference between vodkas in a mixed drink. The biggest difference between vodkas is what the bottle looks like and how well the brand is marketed.

You ever try Gordons, Popov, Rikalov, and all the other swill rated at $9.99/handle compared to Smirnoff and similar?

It's pretty easy to tell the difference.

Yeah there is no doubt there is a difference between the bottom shelf plastic jug crap and the mid-to-high end stuff. The former is only good for putting on wounds, not drinking

 

[clamum]

I just use rail vodka for mixed drinks if I ever get them (very very rare).

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: crt1530
There is no way you'll be able to tell the difference between vodkas in a mixed drink. The biggest difference between vodkas is what the bottle looks like and how well the brand is marketed.

Not when you're drinking them straight...

Text

Are you a vodka snob?

They should have used Skol, Vladimir, Barton's, McCormick, Philips, or something like that as the cheap vodka (the $10 for a 1.75L family)
Then again, that wouldn't have given them the results they wanted.

 

[Accipiter22]

Mr. Boston. If you're mixing just get the cheapest stuff you can, mixing levels the playing field. And for the record I'm a vodka snob, as far as straight goes. I <3 Grey Goose.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: crt1530
There is no way you'll be able to tell the difference between vodkas in a mixed drink. The biggest difference between vodkas is what the bottle looks like and how well the brand is marketed.

Not when you're drinking them straight...

Text

Are you a vodka snob?

They should have used Skol, Vladimir, Barton's, McCormick, Philips, or something like that as the cheap vodka (the $10 for a 1.75L family)
Then again, that wouldn't have given them the results they wanted.

They were testing a middle of the road compared to a premium. Not a super-cheap compared to a premium.

It's like comparing a system built with an A8N32-SLI vs. a Crosshair rather than comparing an ECS board with onboard video to the Crosshair. In the former, they're both good boards, one just costs 3x the other. In the latter, one's a very low end board with price as the major target.

 

[K1052]

I like Absolut for mixed drinks usually.

I sure as shit can tell the difference between Smirnoff and Chopin when drinking it straight.

 

[Tiamat]

Anything that is typically 20-30$ per handle is good.

 

[TruePaige]

ah a vodka thread! I LOVE IT!

Smirnoff gets flak as being middle of the road by some, but it's what I drink straight a lot, though I do love some Grey Goose. Popov (cheap cheap) is alright with me for some weak mixed drinks, but it still tastes better with Smirnoff.

Go middle of the road or house for mixed drinks.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: crt1530
There is no way you'll be able to tell the difference between vodkas in a mixed drink. The biggest difference between vodkas is what the bottle looks like and how well the brand is marketed.

Not when you're drinking them straight...

Text

Are you a vodka snob?

They should have used Skol, Vladimir, Barton's, McCormick, Philips, or something like that as the cheap vodka (the $10 for a 1.75L family)
Then again, that wouldn't have given them the results they wanted.

They were testing a middle of the road compared to a premium. Not a super-cheap compared to a premium.

It's like comparing a system built with an A8N32-SLI vs. a Crosshair rather than comparing an ECS board with onboard video to the Crosshair. In the former, they're both good boards, one just costs 3x the other. In the latter, one's a very low end board with price as the major target.

Yeah, I know. The poster's comment was that the biggest difference is the bottle and the marketing, which is not a true statement.

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
Mr. Boston. If you're mixing just get the cheapest stuff you can, mixing levels the playing field. And for the record I'm a vodka snob, as far as straight goes. I <3 Grey Goose.

Mr. Boston is the nastiest vodka possible, its so bad that it still tastes like shit in mixed drinks, it is only suitable for burning.

 

[Marinski]

Popov and red bull all day. Grey Goose is good shit. I like that best but its to expensive for my tastes.

 

[rocadelpunk]

i can definitely tell the difference b/t vodkas in my black russians

 

[timosyy]

Those testers would've been able to tell the difference if it was Aristocrat instead of Smirnoff.

/shudder.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: thepd7

Originally posted by: setphen1
Well working in a bar for the past couple years has taught me that most people don't really know wtf they are drinking and why they are. For pretty much all mixed drinks you can just order the well anything and it will be plenty fine. I would rather be drinking 4 dollar drinks as opposed to 6, 7, or 8 dollar drinks that taste the same. Straight is a different story. The article posted above pretty much has is spot on.

agreed except I believe even in some (not all, but some) mixed drinks you can tell the difference in a premium vodka and well vodka.

The taste test they did was between premium and smirnoff, for most purposes smirnoff is a good vodka, it is definately premium compared to the $12 a handle local crap.

I'll admit that you can tell the difference between $15/half gallon vodka and "good" vodkas when drinking them neat. I seriously doubt more than 1 in 20 people could tell the difference in a mixed drink. People who think they can tell the difference between Smirnoff and any of the ultra-premium vodkas are full of it. They've just bought the marketing hook, line and sinker.

Absolutely when it's smirnoff vs. ultra-premium. I was just saying if you threw some of the really cheap stuff in that mix people WOULD be able to tell. but like someone else said then they wouldn't have gotten the results they wanted.

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Absolut is great for mixing.

The filter crap was owned by mythbusters a while ago

Not really busted, persay. The vodka expert put the unfiltered cheap, filtered cheap, and grey goose in the correct order, which is pretty impressive blind.

He still said even filtered 5-6 times (can't remember exactly how many it was) that the Grey Goose was the best, but the cheap stuff filtered a lot was significantly better.

Only problem was that to spend the money to buy the filters you would be paying the price difference in the vodkas.

So yes filtering it didn't make it grey goose but it did help a lot.

 

[TruePaige]

ah a vodka thread! I LOVE IT!

Smirnoff gets flak as being middle of the road by some, but it's what I drink straight a lot, though I do love some Grey Goose. Popov (cheap cheap) is alright with me for some weak mixed drinks, but it still tastes better with Smirnoff.

Go middle of the road or house for mixed drinks.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Grey Goose is overrated

 

[Babbles]

Tito's hands down.

It's a great vodka to drink straight and because of the price it is reasonable to use for mixed drinks.

 

[EGGO]

Don't insult the top shelves by mixing them. I've no idea why Grey Goose is still there, by the way.

I don't know about Smirnoff as I've only ever taken it straight and man was that a mistake for my taste buds.

It's amazing how many opinions there are here, but they all seem to agree with the top shelf thing. I'm going to try some of what is suggested here.

 

[Saint Nick]

i just buy this bartons stuff that is cheap as @#$@ and it tastes like hairspray.

oh well.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: jndietz
i just buy this bartons stuff that is cheap as @#$@ and it tastes like hairspray.

oh well.

Less than ten bucks for a half gallon at No Frills