I have to laugh after some recent vodka "tastings" in NYC, at one of which more than half the selected (or self selected) "experts" misidentified almost every sample and consistently chose lower priced brands as "better".

At another, a new medium priced ($$22 a liter or so) unknown, "Tito's Handmade" (distilled in Austin, Texas!) placed first, ahead of the well known "fancy brands".

Vodka's pretty muchly vodka. It's the ice in most bars that's nasty. I keep it in the freezer, along with the glasses, and prefer a healthy twist of bitter orange peel or a half a key lime, far better than the "Koolade" essence of most flavored vodkas.

But then I can hardly imagine screwing up green tea with vodka. Or Cucumbers? Cucumbers in vodka strikes me as worse than a vibrator in the Gin. Now a bit of Pusser's or Gosling Dark Rum in Black Tea when the sleet's rattling against the charthouse windows; that's another story......