Perhaps, because Tito's is local it doesn't have the same appeal.

44 North, out of Rigby, Idaho, makes a Mountain Huckleberry Vodka. I don't get too fired up for flavored vodkas but this one I love. Straight up, or even better, mixed with lemonade and fresh huckleberries. Great summer drink. ^

For me it really satisfies the quality for price calculation. I prefer other more expensive vodkas, but I don't like paying for more expensive vodkas.

I won't class Tito's as superb, but it's certainly drinkable. I do believe Monopolova to be, day in and day out, the best value for the price.

But then, the closest I come to drinking straight vodka is an occasional Vodka Gibson, "up", in a chilled glass and made from vodka kept in the freezer, a la Doppel Korn in North Germany. Honestly, the drink tells me far more about the Vermouth and the onions than it does the vodka. When it comes to vodka in most of the currently popular mixed drinks and cocktails, the other ingredients so overwhelm any possible subtlety to the vodka, "well' brands serve adequately.

There are several Scotch blends imported in the barrel instead of the bottle, far lower tariff/tax. I suspect that Passport may be in that category, just as once "Crawford's" served as the poor man's Johnny Walker Red. Of course, Chivas was once but a medium priced not very popular blend, until the late great Doyle Dane Bernbach (the mad/ad man who made VW a household name) put it is a new bottle with a fancy label and box (with a high price) to make it chic. Years ago, I realized that Crown Royal was no more than a product of imaginative, innovative marketing of an otherwise modest tipple.

.....And then there's the Cognac and Coke crowd, palate-less in the quest to keep up with the neighbors. Why spoil either good or expensive cognac?

Try Leopold Bros. out of Colorado. Not just their vodka, but all of their spirits are fantastic.

it's pretty much a tomato cream sauce...isn't it?

What's the vodka adding, other than making it sound excitingly boozy?

The vodka's supposed to bring out alcohol-soluble flavors in the tomato, to give it a more enhanced tomato-y taste.

I guess it gives it an extra punch and richness of flavor, not that you need alcohol to do that. I generally prefer wine to serve that purpose, but I guess vodka sauce became kind of trendy.

cook off the vodka in thertomato sauce and add the cream at the end, and the flavor seems richer.

are you working on wedding buffet items?

I use this recipe, it's a hit every time

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red-
pepper flakes
1 28-oz. can crushed
tomatoes
3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1 lb. penne
2 tbsp. vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-
leaf parsley
2 Italian sausages (optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil over moderate heat. If using sausage, remove casing and add meat to pan. Cook, breaking up the meat, until brown. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring until garlic is golden. Add tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne until just done. Drain. Return pasta to the hot pot.

Add vodka and cream to sauce and bring to a boil. Stir sauce into pasta and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Stir in parsley and serve.

New York Times, November 2000

The alcohol in the vodka enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. Some flavors are alcohol-soluble, meaning that they will be released only by the addition of alcohol. Vodka can help bring out these flavors without contributing another flavor, as wine or brandy would.

So a tomato sauce made with a touch of vodka can be slightly more intense than one made without. This is a particular boon if you are using less than perfectly ripe, late-summer tomatoes, which may need that flavor boost.

Vodka is preferred by some because it does not add any any flavor to the dish. Others prefer something like wine to add another layer of flavor to the dish. In this dish, it also helps carry the flavor of the cream to the taste buds, sometimes the fat needs a carrier to get it to the tongue.

recently heard that a relative of mine would always add alcohol late while cooking to prevent the alcohol content from being cooked out

thanks cordelli, very interesting

Looking for a recipe to use my bacon vodka in

Sounds like Bacon Vodka would be of great use in a Carbonara sauce with some added veggies.