So it's also possibly the best vodka made in TX?

Monopolowa is decent. Luksusowa is just barely OK...i think that Zubrowka is amazing!!, but it does have a slight flavour to it. Its great with apple juice--the polish way to drink the stuff. As far as clear vodkas go....i really think you have to spend some $$ to get a decent product. Obviously vodka is much cheaper in poland than in the US...which is where I get mine .

Smirnoff and Absolut are fine if you're drowning it with another flavour....but if you're drinking vodka for vodka's sake you need quality or else you might as well be drinking gasoline.

-W

I'm partial to Smirnoff myself. So were the tasters who put these results in the NYTimes,

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/di...&ex=1264482000


BEST VALUE
Smirnoff United States Grain
80 proof
$13
***
Pure, clean and ultrasmooth, with pleasing texture and classic vodka aroma.

Wyborowa Poland Single Estate Rye
80 proof 1 liter
$30
***
Elegant and intriguing, with mild flavors and great persistence.

Belvedere Poland Rye
80 proof 1 liter
$34
***
Great smoothness and purity, with good texture and body.

Absolut Sweden Level Grain
80 proof
$24
** 1/2
Smooth and substantial, with flavors of flowers, lemon grass or nuts.

Hangar 1 United States Straight Wheat and Grain
80 proof
$30
** 1/2
Pleasing, with complex flavors and a suggestion of sweetness.

Vox Netherlands Wheat
80 proof
$23
** 1/2
Smooth and neutral, with savory flavors and a touch of alcoholic heat.

Olifant Netherlands Grain
80 proof 1 liter
$17
**
Subtle, yet rich and complex.

42 Below New Zealand Wheat
84 proof
$24
**
Straightforward, pure and smooth.

Skyy United States Grain
80 proof 1 liter
$16
**
Unusual flavors of mint and lime.

Teton Glacier United States Potato
80 proof 1 liter
$20
**
Clean and light on the palate; odorless and tasteless.

You are right! I forgot, they were giving away this apple concentrate with a bottle of Zubrowka vodka. I passed because I fancy myself as a purist. It is a really good Vodka. It has a single blade of buffalo grass in the bottle. Kind of like the worm in tequila!

My vote from college days when I worked in California is Lucky vodka, sold next to the lettuce in Lucky grocery stores! For someone from state-controlled liquor sales in ABC stores, this was remarkable!!! The fake ID back at NCSU worked for Popov and some Canadian Mist for the freshman coeds! ^

BTW, it is typically Mezcal that had the worm (actually a larva), not Tequila. Still have a bottle from 1980 I got in TJ somewhere in the house.

-outoftown

Sensible summary here - apple and citrus make it worthwhile; I thought the purpose of vodka is usually to get one warmer and drunk!

Using very sophisticated tasting techniques I have determined Wolfschmidt vodka to be the best of the very low priced brands and typically sells for $12 for a 1.74 liter bottle in DE, $16 in PA and $17 in HI. It is totally consistent in quality with none of the traces of poor distillation. In double blind tests it readily beats Smirnoff, Skyy etc. IMO Popov is good only for cleaning hub caps and kitty litter boxes.

MisterNice

I've had Popov... its a good Vodka. Skyy isn't too bad either.

We got into a bottle of mezcal at a friend's apt. a few years ago...she dropped a shot glass worth on the kitchen floor...by the short time it was cleaned up the mezcal had stripped everything off the linoleum floor and all I could think of was "what is this doing to my stomach"? And then I had another one (her too) and it became a really memorable night...

I'm partial to Grey Goose myself but will have to try some of the others mentioned. I'm a lightweight 1 - 2 drinks of any sort is my limit but I can drink a couple of Vodka Gimlets (fresh lime juice only please!) and feel fine the next day but a couple of glasses of even very fine wine will often make me pay the next day. My husband says one of the reasons he married me because I am such a cheap date...

So on a sideline... how do most of you drink your cheap (or expensive) vodka??

...then that stomach concern went away, I assume...

100 proof Majorska

A friend used to mix it with milk in his mouth. He said it was like a milkshake. I never found out for myself.

You're like me. I just can't withstand the strong taste of vodka. Regardless cheap or expensive.

I can barely tolerate vodka anymore. It has to be mixed with something to the point that I cannot taste the vodka.

That said, the lowest I'll go is Smirnoff. Even with friends who only want to get wasted, I would feel bad putting out Smirnoff at my place. I generally am a nicer guy than that and will put out something one grade higher, such as Skyy.

If I'm buying for myself (rare), I'll pick up Absolut/Ketel One/Stoli. Belvedere/Goose are a waste of money for me since I wouldn't drink them straight. I figure why get the good stuff if I'm mixing

I will stick to Grey Goose and Three Olives.