Vodka..... confused

[muffyn]

Ok, trying to figure out Vodka. I don't really drink it but trying to stock our new bar, can't get a straight answer from the liquor store people.

they say personal preference,, or get a bad one you get bad headaches

okidoki, so what do you guys suggest?
I see Smirnoff, grey goose, Absolut etc.
a bunch of russian names
then you get to the flavors, like 3 olives, & pinnacle,, 3 olives costs about 1/3 more than pinnacle & twice the cost of burnetts.

is there really a difference in taste?

(ok, I am sure someone will shout "of course there is a difference")

oh, in case you are interested, you can look at out bar build.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1398290/o...om-scratch-thats-ireland-not-notre-dame-theme

 

[Alesia]

I like Stolichnaya. Grey Goose and Belvedere are good, too. Oh, and I love Square One, as well, but it can be hard to find. In general, I'm not crazy about flavored vodkas - most of the time they just seem silly to me. If there's a flavor that really stands out and you really want to try it, go for it - but not before you have a good quality standard vodka.

I'm not crazy about Smirnoff. Some people like it, but I think it's just cheap vodka in mid-priced clothing.

 

[Acklander]

If stocking a bar you just want a plain one, not flavored one. The favors are fun to play with, but they are more drink specific and wouldn't work in all the vodka drinks. If there's a favorite drink that you have, you could get a flavored one, in addition to the plain one. For example, we love bloody Mary's at Sunday brunch so we have a pepper flavored vodka in our bar in addition to a regular vodka.
I like grey goose, but that's a personal preference.

 

[Jedana]

I like Rain Vodka. It's organically distilled or something, but it's very light and smooth. Dangerous though--don't forget it's vodka!

Also, Elit by Stolichnaya. Got a shot of this once at a bar--very very good.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I like Stoli for plain vodka and I like Pinnacle for the flavored vodka. I want to try Rain Vodka now!

 

[java]

Grey Goose or Kettle One are my vodkas of choice. I do drink vanilla vodka sometimes in mixed drinks. And when making a creamsicle! Mmmm

 

[Disneychix]

I 'like' grey goose although I'll drink just about anything

I would agree that if you are trying to stock a bar you'd want a non-flavored one.

I also want to add if you do want to try a flavor I DH liks grape flavored vodka with cranberry juice-very sweet!

 

[crisi]

How much do you want to spend and what do your friends drink? Vodka isn't like Scotch, where there is a lot of difference in taste from one to the other - although currently the whole "boutique vodka movement" is trying to make it feel that there is. Don't go to the cheapest vodka (the Phillips), but a mid-shelf vodka is probably fine if you don't want to spend a lot. (We use Absolut here because its what Costco carries)

If you have friends that drink a lot of vodka martinis or something else that is basically straight vodka, or you want to set up a more upscale liquor shelf behind a bar, Grey Goose is a nice brand, or go for something small batch.

 

[Couchy]

I respectfully disagree about Vodka not tasting much different from each other. I can definitely taste the difference.
Grey Goose, Kettle One and Chopin are our favorites. However to just stock your bar I would go with Svedka... Mid level with a very high rating. DH actually prefers this brand of vodka best. Absolut would be my next choice for stocking the bar

 

[marius97]

20/20 or a show like that did an piece on this issue a few years ago. They took several people that considered themselves "vodka snobs". They all had their brands that they drank exclusively. They all swore they could tell the difference. After a round of blind taste tests, almost no one picked their favorite. The mid and low price ones generally scored as good or better than the high priced ones.

 

[babyberger]

I have to agree that you can definitely taste the difference in vodkas. But that said, every one has different tastes. Vodka is my drink of choice, usually just with diet tonic or seltzer, so it needs to be smooth. Most people prefer Grey Goose as their high end, but I actually prefer Ketel One over GG. I think Ketel One is a great choice for the bar

 

[wgeo]

I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but for the life of me I'm trying to figure out why this is posted on the Budget Board? This is where I come to find money saving tips for my trip to disney and I'm not sure helping someone pick a brand of vodka has anything to do with budgeting or Disney? Am I missing something?

 

[sk!mom]

I'm another who doesn't notice much taste difference among vodkas. We usually go with Absolut.

I don't care for flavoreds and would'nt stock it unless it was for a specific drink.

 

[ready123go]

Take a poll of the people you plan on entertaining. Pick one or two that are high on their list (I would also go with plain, as you can doctor a plain one up).

If you don't know a vodka drinker, find a good liquor store and buy some small bottles to try (airline or sample sized). One or two of each of each brand you think you want to stock. That is how I picked some of my stocked favorites. It makes for a fun weekend. Plus, research is important. Yea, research...that's it...

FYI - I'm in the minority, because I prefer a potato vodka (Luksusowa) to a grain vodka. Not a big vodka drinker, but I don't care for grain vodkas at all.

 

[sk!mom]

I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but for the life of me I'm trying to figure out why this is posted on the Budget Board? This is where I come to find money saving tips for my trip to disney and I'm not sure helping someone pick a brand of vodka has anything to do with budgeting or Disney? Am I missing something?

Less money on vodka...more for WDW.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I like to stick with real potato vodkas. Most of the ones sold in the US are made with grains, not potatoes. I can't tell much difference between the various grain based vodkas but I can definitely tell the difference when drinking potato vs grain vodka.

My vodka of choice is Chopin.

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with those who say the different brands taste different. I also feel that marketing greatly influences people's "taste". For example, Grey Goose has become a very popular premium brand. I've had it and just don't like it. There are cheaper brands that I actually much prefer. We happen to like Skyy. And you can never go wrong with Absolut. Stolichynaya is fine, too.

All of that said, it greatly depends on how you are going to be using it. If you will be mainly making mixed drinks, the brand isn't quite as important. I think Smirnoff is a nice budget-minded choice for mixed drinks but I wouldn't go any lower than that. Where the brand really matters is when you are drinking it straight.

 

[justakrazymom]

Ok, trying to figure out Vodka. I don't really drink it but trying to stock our new bar, can't get a straight answer from the liquor store people.

they say personal preference,, or get a bad one you get bad headaches

okidoki, so what do you guys suggest?
I see Smirnoff, grey goose, Absolut etc.
a bunch of russian names
then you get to the flavors, like 3 olives, & pinnacle,, 3 olives costs about 1/3 more than pinnacle & twice the cost of burnetts.

is there really a difference in taste?

(ok, I am sure someone will shout "of course there is a difference")

oh, in case you are interested, you can look at out bar build.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1398290/o...om-scratch-thats-ireland-not-notre-dame-theme

I bartend..Smirnoff's is a low vodka, Absolut and Grey Goose are good choices, Skyy is really good, 3 olives is ok but not the best. For flavored get some Pinnacle but just the whipped.. its great in a lot of mixers.

 

[naomi78155]

I don't have advice on the vodka, but your bar is awesome!!

 

[thruthelookinglass19]

My preference is Skyy as well. For mixing I think Skyy, Absolut, Stoli and Grey Goose are best. I think some of the lower ends (think house brand at a bar) can be tasted in a mixed drink.