Favorite/best vodka?

[flvegan]

It's a gift for a buddy, and his wife said he'd be thrilled to get a nice bottle of vodka. I'd love to get the opinions of my fellow DUers.

[bicentennial_baby]

1. We like Three Olives

I also like Rain and Ketel One. :)

[JVS]

3. You know you love Vladimir and Nikolai!

[JVS]

2. I like Gordon's, Luksusowa, or Smirnoff Silver, but my tastes are modest.

I guess Grey Goose is what to buy when purchasing "Nice Vodka" as a gift.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Doesn't Gordon's come in a plastic bottle?

:P

[JVS]

5. Only if you're buying the 1.75. $8.29 for the 750ml is how I roll.

[bicentennial_baby]

6. Ah, I see...we buy in bulk

*hiccup*

:D

[JVS]

7. I don't buy bulk because I have to be able to drink it all alone in my crummy apartment while...

mooching wireless internet from neighbors. :cry: ;-)

[LeftyMom]

8. Best and vodka are two words that don't work together.

It is, by it's very nature, an unspeakably vile substance not fit for human consumption.

[flvegan]

9. LeftyMom's drunk.

:P

[LeftyMom]

11. It's barely even lunchtime.

Though I am about to go to BevMo, so in a few hours if you want to take advantage of me it should prove easy enough.

[KatyaR]

10. How about Ciroc?

It's made from French grapes. Chill in the freezer and then serve straight. Yummy . . . .

[electricmonk]

15. That was my favorite

Then they signed a marketing deal with Puff Daddy. It is good stuff though. Vox is probably my second choice.

[skygazer]

12. Personally I like Stoli

Good straightforward Russian vodka. Ketel One is good, too. I don't really like Grey Goose - it has what I can only describe as a flowery aftertaste.

[kedrys]

13. Polar Ice is a favorite

I didn't even know it was made in Canada when I first tried it. It makes a wicked mix with fruit punch.

A more upscale vodka, but well worth it, is Hangar One. Handmade, sassy, a winner. My favorite flavor is Buddha's Hand.
http://www.hangarone.com/ourvodka.html

The Jimi Hendrix vodka was surprisingly good. I tried it because the bottle looked so damn cool.
http://www.houseofhendrix.com/thevodka.php

I have yet to try Level vodka, but I'm told it's very very good.

[Richardo]

14. Tito's from Austin.

No joke. One of the best vodkas out there.



http://www.titos-vodka.com/titos.html

Tito's Handmade Vodka is produced in Austin at Texas' first and oldest legal distillery. It's made in small batches in an old fashioned pot still by Tito Beveridge (actual name), a 45-year-old Geologist, and distilled six times.

Tito's Handmade Vodka is designed to be savored by spirit connoisseurs. It is micro-distilled in an old-fashioned pot still, just like fine single malt scotches and high-end French cognacs. This time-honored method of distillation requires more skill and effort than modern column stills, but it's well worth it.

Our handcrafted technique offers more control over the distillation process, resulting in a spectacularly clean product of incomparable excellence. Only the heart of the run, "the nectar" is taken, leaving behind residual higher and lower alcohols. The vodka is cleansed of phenols, esters, congenersand organic acids by filtering it through the finest activated carbon available.

Critics call Tito's "a homegrown symphonic spirt to applaud!" and say "it can go head to head with any of the worlds' greats and not break a sweat."

Tito's Handmade Vodka won the prestigious Double Gold Medal having prevailed over 70 of the world's best premium vodkas, as the judges' unanimous Gold Medal choice, at The World Spirits Competition in San Francisco California.

[GOPisEvil]

19. VelmaD reports she can procure this nectar in NC.

Maybe FL has a distributor as well.

It is the best vodka I have ever tasted.

[jobycom]

32. It is the best. nt

[samuraiguppy]

16. 44 North.

It is Huckleberry flavored--and absolutely awesome. I like to mix it with a splash of sprite.

[Jamastiene]

17. Absolut is the best, but Shmirnoff is pretty good too, imho. n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. Stoli, 45th Parallel, Grey Goose, Chopin, Ketel One are all good ones.

[Xipe Totec]

20. Several for different reasons

Sobiesky because it's cheap and decent.

Wiborowa for quality

Stolichnaya for prestige

Smirnoff for high carburation.

[Xipe Totec]

21. Gift? Well Stolichnaya Blackberry then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5kiWY_B0w8

[GardeningGal]

22. Grey Goose. n/t

[RushIsRot]

23. If anyone has access to an Albertson's, I have found that their

house brand, Heritage, has the best taste of any vodka I've ever tasted. It doesn't even cost much to experiment. Your taste may vary, but I doubt it.

[Texasgal]

24. Tito's handmade Vodka

http://www.titos-vodka.com/titos.html

[AlCzervik]

25. Ketel One or Grey Goose.

i'd be happy if i got either or both as a gift---my wedding anniversay is only 8 short days away, hmm?

[flvegan]

26. Your husband would likely frown

on flvegan bearing vodka gifts to his lovely wife.

[AlCzervik]

29. no he wouldn't i swear!

:D

[LeftyMom]

31. You should deliver.

And I say this for purely altruistic reasons. Not because my house is between hers and the airport. O8)

[mainegreen]

27. It's a Maine Potato vodka:

Cold River.

I love a high quality potato vodka. So smooth.

[Snarkoleptic]

28. Chopin, legit potato vodka from Poland.

It's a single ingredient vodka that's distilled four times.

[JBoy]

30. If you want an organic vodka, and can find it, try SquareOne

[libnnc]

33. my favorite with olives is Ketel One

but I like Stoli for bloody marys

Belvedere is pretty good too.

[jmowreader]

34. Dude, forget vodka and go straight for the Everclear

The only reason vodka exists is to get you fucked up as quickly as possible. Everclear does the same job in half the volume.

Extra bonus: you can clean your printer's heads with it.

[Lethe]

35. good straight up vodka is Stoli

not too pretensious, not too shitty

good mixing vodka, great with soda on the rocks with a twist of lime

[JeffR]

36. Finlandia

of course.

[Alexander]

37. Svedka

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

38. Ya Hil-bot!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/09/svedka-offers-hillary-cou_n_106041.html
:rofl:

(My vote is for Svedka too - good stuff)
:thumbsup:

[Crazy Dave]

39. For a gift I would buy someone Grey Goose or Finlandia

For myself, I like Aristocrat which is considered a cheap well brand but I think it's pretty good myself. And since one bottle usually lasts me two years, it's an even better bargain.

[lazyriver]

40. Absolut Level...it's their super premium and damned good.

[Rhiannon12866]

41. They make the best vodka in Russia.

I had some there, and it was excellent, though the occasion is rather fuzzy...:evilgrin:

[SacredCow]

42. I use a LOT of vodka....

I'm a cocktail junkie, though not an alcoholic, and I've tried 'em all, just about...

There are a lot of good quality mixers out there. In no particular order: Skyy, Belvedere, Finlandia, Absolut, Stoli, Svedka, SIX, FRiS, Grey Goose, Ketel One, etc... etc... etc... These are all fantastic in a cocktail and very good for drinking straight (right outta a COLD freezer, so the liquid is almost oily when you pour it!).

Ciroc is one that was mentioned previously, that has an interesting taste. I wouldn't want to use that one as a mixer, as the subtle flavors would get lost.