Question by Ell Lloy: What is the difference in cheap Vodka and expensive Vodka?
I held a bottle of smirnoff vodka and a cheap bottle of vodka, but they were both 37.5%, is one stronger then the other? or is it just the taste and texture? will one get you more drunk?
thanks!
Answers and Views:
Answer by TFirst Name
No – people just like to get sloshed in class! Really doesn’t matter- both taste rough neat.
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Sweet Pea says
Personally, I do consider Smirnoff to be cheap vodka. As far as getting drunk, any vodka will do the trick, but the more expensive brands (which are usually the ones that have been distilled at least four times) taste much better.
Also, I read in a bartender's guide once that when mixing with cream and such, cheap vodkas can actually cause the cream to curdle. I'm not sure about how much validity there is to that claim, but I steer clear of them for that reason as well. Just in case.
Dost says
No hange over with best
Don . says
I've never been a big Vodka fan and honestly, it's not very distinctive between low price and high price like single malt scotch. The high price might be a little smoother with less bit and that rubbing alcohol taste. On a side note, Smirnoff is cheap vodka, sorry.
Two different brands of alcohol with the same proof / or % alcohol will get you equally drunk if you drink the same quantity over the same period of time….price has nothing to do with drunkeness…i.e. take a look at Night Train wine.
Ian says
smirnoff IS cheap vodka.
the difference is taste, both will get you drunk, but the cheaper one will give you a hangover.
H-man says
I have found the more expensive ones are smoother and less harsh on the throat.
ebeck_08 says
There's 3 differences between people who drink Smirnoff and people who drink the super premiums like Grey Goose.
1. $ 20
2. A pretty bottle
3. A sucker
If you do a little bit of searching on the internet for vodka taste tests, there's never a consistent winner, meaning the tastes between Smirnoff and the big brands are minimal, if any difference. Almost no vodka drinker will no which brand is which is his "go-to" based on taste alone.
Some people argue that the more times vodka is distilled makes it smoother for shots, and less of an odor. I can agree with the odor part, and since there's fewer impurities the hangover is less brutal. However, you don't need to spend a ton of money for that. Svedka is a dollar more than Smirnoff, and distilled 5 times versus Smirnoff's 3. Tito's handmade vodka is distilled 6 times, the most I've heard for any vodka, and is still under 20 dollars.
So don't let anyone tell you how amazing Grey Goose and Belvedere are. There is virtually no difference between them and Smirnoff and Svedka, who cost more than twice as less. I'd just stay away from the complete bottom shelf like Popov and Aristocrat, only to avoid the bad hangover.
Wolfe says
More expensive vodka tastes cleaner.
However, since most use vodka just for mixing, the difference doesn't matter. Go cheap. You can't taste the difference between Grey Goose and Skol in a screwdriver.
theytookrjobs says
not alot
Captain Aidan says
As with everything, expense is supposed to reflect quality. In my opinion, quality isn't as apparent with vodka, because a potato-based alcohol is never going to taste nice neat, however much care has gone into brewing it.
Jess says
Easy – buy a bottle of cheap vodka and then buy a bottle of expensive vodka. Do both as a shot. Cheap vodka doesn't do so well, expensive can actually be tolerated as a shot!
I'm not sure if it will get you more drunk but just the other night I was commenting about how I felt the effects of Grey Goose much faster than the cheaper kind we also have in our cupboard right now.
And for the record – I wouldn't classify Smirnoff as expensive vodka 😛 For me, it's as cheap as I go. Yes there are cheaper but they are definitely not delicious. Smirnoff is average, as is Absolut. I enjoy both as a mixer for coke, z-up, orange juice, etc. but if I want to make stronger drinks like martinis, Grey Goose and the likes are a much better way to go! Far better flavour and far easier to drink.
Hope this helps!
Jessica says
You can totally taste the difference. I get a mid level one, and that taste good, and not cheap. I get Svedka, just don't get Skol.
SarEbeth says
The price