Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread I mostly agree with you - Gzhelka is excellent stuff. I brought back a bottle from Russia when they weren't importing it, only to have a friend break it while drunk. He immediately said "don't worry, I'll buy you another one", and couldn't understand why that answer didn't satisfy me. Now, of course, Brighton Beach sells it by the gallon. Still, the tiny hint of citrus makes it the best vodka for shots. For mixed drinks though - where's the Goose? Awesome stuff.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Nice to see Ketel One in there, but it's not a vodka. It's a jenever, at least that's the dutch word, I don't know what it's called in english. Not that I mind the difference myself, I only drink that stuff when I really want to forget things.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread A company I used to work for did the marketing for another dutch jenever brand (Hooghoudt). They also wanted to sell their product in the US, but they never managed to get a share of the market. So they investigated how their competitors marketed their products. Turns out you shouldn't market your product at all. You should let the connoisseurs discover your product themselves and then help turn it into a public secret. Another thing I remember was that your brandname should be hard to pronounce for an american but not completely inpronounceable. Brilliant stuff. Anyway, apparently the secret is to call your product a vodka.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Jenever is a type of gin, if I'm not mistaken... Not sure if there is an English equivilent. Its just Jenever...or at least I think it is. btw: What's everyone's blood-alcohol levels like. Any cirrhosis yet? Because just reading this thread, is making my liver shrivel up.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Ugh. Zubrowka. Its like remembering the start of the evening but not knowing the end. To many bad, bad memories of Saturday hangovers. Thank god, I'm clean of the clear stuff for 9 months now.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Dis' has become the most Harmonic thread on dese boards, it is so sheine, kleine, git - I'm withholding my $3.98 for at least a day. BTW - It's Z's, G's and NPA's toin to fess up to the utmost inebriated status achieved mit the following circumstances.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread If anyone wants a topclass Jazz club in Paris then check out: Le Duc des Lombards in Les Halles, or the equally as good, but not really, Le Petit Opportun Or even the somewhat milder, Le Baiser Salé.....Hmmmmmmm. All in the 1er, if you're interested. Damn, some jazz would go nice with some hard-vodka. Damn shame, I'm on the wagon for the forseeable future. Maybe I'll have an emotional break-down and pollute my body again..... Nah....... Has anyone mentioned Belvedere yet? I once bought some as a gift for a friend of mine. Thoughts? btw: Grey Goose is pretty nice. Sergei Semak has been noted to hide the odd flask of GG underneath his shorts for the duration of the majority of PSG games this season. Which would explain the loss of concentration and sporadic fouling. Sadly, we are still trying to figure out where Pierre-Fanfan is concealing the absinthe.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........ Lemon..... Say no to alcohol kids. Especially me, as I can't legally drink in some of your fair crooked American states. Still, I can marry a pig called Gerald and shoot Mexicans in my backyard with a AK-47. But no alcohol to me.... God-bless America!
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Wow, this goes to show how unRussian I've become. I only drink Smirnoff and Stolichnaya due to lack of availibility of all the other Russian stuff mentioned. Only now do I find out thats the bad Russian stuff. Although Smirnoff is actually brewed right here in Canada... and I disagree, its the Stoli that burns your throat as though you're drinking ethanol. Deep down I would rather settle for a nice mickey of Finalndia, but always end up with a twosix of Smirnoff or Stolichnaya because of the Russian pride thing. In any case, if anyone cares, vodka is pretty much the #1 drink amongst us youngens', both Canadian and Russian...
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Doug & Marty's bar in Moscow. Four for one drinks/shots every Monday night from 7-8. Three for one from 8-9. Two for one from 9-10. Don't think I can give exact amounts (especially in the metric system), but it made for some interesting subway rides home and some really long Tuesday morning classes.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=17369 Alcoholics Anonymous was banned in Soviet times? Wow, you learn something new every day. Ummm, dunno about what the rest of you folks think, but the few Finns I've been around in my life, well, they seem to "hit it" pretty hard too. i remember reading about this ...except I heard it was three liters a day per elephant.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread To purely meausre quantity of consumed vodka , 'tis a bitter fate of the broad populace or an elephant, once the quality factor is brought in then the egalitarian purpose of either enlightened conversation or (for the "bachelors") of the devious goals' accomplishment ease - is served.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Cool thread. Being from Rostov, I of course drink beer heavily and only imported brands. In terms of hard liquor I'm a fan of the dark stuff, Henessy, Martel, and even Jack Daniels. Vodka never did it for me, but I wouldn't turn it down if it was free.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Never been a big fan of Jack Daniels. Dunno why, except maybe because the taste seems to stick with a person for days. Hennessey, on the other hand, now that's livin' life. As a public service to college students everywhere, I will now expound upon Zenit's top 5 bargain basement vodkas available in the USA. No, not rotgut, no $6 liters here, I'll quality these 5 as being in the $15-$7.50 per liter range. Note: If you want a vodka to make screwdrivers, cosmopolitans or Bloody Marys with, pick the cheapest crap you can find. What the hell is the difference? Always good humor at the bar, the goofballs that order an "Absolut Bloody" or a "Stoli Screw," gets a laugh every time. I notice that a high percentage of Grey Goose drinkers I see like to mix it woth something, most likely to drown out that funky aftertaste. I say, save yourself $25, go get a $5.89 liter of Popov, Kamchatka or Griggs, no one will ever notice the difference. This list is for those who drink vodka the way it should be consumed-cold and neat, with a pile of picked mushrooms, cucumbers, etc. within easy reach. 5. Karkov Vodka http://www.usdp.com/usdp.php?module=Products&action=PubView&productId=26 The cheapest of the top 5, locally around $7.99/liter. Don't let the flimsy plastic bottle fool ya, this is actually passable stuff that doesn't rip a hole in your throat on the way down. Not to be confused with the Karkov flavored vodkas, which are horrible puke inducing elixirs. 4. Phillips UV http://www.uvvodka.com/ I would have never associated anything manufactured by Phillips as palatable for anyone other than the Muscovite elephant population, but surprisingly this got a mention in Food & Wine magazine as being a vastly underrated vodka. Seeing as F&W hyped all the high end stuff (Belvedere, the unbelievably overrated Grey Goose, Level, etc.) in a previous magazine, I was intrigued enough to try it. A little bit different taste to it, distilled entirely from corn, considering the price ($9-$10/liter locally) a pretty good bargain of better than expected quality. Put it in a carafe and tell your friends it's Grey Goose, I'll bet no one will know the difference, in fact they'll probably like it better. Note: This only applies to the non-flavored variety of Phillips UV; the flavored ones are just as wretched as the Karkov flavored vodkas. 3. Smirnoff http://smirnoffvodka.com/. Hard to beat at $11/liter when you know your Ukrainian friends are coming over to drink every drop of booze they can find at your house and you need to stock up without drawing against your home equity line or declaring insolvency. Available everywhere, which is another plus. Thankfully, one liquor store near me stocks both of the next two: 1. (tie) Svedka, Privet I've never seen Privet http://www.spimport.ru/ sold in anything less than 1.75 liter jugs, but at $16.99/1.75l this is the bargain king of Zenit's bargain list, shipped to you direct from the Rodina (Soyuzplodoimport) and as the cost per liter fits the list parameters, this one has to go at the top of the list. Joining it is Svedka http://www.svedka.com/, the Swedish import which is so mellow one suspects it might not even be vodka after all, but some kind of soft drink that is vodka flavored. At $13.99/liter, it easily rates up there with Privet as the best of the list as far as taste factor goes, although Privet is better bang for the buck and is the only "genuine" article on the bargain list. EDIT: These days, I usually buy Privet, but will mix in a bottle of Stoli, Kristall, Tito's Handmade Vodka or (when I can find it, which is not very often) Jewel of Russia on occasion.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread I've seen and always wondered about Jewel of Russia.. I tend to drink Stoli Gold most consistantly how would you rate Jewel of Russia to that?
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread I would rate it higher than anything I've ever been able to buy here. It is just really tough to find. There's only one liquor store in all of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area that I've ever been able to find it at, with any consistency. They guy prices it pretty reasonably, $27 or so, but usually doesn't order much or it (or can't) and it doesn't stay on the shelf for long.
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Scotch Ale is, in fact, still produced. I'm not a big fan, though, give me the Black Lager any time. I haven't read through the thread yet, but how steadfast should I follow to the rule never to drink any alcohol that comes out of a plastic bottle?
Re: OT: Vodka appreciation thread Has anyone tried Balkan 176? Strongest you can buy in the UK apparently. My mate brought back some pertsovka the other day - almost blinded me.
I actually enjoyed a bottle of that in Lithuania last year. Smooth, like liquid novocaine. Went great with pork and some BBQ sauce I brought with me (one of my friends in lithuania is just crazy about Famous Dave's BBQ sauce, the original, Texas Pit, Devil's Spit & Georgia Mustard...I asked him what he wanted me to bring to him, that is all he wanted. Once I tasted what goes for BBQ sauce in Litva (made in Holland??!! What the freak do they know about BBQ?!), I understood his request perfectly.