Special Occ Vodka

[jspear]

OK, I'm in for a second invitation for drinks/dinner and have yet to be able to reciprocate. My Irish guilt is making me bring something special to eleviate the pain of owing someone something. Our hostess has expressed a fancy for vodka but I don't have a clue what to bring that would be outstanding. Any suggestions?

[Chefpaulo]

Belvedere, Chopin and Grey Goose are all premium vodkas although, personally, I find little correlation between price and "quality." I've found the smoothest and most drinkable vodka to be the Polish potato vodka, Luksusowa at about $15 a bottle. Inexpensive and far milder than brands at three times the price.

[ShadowedOne]

I'd suggest getting something from a small batch distillery. Likely your host will not have heard about it before and it will be more special that way. Some suggestions are Tito's Handmade and Hangar One. There a lots more out there, but those are the only two I can vouch for, don't drink much vodka.

[JohnE O]

Tito's is great. I used to be a Grey Goose drinker but switched because Tito's tastes better. It's also about $20 cheaper per 1.75 litre. Tanqueray also makes a very good vodka which is about midway in price between Tito's and GG.

[jspear]

thanks for the help, leaning towards Tito's, I am familiar with Hangar One and Grey Goose, I was looking for something that would be special and sounds like Tito's it is....

[folprivate]

my favorite is Ciroc which is made from grapes - it is very smooth compared to other vodka's

[jspear]

I am familiar with Ciroc from my bartending days, I am also looking for a soy vodka that we used to pour as well.....

[ShadowedOne]

The only soy vodka I know of is 3.

http://www.3vodka.com/

[Rubee]

One of my favorites is Ultimat. Beautiful bottle for gift-giving also. Their black cherry is also one of my favorites for infused vodkas (I like Hangar One's infusions also).

http://www.beveragewarehouse.com/sear...

Some others we really like and usually have in the home bar are Zyr, Stoli Gold, and a couple of the Estonian vodkas - Turi and Tall Blonde.

[gryphonskeeper]

Yes, Ultimat is a very good vodka, But a $50 hostess gift is a tad over the top.

[Rubee]

Umm....brands of vodka, like any other spirit, do not cost the same in every liquor store. You may have only seen it for $50 where you live (your bio says NH), but I used to buy it at the NH liquor store for much less. In fact, I just checked on-line and it's $37.99.

[gryphonskeeper]

Being Irish, I know you will love this recommendation... Irish Vodka! It is called Boru, and it is actually a very good tasting vodka.

[Richelle]

Having tasted Ciroc and fallen in love, the bottle beautiful also, it is a given I would swoon were it given to me again!

[invinotheresverde]

I don't drink much vodka anymore- I find the neutrality boring. Ciroc, though, has an interesting underlying flavor (from the grapes, I'd assume), but remains super smooth. If I order vodka, it's Ciroc.