Drink Matron

Category: Booze of the Week: Vodka

  • Why Does Cheap Vodka Give Me Such a Terrible Hangover?

    Since announcing this week’s Booze of the Week is vodka, I was asked by a friend “Why do I get such miserable hangovers from cheap vodka, but not from premium vodka?”  This is a question that has had scientists at each others throats for years.  My first response to this question is that if a person is drinking premium vodka, its because they want to enjoy their drink, so they tend to drink a LOT less.  When you drink cheap vodka, you’re really only looking for one outcome: to get drunk.  So the reason you get worse hangovers from cheap vodka as opposed to premium vodka is because you drank more of it!  But that’s not what you want to hear.  You want to hear about cogeners and fusel oils.

    Cogener is the term used for acetone, acetaldehyde, and tannins produced during the fermentation process.  These impurities, when ingested, can exaggerate the symptoms that present during a hangover.  In other words, they make the hangover worse.  A byproduct of the distillation process is a fun little liquid called fusel oil.

    Fusel oil is present in the first and last few ounces of the distallate and has long been considered to be hangover-inducing at best, toxic at worst. Fusel oil isn’t actually oil, but higher order alcohols produced during fermentation that travel into the distilled liquid.  While it hasn’t been proven that fusel oil is any worse for you than ethyl alcohol, there is also no proof that it isn’t.

    There are many other contributing factors to a hangover, but these two are the only relevant ones to this conversation.

    Cogeners are produced during the fermentation process, but tend to not pass through the distillation process.  If they do, only small amounts will, and generally only through one (maybe two) processes.  Fusel oil, will always pass through the distillation process, but will only be present at the beginning or end of the process.

    Many premium vodka distillers will boast about how many times they distill and filter their vodka.  To cut costs, the cheaper brands of vodka are only distilled once or twice, and may not even be filtered.  The more you distill it, the less impurities will be present. The same goes for filtration.

    So, there you have it. In short, cheap vodka gives you nasty hangovers because it has more impurities that make the hangover worse.

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  • What is the Difference Between Potato and Grain Vodka?

    I was recently asked by a friend what the difference between vodka made from potatoes and vodka made from grain was.  The short answer? Nothing.

    The fundamental distillation process is to extract the alcohol from a fermented liquid.  Some spirits, like rum, depend on some of the mash making it into the final product to add to the flavor.  However, vodka is ideally flavorless and odorless so it is distilled until it is 95% ABV or higher, filtered several times (typically through charcoal), and then diluted with spring water down to the acceptable 35-40% ABV.  Because of this, you ideally end up with a diluted ethyl alcohol.  So it doesn’t matter whether you’re using potatoes, rye, molasses, sugar beets, or any other base plant matter used to produce vodka all over the world.

    Why, then, is there such a prevalent misconception that vodka is made from potatoes, when most of the world’s vodka is produced from grains? Cost.  You see, vodka has been around since the Middle Ages in Poland.  Back then, they used the cheapest thing available to them: grain.  Every farmer had it and Polish grain was some of the cheapest in Europe through the 15th century.  During the 18th and 19th centuries, three key things happened:

    1). The price of Polish grain increased.

    2). The potato was introduced to Eastern European agriculture.

    3). Vodka production was realized as an actual industry.

    Since the potato was so cheap and grain was becoming more expensive, vodka producers started experimenting with the potato as a replacement for grain in vodka.

    In the mid-19th century, it became a standard practice amongst the industrial producers to make vodka from potatoes.  At some point, using potatoes fell out of favor and the original grain recipes began to be used again, but not before the whole “vodka from potatoes” thing became general knowledge.

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  • The Vodka Drink Gallery

    We enjoyed putting together some fun vodka drinks this week. Of course, there were the traditional drinks, screwdriver, vodka martini (which, I was thrilled to learn is actually called a Kangaroo), Lemon Drop, and Bloody Mary, but we played around with some of the recipes and found ourselves enjoying some super tasty concoctions.

    Fizz Driver

    Okay, this one is a no brainer. We just added about an ounce of club soda to the top of a screwdriver. Simple, and, in case you’re drinking cheap vodka, it will cut that bitter taste. Do I really need to write the recipe?

    Even better, for some extra flavor, add about a half ounce of grenadine for flavor. I recommend the real stuff (made with pomegranate) but anything you’ve got will definitely work.

    Branded with a Screwdriver

    Here’s a fun one. We made chocolate covered cherries with brandy over Christmas and had some cherry flavored brandy left over. We were lucky enough to find that the combination of a screwdriver with the brandy was absolutely delicious.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 oz Vodka
    • 2 oz Cherry Brandy
    • Orange juice

    In a tall glass, pour the vodka and orange juice over ice. Add the brandy on the top. Garnish with a cherry.

    Dirty Martini (Dirty Kangaroo)

    Okay, yes, this is still traditional, but yum yum yum. I love Dirty Martinis more than I can really express. But then, I’ve loved olives since I was a kid, so it makes sense that this would rank at the top of my drink list.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 oz Vodka
    • 1.5 oz Olive Juice
    • Fumes of Dry Vermouth

    In a martini glass, put a small drop of vermouth and swirl it around the glass. Tip the glass over to get rid of any excess vermouth.

    In a shaker, combine the vodka and lime juice, and shake softly. Pour into the martini glass. Garnish with 3 olives.

    Lemon Drop

    There are plenty of recipes for the lemon drop, and even this one isn’t the one I used to serve. But, it’s a lot tastier and makes a lot more sense than many that I’ve seen in the past.

    Ingredients:

    • 1.5 oz Vodka
    • .5 oz fresh lemon juice
    • Sugar

    Rim a martini glass with sugar. Combine the vodka and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into the glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

    Bloody Mary

    Nobody makes a Bloody the same, and Adrian and I are no different. Try our versions, or make up your own. That’s the beauty of the Bloody – no two are the same.

    Matron’s Bloody Mary

    Ingredients:

    • 3 oz Vodka
    • 3 oz Tomato juice
    • 10 dashes of Celery salt
    • 7 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 shake of Tabasco
    • 1 oz of Pickle juice

    Fill a pint glass with ice and shake in Worcestershire, celery salt and Tabasco. Add vodka, pickle juice and tomato juice. Pour mix into another pint glass and back again. Repeat. Garnish with a pickle and 2 olives.

    Adrian’s Bloody Mary

    Ingredients:

    • 3 oz Vodka
    • 8 oz Tomato Juice
    • 1 Dash of Celery Salt
    • 4-6 shakes of Worcestershire
    • 3-4 shakes of Pepper
    • 1/2 tsp Horseradish
    • Celery Stalk Garnish

    Fill a pint a glass with ice. Pour in the vodka and tomato juice and then add spices. Stir together with celery stalk.

    So that’s what we’ve been drinking with vodka this week! There’s plenty more that we wanted to try, but life got in the way. But forget about us! What have you been drinking? What are your favorite vodka cocktails?

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  • 12 Alternative Uses for Vodka

    For most people, vodka is useful for only one thing: drinking. It goes well with juices made from oranges and tomatoes, cola, and even other liquors. Very rarely do you see someone pulling out a bottle of vodka to scrub the walls or freshen clothes. Surprisingly, vodka can be used for just that, and more. Check out these 12 ways to use vodka that don’t include drinking it.

    Clean Bathrooms and Showers

    Fill a spray bottle with straight vodka and spray on molding areas like the caulking around the bathtub or the mildew on the shower curtain. Let it set for around five minutes and wash off.

    Cleaning Eye Glasses

    To kill the germs and get rid of stains on your eye glasses, apply a small amount of vodka to a wash cloth and rub on the lenses. No one ever told you vodka could help you see clearly.

    Clean Vomit Stains

    Using vodka to clean up a vomit stain may feel a little ironic, but not only does it work, it will sanitize the area as well. Fill a spray bottle with vodka and spray on the stain, scrub with a brush and blot dry with a cloth.

    Make Your Hair Healthier

    Clean your scalp and stimulate hair growth by adding a half shot of vodka to your shampoo. Your hair will be healthier and toxin-free.

    Kill Bugs

    Fill a spray bottle with vodka and set on stream to kill bees, hornets and other pesky bugs.

    Dry Out Cold Sores

    Use a cotton swab to apply vodka to a cold sore. It will help dry it out.

    Alleviate Foot Odor

    In a wash bin, wash your feet with vodka. It will cleanse away the scent and leave your feet odor free.

    Cure a Jellyfish Sting

    A welcome alternative to curing a jellyfish sting, pour vodka on the area to disinfect it and calm the sting.

    Cure Poison Ivy

    Pour vodka over the poison ivy affected area to clear your skin of the poison oil.

    Keep Flowers Fresh

    Put a couple of drops in a vase with water and one teaspoon of sugar. This will minimize the bacterial growth and provide lost nourishment to the flowers. It will also help them last longer.

    Freshen Up Dirty Clothes

    Spritz dirty clothes with vodka and hang dry in a ventilated place. It will kill odor-causing bacteria and not leave a rancid scent.

    Make a Homemade Salve

    Fill a glass jar with fresh lavender flowers, then top off with vodka. Seal the lid tightly and place in the sun for three days. Strain the resulting liquid through a filter. It makes a homemade remedy to rub into your aches and pains.

    The original article was written for Suite101 in November 2009 by Jessica Spengler. Any permission for republication must be obtained, in writing, from the author.

  • In the Kitchen: Limoncello

    Limoncello is an Italian digestif liqueur originating in the southern coastal Amalfi region of Italy. Usually served ice cold in chilled ceramic cups or shot glasses, this liqueur is great as a refreshing after dinner drink, or just for fun.

    The most distinctive thing about limoncello is its bright yellow coloring. The coloring is based on the infusion of the outer zest (peels) from lemons and grain alcohol, Everclear, Italian grappa or vodka. While it is bottled and sold commercially, making your own limoncello can be a very simple process.

    While there are many limoncello recipes, we’ve decided to use Food Network’s Chef Giada De Laurentiis recipe. It will take less than one week to complete the process, compared to some more traditional recipes that take up to two months.

    The ingredients for Limoncello are simple: zests from 10 lemons, a 750mL bottle of vodka, and simple syrup.

    Peel the lemons and remove all the excess pith from the inside. Removing the pith is important, as it will keep the limoncello from getting a bitter taste.

    After the zests are ready, place them in a pitcher and pour in the vodka. Cover and let the mixture soak at room temperature for four days.

    After four days, prepare the simple syrup and combine it with the vodka mixture. Let it set overnight, then strain the mixture through a mesh strainer and discard the peels. Bottle the limoncello and chill for a minimum of four hours before serving.

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  • Booze of the Week – Vodka

    Vodka is king this week at the Drink Matron headquarters, and we are loving it.

    Of all the boozes out there, vodka is my best buddy. Despite some not so positive history, ever since I’ve had a grip on responsible drinking, vodka has proven a good friend and go to in any situation.

    Whether covered in tomato juice, sitting freely in a vodka martini, or lying low in a cherry bomb, vodka works well with any mix. Over the years the big name distilleries, creative bartenders, and experimental lushes have all taken their turns infusing this light booze with tasty extras like bacon, chipotle, vanilla, orange, lemon, cinnamon and rosemary (to name a few), making drinking the clear stuff even more fun and bartending a lot more interesting.

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