Difference between Gin and Vodka
Government Teat-sucker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
Good vodka can be made out of many different types of grains, not just potatoes.
BTW, the best- I mean the absolute BEST- drink that I ever made (15 years of tending bar, 14 years of abstinence- pretty funny, huh?) is also one of the simplest:
Half a shot of Amaretto, half a shot of Southern Comfort, over ice in a rocks glass and top it off with coke.
I call it Chery Coke and I (used to) bet my customers that they would like it or I would give it to them. Never gave one away.
BTW, the best- I mean the absolute BEST- drink that I ever made (15 years of tending bar, 14 years of abstinence- pretty funny, huh?) is also one of the simplest:
Half a shot of Amaretto, half a shot of Southern Comfort, over ice in a rocks glass and top it off with coke.
I call it Chery Coke and I (used to) bet my customers that they would like it or I would give it to them. Never gave one away.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 29,941
Likes: 46
From: Drummonds, TN USA
This is a vodka and Gin topic, but i thought I'd add that any Tequila sunrise made with grapefruit juice is a real smash! The tartness masks the bite of the TQ, so it can be toploaded by accident without hurting it.
The flavored vodkas though...
Stolichnaya has some very nice ones, and oddly enough Gilbeys (I think...) does as well. I think Gilbeys went into competiton on Vodka at some point.
My reality sense though tells me that any liquer can be flavored in a mix. So why spend extra unless you prefer your liquers to be served neat?
On that score - NOBODY makes a flavored Scotch!
There may be some purist opinions on that. Anything but a single malt might be considered "flavored".
Its GROUSE and GLENFIDDICH! Accept nae substitute, man...
The flavored vodkas though...
Stolichnaya has some very nice ones, and oddly enough Gilbeys (I think...) does as well. I think Gilbeys went into competiton on Vodka at some point.
My reality sense though tells me that any liquer can be flavored in a mix. So why spend extra unless you prefer your liquers to be served neat?
On that score - NOBODY makes a flavored Scotch!
There may be some purist opinions on that. Anything but a single malt might be considered "flavored".
Its GROUSE and GLENFIDDICH! Accept nae substitute, man...
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,007
Likes: 0
From: Oregon
I like Gin straight or with grapefruit juice. I agree with what Wolf was saying about quality. I've found with Gin, unless you spend the bucks for the good stuff, it's not really worth having, unless it's buried in mixer.
Same with Vodka. The Russians I've drank Vodka with pull it right out of the freezer and down two or three shots straight before it warms up. I don't know where they get it. It has no English on the label. I've tried drinking the US stuff and there's no comparison. (Wonder what Dono was like before he drank antifreeze?)
Same with Vodka. The Russians I've drank Vodka with pull it right out of the freezer and down two or three shots straight before it warms up. I don't know where they get it. It has no English on the label. I've tried drinking the US stuff and there's no comparison. (Wonder what Dono was like before he drank antifreeze?)
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 527
Likes: 0
From: Central WA USA
The difference is Gin is flavored Vodka. Gin is flavored with primarily Juniper berries and other botanicals. Vodka is any grain alcohol (plain ethanol), it can be made from whatever grain is cheapest or most available. Where cheap or available potatoes are used, where wheat grows better, wheat is used. What makes the alcohol smooth is how much filtration is used and to some extent what grain was used to make it. ATF regulations define what you can call a product for example Bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn alcohol stored in new oak barrels, otherwise it is just whiskey. Scotch must be made in Scotland.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,010
Likes: 0
From: SW Arizona
Never tasted gin....yet. Found only one Vodka I liked: "Thor's Hammer" from Bollebygd, Gotland Sweden. It's Not because I like viking stuff either. A friend gave me a small "gift bottle" bottle of it to try (he was a vodka connissour) I later picked up a larger one. The glass "flask" shaped bottle does have an embossed "Thor's Hammer" on it and that is a nice added bit of advertising. It's a wheat based vodka by the way and tripled distilled. It's offical website is under reconstruction right now.
Most will say vodka does not have a "taste" and why it's a good mixer....but there is.
Last year, I was at a gathering and there was a late night "Scotch tasting" class. Well, being curious, I joined it and received some good tips on what's the differences between the single malts were from different distilleries. Found I liked the taste of LaPhoraig over GLENFIDDICH myself.
Most will say vodka does not have a "taste" and why it's a good mixer....but there is.
Last year, I was at a gathering and there was a late night "Scotch tasting" class. Well, being curious, I joined it and received some good tips on what's the differences between the single malts were from different distilleries. Found I liked the taste of LaPhoraig over GLENFIDDICH myself.
Last edited by VikingBabe; Jul 25, 2005 at 07:01 AM.
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Tuned
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 442
Likes: 0
From: Palmyra
While working for a U.S. Government contractor, I lived in the Soviet Union (and then Russia) for several years. Let's just say I learned a whole new appreciation for Vodka 
An interesting article on the role of Vodka in Russian life can be found here.
I also echo the sentiment on the Bombay Sapphire Gin. Great stuff! I like a lot of different mixed drinks, and my "old standby" is a classic gin and tonic. True tonic water contains quinine, so it has a funky twang to it which sets the gin off just right. Add a lime twist and I'm set. A nice Christmas time drink is gin and seven up or sprite, with a maraschino cherry. Served in a tall glass with ice, it looks really nice in the glass and gives a new meaning to the "holiday spirit".
p.s. if you have ever read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" you know that Gin & Tonic is the most recognized drink anywhere in the galaxy, and I can attest that is true on our planet. I don't care what remote part of the globe you may be, no matter what languages are spoken there, there will be a bar and if you say "ginandtonic" you will be understood.
An interesting article on the role of Vodka in Russian life can be found here.
I also echo the sentiment on the Bombay Sapphire Gin. Great stuff! I like a lot of different mixed drinks, and my "old standby" is a classic gin and tonic. True tonic water contains quinine, so it has a funky twang to it which sets the gin off just right. Add a lime twist and I'm set. A nice Christmas time drink is gin and seven up or sprite, with a maraschino cherry. Served in a tall glass with ice, it looks really nice in the glass and gives a new meaning to the "holiday spirit".
p.s. if you have ever read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" you know that Gin & Tonic is the most recognized drink anywhere in the galaxy, and I can attest that is true on our planet. I don't care what remote part of the globe you may be, no matter what languages are spoken there, there will be a bar and if you say "ginandtonic" you will be understood.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 0
From: just outside of Phila.
Originally Posted by Greywolf
My reality sense though tells me that any liquer can be flavored in a mix. So why spend extra unless you prefer your liquers to be served neat?
On that score - NOBODY makes a flavored Scotch!
There may be some purist opinions on that. Anything but a single malt might be considered "flavored".
Its GROUSE and GLENFIDDICH! Accept nae substitute, man...
On that score - NOBODY makes a flavored Scotch!
There may be some purist opinions on that. Anything but a single malt might be considered "flavored".
Its GROUSE and GLENFIDDICH! Accept nae substitute, man...
I can't handle any gin, and barely any vodka, but I did have this once at a party: Lemondrops. They had a lemon flavored vodka, a plate of lemon slices and sugar. You put the lemon slice in the sugar and coated it, then did a shot and sucked on the lemon. It was good...kind of foo-foo if it's a bunch of guys watching football together, but as a party drink, it's good. The ladies love it.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 5,228
Likes: 5
From: Running Springs CA
There is a big generational difference in tastes. The Martini was always made with gin, until the current generation of young drinkers and bartenders came up with the vodka Martini, or even worse, "flavored" ones in pastel colors, yuck! Gin is actually the original "flavored", with juniper berries, vodka.
Now I have to specify gin and dry vermouth when I order a Martini at a bar or I will get cold, straight vodka in a Martini glass. Boodles or Bombay Sapphire gin and Martini and Rossi, Cinzano or Noily Pratt dry vermouth, about 4:1, with an olive.
I also like much simpler stuff, Jim Beam on the rocks or even just a Miller Lite or Coors Light beer.
Jim
Now I have to specify gin and dry vermouth when I order a Martini at a bar or I will get cold, straight vodka in a Martini glass. Boodles or Bombay Sapphire gin and Martini and Rossi, Cinzano or Noily Pratt dry vermouth, about 4:1, with an olive.
I also like much simpler stuff, Jim Beam on the rocks or even just a Miller Lite or Coors Light beer.
Jim
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 894
Likes: 0
Sounds like the vodka/gin debate has been pretty well covered. Now I can throw in my two cents. I drink many different types of liquors (wines & beer as well) and keep a cabinet full of good stuff in my den. When I'm ready for a drink, I'll pour one according to my mood. My favorites are:
Grey Goose or Ketel One Vodka (rocks w/an olive) - I also call this a diet bloody mary
**** Creek or Rare Breed bourbon (rocks or neat)
Laphroaig Scotch (rocks) Viking Babe's right, it's the best and has a smoky flavor
Mount Gay or Bacardi Reserva rum (rocks)
Tres Generacions Tequila (neat)
On a hot day, a nice cold gin & tonic is hard to beat. I use Tanqueray or Bombay, and make sure to get the tonic with quinine in it. Bit usually I drink beer on a hot day, so a bottle of gin lasts a while.
Grey Goose or Ketel One Vodka (rocks w/an olive) - I also call this a diet bloody mary
**** Creek or Rare Breed bourbon (rocks or neat)
Laphroaig Scotch (rocks) Viking Babe's right, it's the best and has a smoky flavor
Mount Gay or Bacardi Reserva rum (rocks)
Tres Generacions Tequila (neat)
On a hot day, a nice cold gin & tonic is hard to beat. I use Tanqueray or Bombay, and make sure to get the tonic with quinine in it. Bit usually I drink beer on a hot day, so a bottle of gin lasts a while.
Thread Starter
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Posting Guru
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,358
Likes: 3
From: China Grove, TX
time for me to go get a bottle of good gin and some Tonic water and give it a try. that and whiskey/grape juice....gotta see what a bottle of bombay saphire is gonna run me. kinda short on cash right now. anyhting a little cheaper, but good as well?
Government Teat-sucker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
TJ Swann Easy Nights. just kidding.
If I were to start drinking again (hopefully never), I would only drink the finest. If it's out of your price range, wait. It's worth the extra money to have quality. Bad gin may ruin your taste for it before you ever even get to the good stuff.
If I were to start drinking again (hopefully never), I would only drink the finest. If it's out of your price range, wait. It's worth the extra money to have quality. Bad gin may ruin your taste for it before you ever even get to the good stuff.