What, in your opinion, would be the
A. the best
B. the best FOR THE MONEY
C. The absolute worst
brand of each of these types of hard liquors?
GIN
VODKA
RUM
Also, as an aside, a co-worker swears up and down that if you take high quality vodka straight on the rocks, you will never get a hangover. True?
Vodka
A. Dark Eyes
B. Dark Eyes
C. No such thing as bad Vodka!
Hell I’ve drank alot of Vodka and never gotten a hangover. Notice how I prefer Dark Eyes. Everyone cringes and freaks out when they hear that is my drink of choice. It’s fine by me and cheap too!
The best Vodka is Grey Goose. Best for the buck is Monopolova(sp?). I’ve only ever found it in Dallas.
Vodka, man, you’ve gotta go Polish or Russian. I’ve had both and they go down real smooth, and light on the hangovers as well.
No idea what they cost in the US. Since we’re neighbors and all, Russian Stolichnya goes for something like $8 american.
Best rum I’ve ever had: Matusalem Gran Reserva
Best rum for the buck: Bacardi Reserve (formerly Bacardi Black)
Absolute worse: any candy ass rum that has a fruit flavoring.
As for Vodka I’m a Grey Goose man, myself.
Vodka:
Best overall: Grey Goose or Absolut. Smooth, fairly light, but with enough character to not get drowned out in a vodka Martini or V&T
Best for the money: Lukosowa (pron. Luck-o-SOV-a) from Poland or good old Smirnoff. I actually like the Lukosowa better if I’m drinking it straight, since it’s slightly sweeter. Both should, of course, be kept in the freezer until they get syrupy from the cold.
Worst Overall:
Any of the plastic bottled monstrosities like Mr. Boston, Odessa, Wolfschmidt’s or Popov. I picked up a handle of Mr. Boston a few months ago for a party (hey, it was cheap) and found out WHY it was cheap when I put it in the freezer. It had been cut with water, so the water froze, making big slushy crystals. Nasty.
Oh, and the story about the non-hangover straight vodka thing is absolute bull. I drank seven glasses (highballs) of vodka one night, having heard the same story. This was also special vodka we’d picked up in Kalingrad province in Russia, impregnated with amber acid to prevent hangovers. Impregnated, my butt. IF you drink too much, you get a hangover. Period.
Gin:
Best overall: Bombay Sapphire. Smooth and nice aromatics. The only gin my wife will drink, and her favorite drink is a G&T. Also good for top-shelf perfect Martinis.
Best for the Money: (Regular)Tanqueray or Boodles. Both are assertive without being grassy, which can be a problem in gins. Good for mixed drinks or when the in-laws come over and you don’t want to break out the good stuff.
Worst: Bowman’s or Wolfschmidt(aka Wolf Shit). Jesus, are these nasty. Taste like rubbing alcohol that a cat’s pissed in after eating juniper berries. Not that I would know about that, o’course.
Rum:
Best overall: Mount Gay from Barbados. I know this will alienate some people, but here’s my reasoning: The eight-year old is a dark rum, but light. It has some of the residual molasses flavor concomitant with a dark rum, but not a whack over the head like Myer’s. It mixes well and can be drunk straight. It also comes in at about twelve dollars a bottle around here(DC area), so for twelve bones, you have a light yet robust rum perfect for boat drinks, rum-tonics, or over ice.(Now, once thinksnow gets in here, we will all have to worship at the altar of Stroh, so get the opinions in now!
Best for the money: Bacardi or Ronrico. Consistent, smooth, and available now in a wide range of flavors and proofs. Want orange or lemon? They’ve got it. Want 151? Again, they have it.
Worst:
I really don’t know if there’s such a thing as a rum with no redeeming characteristics. At least, not any that can’t be covered up with pineapple juice, coconut milk or passionfruit juice.
Best rum thats readily available…Mount Gay. Use Myer’s in a pinch.
Best gin …haven’t got a clue.
Best vodka … use Stolichnaya. Not too expensive, good enough to use in a vodka martini.
[Edited by Ukulele Ike on 10-17-2001 at 09:15 AM]
sound of slapping forehead… i will use preview…i will use preview
Gin Gordons
Rum Carrolls Navy rum
Vodka is a mixer or cocktail ingredient
Theoretically, Vodka is just pure alcohol (ethanol) in water and its the other alcohol and aldehydes that cause the worst of a hangover. So drinking pure vodka should give you less of a hangover but you will still be dehydrated etc etc.
No one mentioned Havana (habana?) club? I think it is the best brand for rum, better than Bacardi atleast. Got to agree with False_god Bombay Sapphire is the best gin. As for vodka, I suppose I have to say Absolut since I’m from Sweden.
One more vote for Bombay Sapphire.
Don’t drink the others very often.
My experience is limited, but the best vodka I’ve had yet is 100-proof Stolichnaya. $23 for the 750 ml bottle here in North Carolina.
I will give Grey Goose a try though, when I go for a refill.
Vodka: Belvedere. I used to be a Stoli Cristal guy (now Stoli Gold) but switched after trying Belvedere. Perfect for Martinis. I use regular, good ole Stoli for everything else mixed.
Gin: Makes you angry. Never touch the stuff.
Rum: Not a true “rum”, but CSR (Cane Syrup Rothschild) from St. Kitts rocks. I’m not sure exactly why it’s not considered a rum (looks like rum, tastes like rum, made like rum) but boy is it good!
-Best gin is Bombay Sapphire
-Best for the money I’d say Tanqueray (sp? – the one in the round green bottle).
-Worst is anything by one of the “wino hooch” companies, – around here that seems to be Mohawk. VILE.
I don’t know about the best vodka, but for a mid-range vodka that you’re going to mix, Smirnoff Blue Label (100 proof) is okay. I wouldn’t drink it straight, though.
Best rum: Havana Club, hands down the best in the world. A mojito just ain’t a mojito without it! If possible, also buy a bottle of the 7-year old stuff. Problem is, can’t get it in the States. I first tried it in Cuba, and am now hooked.
Best Gin: Gotta second Bombay Sapphire
Best vodka: Ditto on Grey Goose
Best Gin: Tanqueray, although Bombay Sapphire is right up there with it, and it’s a lower proof so you can drink two or three martinis without falling on your ass afterward.
Best Gin for the Money: Gordon’s, which is my house gin.
Worst Gin: I’ve never bought or tried anything cheaper than Gordon’s, so I couldn’t tell you.
Best Rum: I like Haitian rums, which are gold, like the Barbadian Mount Gay cited by False God. They just seem a little smoother and mellower than Barbados rums. Good for sipping, not mixing.
Best Rum for the Money: Gosling’s Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum. Nothing like a tumbler of THIS stuff for taking the chill off an auntumn evening in Maine. And a brimming spoonful really livens up the baked beans.
Worst Rum: Again, hard for me to say…I don’t like those white Puerto Rican rums, but I admit that I keep a bottle of Bacardi on hand for mixing. A daiquiri with black rum would be too odd.
Vodka: I just buy the cheap shit. The only thing I use it for is Bloody Marys, and I put in so much horseradish and Tabasco that I could probably substitute grain alcohol and no one’d taste the difference.
Oh, and my father-in-law drinks it up when he visits, but if wants a better quality booze, let him buy his own fucking bottle.
oh, and you didn’t ask, but if you’re tequila shopping, Patron is absolutely the way to go. Even those who don’t like tequila (usually meaning they had a bad experience with it) may find it surprisingly good…
Rum
Best: Stroh or Jack Iron (a small batch, local to Grenada, I think) For the flavor, Stroh really is, hands down, the smoothest, most flavorful and delicious of the spiced rums, but Jack Iron is a nice second. I’ll agree with Mount Gay for being pretty good, but only if you can get the real stuff, as there is a difference between what they sell on the islands and what they sell in the States.
If you don’t like spiced rum, Bacardi is pretty much all you’ve got to work with. A good rum and, like False_God said, they have variety.
For the money: if by this you mean “cheap” then Captain Morgan’s for spiced (Bacardi Spice is crap) and Bacardi for clear. If you mean “is it worth it” then see above.
Worst: Myers Spiced Rum or (Carroll’s) Navy (150 proof, IIRC) Both are way over-powering.
Gin
Best: In my book, Sapphire, Beefeater and Tanqueray Malaca (in the khaki/tan-labeled clear bottle) are all comparable. The malaka is hard to find, but very tasty.
For the money: no idea, I’ve only had the above three and regular Tanqueray (Dry? Extra Dry?) Anyone know anything about Seagrams?
Worst: no idea.
Vodka
Best: Grey Goose or Belvedere.
For the money: Absolut or Stoli.
Worst: Kamchatka.
I have to second what another poster said about the best vodka for the money. Definitely Monopolowa. A great vodka at a bargain price. I too am in Dallas and I don’t know about availibility elsewhere.
Another voice in the darkness chiming in for Bombay Sapphire, although I now firmly believe that Ukelele Ike is a heathen Philistine. Tanqueray, indeed. Feh.