I want to experiment with infusing various flavors (citrus, raspberry, cinnamon, etc.) into vodka, and I want a vodka that’s decent and cheap to use as the base. Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions?
Thanks in advance and sorry if this sort of question is not welcome here for any reason.
-g
I’m not sure of what qulifies as cheap in the world of vodka, but I’d recommend Tito’s Handmade Vodka ( http://www.titos-vodka.com/ ) which can be had in these parts for around $14/bottle. Supposedly, it’s super-pure due to filtering…which might be handy if you’re going for subtle flavors.
Caveman is correct; Tito’s is a tasty vodka.
Smirnoff isn’t bad, either, although I hesitate to recommend it for infusion simply b/c an infused vodka is still straight vodka; Smirnoff isn’t a bad mixer but I’d never drink it straight. The cheaper the vodka, the more bite it will have, which may overwhelm your infusion. (I’m a vodka fiend.) However, for a cheap reliable vodka it isn’t bad. You might try buying a flavored Smirnoff and infusing that for a twist. (It’s a lot sweeter.)
I’ve only ever tried a call brand infused vodka, so I have no specific advice beyond that for you, but let me just state that any liquor that comes in a plastic bottle is BAD. 
If you have an Albertsons in your neck of the woods they make a house brand called SIX. It’s in a semi-“Absolut” shaped bottle because that’s what they produce it to compete with, but as a hard-core vodka drinker I like it almost as much as Ketel One, quality-wise. It’s usually on sale for $9.99 a bottle.
Monopolowa is an excellent vodka and quite reasonably priced. About $12 a bottle, IIRC.
Svedka is quite good, and only about $13 a bottle.
I’ll second the Monopolowa. A great Polish potato vodka for an outstanding price. Here it runs $14.95.
Another vote for Monopolowa. I used to get it at $20 a handle at the local store and it is smooth enough to drink straight out of the bottle…mmmm. Thought it was Austrian though?
I didn’t realize SIX was an Albertson’s house brand, but I did buy a bottle of it there recently. It was on sale and it came in an attractive glass bottle, so I thought I’d give it a shot. It’s still in my freezer, unopened, waiting for company to come. As it is, I’m not a huge drinker, but I like certain mixed drinks with vodka.
I didn’t either. I’d been buying it for ages and one week when it wasn’t on sale the tag said “compare to Absolut” with the price on it, the same way they do with their generic brand stuff and “compare to Name Brand.” I also noticed no other stores but Albertsons carried it* so I’m actually just making a half-assed assumption. It doesn’t say “Albertsons” on it anywhere (they do have store-branded liquor, like Triple Sec, etc.) so I’m not sure what the specific deal is with it. It’s good though…crack out your bottle tonight and have a nip, hee hee.
*I’ve noticed that Albertson’s, Kroger, and Frys all take an Albertsons card, and carry the same generic brands, so they might all be affiliated. You could look for SIX at any of them to test my theory.