# Is it possible to make a good Bloody Mary with less than mid-shelf vodka?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** liquor-alcohol
**Created:** [May 24, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980 "2011-05-24T03:47:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/1 "2011-05-24T03:47:48Z")
Opinions please. I have been having a disagreement over mid to top shelf vodkas as an ingredient in Bloody Marys. My friend insists that if one is going to make a mixed drink the cheapest vodka is fine. I disagree. Am I being a snob, or is he lacking in palate?
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### Author:  [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/2 "2011-05-24T03:57:07Z")
You are being an enormous snob. I certainly can’t tell one vodka from another anyway, and mixing it up with tomato juice, tabasco, etc. isn’t going to make a bloody whit of difference whether it costs five bucks or a hundred.
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### Author:  [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/3 "2011-05-24T03:57:18Z")
A mixed drink with ingredients that include strong flavours like tomato juice, worscestershire sauce, tabasco, lemon juice, horseradish, celery salt, pepper can definitely be made with cheap vodka since there is no way you can taste the vodka.
If you are making a martini, use the good stuff.
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### Author:  [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/4 "2011-05-24T03:58:41Z")
For mixing, it couldn’t matter less. All I buy is bottom and I mean BOTTOM shelf vodka. For mixed drinks, it’s silly to spend more, as far as I’m concerned. And I make a damned fine Bloody Mary, I must say.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/5 "2011-05-24T04:00:40Z")
I use good vodka for martinis, vodka/rocks or vodka tonics. But if it’s a Bloody Mary or a screwdriver. Fleischmann’s or any other cheap brand will do just fine. When your mixing it with something that strongly flavored, all you’re doing is adding alcohol, not trying to find the crispist, cleanest, purest vodka you can lay your hands on.
IOW, don’t waste the Tito’s on the Bloody Mary.
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/6 "2011-05-24T04:02:13Z")
Mixed drinks, in general, it depends on the mix.
For a Bloody Mary in particular, given that the mix is, at the most basic, spiced tomato juice, you can probably get away with cheap vodka. More complicated recipes including Tabasco, horseradish, or Worcestershire sauce…you’ll be looking at paint thinner before you’ll find something that will noticeably effect the flavour.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/7 "2011-05-24T04:03:13Z")
Personally, I’d stay away from the plastic-bottle bottom-shelf stuff. I don’t think you need really good vodka for a bloody mary, but I once the displeasure of being at a college party where all they had was Wolfschmidt or something similar. I hadn’t developed discerning tastes by then by any stretch, but fuck I couldn’t drink _anything_ with that vodka in it. And this was as a college student looking to get drunk at any opportunity.
Vodka is my least favorite spirit, but there is a huge difference (to me at any rate) between the truly cheap stuff and the lower mid-range. Once you get to the mid-to-upper end, I honestly can’t tell the difference between a vodka that costs $25-$30 a fifth and one that costs $50+ a fifth. But a $9 of generic vodka vs, say, a $17 of Tanqueray Sterling vodka (yes, they make vodka, too, and it’s great bang-for-buck), yes, even in a bloody mary you can taste that difference.
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/8 "2011-05-24T04:15:19Z")
The corollary to all the above is that you can improve most drinks much more efficiently by getting better mixers and garnishes.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/9 "2011-05-24T04:21:50Z")
> [@spark240](#):
>
> The corollary to all the above is that you can improve most drinks much more efficiently by getting better mixers and garnishes.
Sorry, when you got something like Gordon’s or Popov as the base of your drink, no amount of mixers are going to cover up that foul rubbing-alcohol-like smell and backbone to it.
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/10 "2011-05-24T04:36:13Z")
That may be. I’m not even sure if I’ve ever tasted those, and I agreed with your previous post.
What I see more often is good mid- to high-end liquors contaminated with nasty prepared drink mixes. (When I say “mixer,” I definitely do not mean a bottle that contains the name of the drink in its description.)
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### Author:  [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/11 "2011-05-24T04:47:08Z")
> [@moorland reiver](#):
>
> Opinions please. I have been having a disagreement over mid to top shelf vodkas as an ingredient in Bloody Marys. My friend insists that if one is going to make a mixed drink the cheapest vodka is fine. I disagree. Am I being a snob, or is he lacking in palate?
He is lacking in knowledge.
Cheap vodkas have a substantially higher percentage of chemical compounds that are filtered out in higher quality vodkas, or are not there in the first place.
If the BM mixer is off a store shelf, then it doesn’t matter what vodka you’ll use, because the BM mix would be trash.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/12 "2011-05-24T05:56:52Z")
> [@spark240](#):
>
> That may be. I’m not even sure if I’ve ever tasted those, and I agreed with your previous post.
>
> What I see more often is good mid- to high-end liquors contaminated with nasty prepared drink mixes. (When I say “mixer,” I definitely do not mean a bottle that contains the name of the drink in its description.)
Oh, sure I agree with that. You’re right–nothing ruins a cocktail (if using reasonable quality liquor) as much as some cheap off-the-shelf sour mix or bloody mary mix. Especially the sour mix–there’s some nasty, nasty shit out there. Just make your own. It’s not hard.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/13 "2011-05-24T14:45:50Z")
Well, if you’re not squeezing your own heirloom tomatoes, the type of vodka you choose isn’t going to save you.
😉
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/14 "2011-05-24T16:16:14Z")
> [@Implicit](#):
>
> If you are making a martini, use the good stuff.
If you are making a martini, use the good gin.
🆒
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### Author:  [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/15 "2011-05-24T16:26:50Z")
If you find you can taste the vodka and find it unpleasant, put a small squeeze of lemon in your bloody mary. I definately recommend not using bloody mary mix at all, but instead going with tomato juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, celery salt, pepper and a celery stick. (Horseradish is optional but tasty, as is rimming the edge of the glass with chili powder.)
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/16 "2011-05-24T16:31:48Z")
I recommend fresh-squeezed lemon juice in your Bloody Mary regardless! And I count “tasting the vodka” as a good thing.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/17 "2011-05-24T16:36:50Z")
What I usually do is use my best (or second) vodka for the first two Bloodies, then a cheaper vodka for the next seven or eight.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/18 "2011-05-24T16:56:24Z")
Since we like our Bloody Marys very spicy\*, I never use anything higher than Skyy in them. The Ketel 1 and the Grey Goose are saved for martinis. Cheap-ass vodka is cheap-ass vodka. Don’t buy it, don’t drink it.
\*A proper Bloody Mary has V8 juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, horseradish, fresh black pepper, celery salt, lime juice and vodka in it, and you should be able to see through it as well. Proportions are to taste, of course.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/19 "2011-05-24T17:06:07Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> \*A proper Bloody Mary has V8 juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, horseradish, fresh black pepper, celery salt, lime juice and vodka in it, and you should be able to see through it as well. Proportions are to taste, of course.
Great general recipe. I would add that garnish is important. I’ve used celery (yawn), dilly beans, various types of stuffed olives, and small red potatoes. “Breakfast in a glass”.
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### Author:  [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-good-bloody-mary-with-less-than-mid-shelf-vodka/582980/20 "2011-05-24T17:12:24Z")
I’d be interested for someone to set up a blind tasting between super cheap and expensive vodkas in something as highly flavored as a bloody Mary. :dubious:
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