# Vodka **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010 "2003-02-14T05:50:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/1 "2003-02-14T05:50:44Z")
There is a vodka thread going on this message board, and everyone seems to have an opinion. But can anyone tell me what the names are for various types of vodka? Everyone, for example, knows the names of various types of whiskey: Bourbon, Canadian, etc. How about vodka? The main breakdown would, I assume, be between vodka made from rye, and vodka made from potatoes. I am as unfamilar with vodka as I am with Islam. Whiskey I know a little about, and I can name a few branches of Christianity, but I know neither vodka nor Islam. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/2 "2003-02-14T06:49:24Z")
I’m pretty sure vodka is just vodka. You can still get potato vodka if thats important to you, but it’s still going to be just alcohol and water. The only difference amongst vodkas is how they are filtered, and in the United States it is actually illegal to advertise vodka according to taste because it’s all supposed to taste pretty much the same ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/3 "2003-02-14T07:07:24Z")
Well, there are _flavored vodkas_. But I guess you would just consider them _ **vodkas + flavors** _. Actually I am fortunate in that I have a fairly large liquor collection. I was just looking thru it briefly now. And I came across a couple of things that are **not** named as simply flavored vodkas, **and yet** still describe themselves on the back label as essentially fancy vodkas: _AKVAVIT_ (pronounced _“ahk-vah-VEET”_ is a Danish vodka, that tastes alot like anise or licorice. It is a kind of a lighter version of _Kümmel_–but Kümmel doesn’t refer to itself as a vodka. Go figure. And my favorite: _¯UBRÓWKA_. A Vodka of Poland flavored with Buffalo Grass. I had a hard time finding this one. I finally had to go to the Polish side of town. The bottle usually has a picture of a Bison on the front. Well that is all I can find for now. As I said, alot of liquors start as Vodka-like bases, and then just add flavorings. For example, Gin is just neutral spirits flavored with Juniper berries and other stuff. But Gin is _not_ considered a type of Vodka. Don’t ask me why:). HTH:) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/4 "2003-02-14T07:10:41Z")
That should be _ZUBRÓWKA_. I don’t know what happened to that _“Z”_. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/5 "2003-02-14T07:22:00Z")
Vodka tastes like rubbing alcohol to me. Bleh. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/6 "2003-02-14T09:14:13Z")
Yummy vodka, favored by trenchcoat-wearing, boot-stomping Ministry-loving industrial and goth folks… Back in the day. Not now, of course. Stop looking at me like that. Most drinkable Russian vodka is very strongly flavored. There’s a reason for that. The real thing is just nasty, folks. Vodka in the U.S. is just nice clean grain booze. Potato vodka has a taste to it. I’m not sure there’s a word for it in English. And you can buy many different tasting vodkas here-- **even sven** was talking about pure vodka, not the flavored variety, I think. Serve straight from the freezer, with a chaser. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/7 "2003-02-14T11:57:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jim B. \* > \*\*… a couple of things that are **not** named as simply flavored vodkas, **and yet** still describe themselves on the back label as essentially fancy vodkas: > > _AKVAVIT_ (pronounced _“ahk-vah-VEET”_ is a Danish vodka, that tastes alot like anise or licorice. It is a kind of a lighter version of _Kümmel_–but Kümmel doesn’t refer to itself as a vodka. Go figure.\*\* Are you really sure that your _akvavit_[sup]\*[/sup] purports to be _vodka_? To me they are two quite different beasts, although you might describe _akvavit_ as being _flavoured vodka_. [sup]\*[/sup] the name akvavit comes from latin _aqua vitae_, ‘water of life’. ---
**Author:** ![k61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@k61](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k61)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/8 "2003-02-14T12:37:01Z")
check out [http://www.polishvodkas.com/](http://www.polishvodkas.com/) especially the history section… ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/9 "2003-02-14T13:59:10Z")
There’s American vodka… then there’s vodka. You generally differentiate between types of vodka based on what they were distilled from - wheat, rye, potato, or corn. It tastes like burning. But in a good way. As **Darth Nader** said, the vodka Americans drink is like a light beer compared to the original stuff (which usually is brewed in a manner and location without the proof system). It is called “vodka” for a reason - the root is “voda,” simply enough. Water. Colorless, supposedly tasteless. It looks like water. One thing that makes vodka not have all those names is that it is not aged or regional, so you don’t have so many different friggin’ ways of naming it. Mmm… vodka… ---
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/10 "2003-02-14T15:23:27Z")
Hmmmm, I’ve found enough Zubrokwa here in Japan easily enough to make asome Polish visitors very happy! 🙂 . I feel sorry for those who can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/11 "2003-02-14T15:29:55Z")
Mmm…Vodka. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/12 "2003-02-14T15:33:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darth Nader \* > \*\*Yummy vodka, favored by trenchcoat-wearing, boot-stomping Ministry-loving industrial and goth folks… Back in the day. Not now, of course. > > Stop looking at me like that. > > \*\* Still by some of us…or am I just some kind of hangover from the 80’s goth movement (I refuse to accept that I am alone on that). Mmmm…vodka, although absinthe is making a bit of a mark for those who can afford it. ---
**Author:** ![SojournerSamson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SojournerSamson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SojournerSamson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/13 "2003-02-14T18:09:57Z")
Does anyone still sprinkle black pepper in their vodka shot? The habit stemmed from the (mostly petroleum) contaminated Soviet and Polish vodka. The pepper was said to absorb and/or mask the pollutants. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/14 "2003-02-15T12:35:12Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Popup \* > \*\*Are you really sure that your akvavit[sup]_[/sup] purports to be _vodka_? To me they are two quite different beasts, although you might describe _akvavit_ as being _flavoured vodka_. > > [sup]\*[/sup] the name akvavit comes from latin _aqua vitae_, ‘water of life’. \*\* I’m sorry it took me so long to reply:). But I have been busy. And plus I wasn’t sure if your remark was just rhetorical or not. You did ask an interesting question, so I had to get my Akvavit bottle to see what made me think it was a vodka. As I said before, I just glaced at it after quickly perusing my liquor collection. This might be what made me think it was a vodka(from the back label): > [@](#): > > A PRESTIGIOUS PREMIUM SPIRIT > Based on a secret Danish recipe dating back more than five centuries. Aalborg Akvavit **closely resembles imported flavored vodka.** It’s a unique… > _from Aalborg Akvavit label_ (Emphasis with **bold** mine.) So you might right–they may not claim to be a vodka at all. I don’t think that was my original point though:). My original point was that some flavored vodkas have claimed to crossed that thin line between a flavored vodka, and a whole new liquor altogether. Gin for example just seems like a flavored vodka to me. But it isn’t classified as a type of vodka at all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/15 "2003-02-15T12:39:47Z")
Sorry about interupting your point **SojournerSamson**. I never heard of putting granulated pepper in vodka. I have heard of people putting Tabasco® in it though. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/16 "2003-02-15T13:10:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jim B. \* > \*\*Sorry about interupting your point **SojournerSamson**. I never heard of putting granulated pepper in vodka. I have heard of people putting Tabasco® in it though. \*\* One of Fleming’s James Bond novels mentioned it.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vodka/155010/17 "2003-02-15T14:27:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SojournerSamson \* > \*\*Does anyone still sprinkle black pepper in their vodka shot? > > The habit stemmed from the (mostly petroleum) contaminated Soviet and Polish vodka. The pepper was said to absorb and/or mask the pollutants. \*\* Cite? Ukrainians have been making pepper vodka for hundreds of years purely to make a distinctive taste. I assumed it was this that Absolut picked up on with its Pipar flavour. UnuMondo