Drank many many gallons of vodka in my life, and never quite understood this saying. I could always taste it quite readily, differentiate among various brands, smell it on others’ breath…
Unsure why so many people say this.
i dont know about taste perse but I can tell the difference between a 5.99 a gallon bought at the Rite Aid vodka and and stoli or even grey goose … or one imported vodka that was only sold in shots and doubles that was so smooth you thought it was water until you had about 8 or 10 of em …
I disagree. Pour me grey goose, Belvedere, and Tito’s and I’ll identify them correctly with ease.
I go through a handle of Nikolai a week. It’s the best tasting vodka for the cheapest price.
For me, pipe tobaccos. I don’t bother with “drugstore tobaccos,” such as Amphora and Sail. No, for me, they’re much more complicated.
Solani’s Blend 633 Virginia Flake. Peterson’s University Flake. Samuel Gawith’s 1792 Flake. Macbaren’s Navy Flake. Yes, I like flakes, but I will not pass up a bowlful of Dunhill’s Nightcap or Early Morning Pipe, both of which are ready-rubbed.
And my pipes must be handmade, or at least as close to handmade as possible. One of my treasures is a Brandt, handcrafted and handmade. My Lorenzettis and Brighams smoke just fine, but that Brandt. Holy hannah, is it a beautiful smoke!
… also …
wristwatches for me … while my times of “higher end” watches lies back before being a father of numerous kids 
… I still pretty much appreciate a well put together mechanical wristwatch …
not an elitist, mind you … there are a couple of very interesting basic Seiko 5s, Citizen or so, that will get a friendly “Al128 approves” nod …
just dont wave that pesky high 4-digits (too big) Breitling, Tag-Heuer or Hublot quartz thingy under my nose and we are good
Why do you guys think the meme got circulated that vodka has no taste? Are they saying, it does not taste appreciably different from grain alcohol (which - to my palate - still has a taste)?
And if it is not “taste” that allows you to differentiate between Absolute and Stoli (my wife and I differed) - let alone cheap rotgut, what is it?
DUDE - a handle a week?!
I agree. I get considerable pleasure out of my daily wear IWC Pilot’s watch. But I admit it is a luxury.
Actually more like 10 days.
Experts and blind testing show that grey Goose is an inferior product in a snazzy bottle.
Curious as to how many drinks you get from a handle. Sources on the web say about 40 1.5 ounce shots are in a handle. Are you drinking two doubles each evening? (Not judging, just asking)
I free pour. Two doubles or one quad.
And yet I love it. No accounting for taste.
cheap vodka burns the minute it hits your mouth and smells like lighter fluid mid-range not as much and the good stuff barely or not all
vodka is the only hard booze where the saying “taste like water” can be a compliment
Blind taste tests show that Smirnoff - a very decent mid range vodka- beats out more expensive brands- like Grey Goose.
I am not a real doctor, but- that is quite a lot.
Dinsdale, you can come to eat at my house anytime. My wife is a fine cook and I appreciate her hard work.
But…I’m just going to eat again later today or tomorrow. When people talk at length about spending an hour or two shopping, preparing, and cooking a meal that’s going to take 20 minutes to eat, I’m perplexed. If I talk about it, people accuse me of being so old that my taste buds are shot. Or they suggest that I’m seriously depressed and should seek help because I can’t enjoy anything in life.
Back to the topic. I’m definitely a snob about what my dogs eat. I don’t feed them exotic or designer foods, but I carefully research what I do buy for them. When people mention that they feed their dogs Brand X dry food, I keep my mouth shut but grimace internally.
Years back, my husband reported a conversation with a colleague - who would make very good pie crust from scratch… then fill it with CANNED PIE FILLING.
I, on the other hand, will use store-bought pie crusts (either frozen, or the rolled-up kind in the refrigerated section), but always make my own filling. OK, if it’s pumpkin, I’ll use canned pumpkin; I’ve made it from scratch (using a Hubbard squash, actually) and it was NOT enough better to be worth the trouble.
So: grade A crust, grade D filling - versus grade B crust, grade A filling. I think my pies carry a higher GPA. I have actually made crust from scratch a few times, but have decided that it’s not enough better to make it worth my while. Anyone having a slice of pie will notice the filling far more, unless the crust is actively bad (as has been the case with one or two store-bakery pies I’ve tried).
I have no dog in this fight, not liking vodka-based drinks at all (and I certainly don’t drink it “neat”) but I suspect that Smirnoff is far better than the really cheap stuff! Beyond that, I personally doubt I could tell the difference. Add 'em to a bloody Mary or a screwdriver, and anything makes them taste like watered-down juice.
I DO get an organic, free-range turkey every Thanksgiving. I once brined a regular frozen grocery store turkey in the exact same manner as I do the shmancy ones, and it was Just. Not. As. Good.
Oh, and I should clarify: bran flakes are ALL close kin to cardboard. When soaked in milk, all bear a fairly strong resemblance to soggy cardboard. But Kellogg’s flakes are much thinner and crisper at first, so they are much more tolerable.
Going to somewhat disagree with this. While there are a wide variety of pre-made pie crusts out there, most of the “pastry” style (as opposed to graham cracker and other super sweet options) barely rate a C rating, much less a B. If you buy sufficiently upscale crusts, then yeah, there are B level crusts out there, but they aren’t cheap.
Although I totally agree that making a crust from scratch with buttery layers, kept appropriate cold, possibly prebaked and all that is so much work that I also wouldn’t bother. As you say, I’ll make a better filling myself, and then I’ll just do cobblers / slumps / crumbles / crisps / buckles.
If store bought pie crusts are graded C-F, i think i can make a decent B+ filling without a huge amount of work. Admittedly, it takes practice, and I’m much better at it than i used to be. (I made a lot of pies during the pandemic. Also biscuits and scones, which require similar skills.)
I make a B- vegan crust when I’m hosting vegan friends, though, and you know, the pie is still pretty damn good, because the blueberry filling carries it.
Yet I find it perfect for my needs.
I love orange juice, but like screwdrivers less. What I do like is vodka with an orange juice on the side. I call it a deconstructed screwdriver.
I’m a grammar snob, though I rarely make my snobbishness known. When I hear certain bugaboos (infer/imply, me/I, subject/predicate agreement, etc.) I make a mental note “not very well educated” or “didn’t pay attention in school” which doesn’t do the person credit in my mind. Now, I’ve noticed VP Harris, who seems to be knowledgable in the law and other walks of life, making the first two named errors when speaking off the cuff (yesterday she spoke of “…to Governor Walz and I” and she muffed “imply/infer” in her questioning of Attorney General Barr) and it doesn’t make me think she’s an idiot or poorly educated as much as it goes down as a mental checkmark against her inside my head. A smart woman, but not quite first rank in eloquence and fluency. Few are.
You’re a couple of commas short in there, pal.