My favorite scene in “The Russia House” had Sean Connery and some Russian dude sitting down for a meeting. The Russian dude pries the cap off a fresh bottle of vodka and immediately chucks it in the garbage can. Subtext: we ain’t going nowhere until this is gone!
I also keep both vodka and gin in my freezer, and they definitely get a bit thicker. I always yank the little plastic thing out of the neck so they will pour better when cold. But don’t ask me how long they stay good. They’re never in there for more than a couple weeks, if that.
I actually found this link because I was wondering if the small bit from a large bottle had freezer burn I’ve never seen it pour so thick and doesn’t taste like freezer burn but i wouldn’t suggest it
-yours truly dive bar royalty
The little “Mom & Pop” (aka “Bodega”) always had a small bottle of vodka in the ice cream freezer.
It seems one customer had a standing order for such a thing.
Some of the Vodka presents we have in our freezer have been there over 10 years, maybe more. We don’t drink much, and I prefer an occasional nip of single malt when I do. I don’t have any relatives who imbibe, so far as I know, and feel silly asking around if anyone wants it.
Perhaps I’ll research other uses – window cleaner, maybe?
I used to work with a Russian guy and was once told that in the Soviet era there were only 2 brands of vodka, a cheap one (Moskovskaya; I can’t believe I remembered that!) and a slightly less cheap one (Stolichnaya). Both were about 3 rubles, give or take about 12 cents (or whatever the ruble equivalent of cents is) and the bottle was exactly 3 glasses, so it was common for three people to each throw in a ruble and split the bottle 3 ways.
I can verify that if you’re planning a debauched weekend and buy the cheapest vodka in the supermarket without reading the label, you stand a chance of buying under proof vodka (somewhat under 80) that will probably freeze, although that particularly weekend it never made it to a freezer.
I might also suggest that a passably decent Kaluha can be made with Vodka, coffee and a vanilla bean. We made several bottles of it many years ago and it took years to finish it all, but it was pretty good. Check the web for a recipe
Side question: at what temperature does hard liquor (vodka or similar) become dangerous to drink? I would think frostbite in your mouth would be a hazard if it were cold enough and you drank it fast enough.
Joyce H. LeFebvre, Lars E.A. Folke
Abstract
To determine the nature of circulatory impairment upon tissue exposure to freezing temperatures, a standardized reproducible technique was devised to correlate microcirculatory changes to tissue survival. Everted intact hamster cheek pouches were immersed in 40% propylene glycol at subzero temperatures of −15, −16, −17, and −18° for 1 min actual freezing time, followed by rapid rewarming in 37° Ringer’s solution. Microvascular function was continuously monitored with vital microscopy prior to freezing and for 60 min after freezing. Subsequent observations and recordings were made at daily intervals up to 30 days. Macroscopic tissue changes were documented concomitantly.
The critical temperature for tissue recovery in the hamster cheek pouch was −15°. One-minute exposures to −15, −16, −17 and −18° produced predictable gross tissue changes ranging from no damage to complete necrosis. Each macroscopic tissue change was associated with a certain microvascular impairment after thawing. Blood flow ceased during freezing but was reestablished during the first 5 min of thawing. Thereafter, the microvascular vessels demonstrated characteristic differences in vascular flow, stasis, and intravascular occlusion that seemed specifically related to each of the subzero temperatures chosen.
Apparently it comes up when people suck down NO2 canisters to get high. So stick to vodka.
