stories : Nagging Question
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Can You Filter Vodka in a Water Filter?It’ll taste better, but it’s still bad |
The reasoning goes that if an activated carbon-based filter can clean the impurities out of tap water, then maybe it can do the same for vodka. Chowhounds discussed it, we tried it.
CHOW conducted a double-blind taste test using a Brita water pitcher with filter, two bottles of $5.99 Gordon’s vodka, and a bottle each of Absolut and Grey Goose. We poured the Gordon’s vodka through the Brita filter six times before tasting the vodkas next to one another. In the end, the Brita-filtered Gordon’s did taste better than the undoctored version, but the top-shelf brands were still the best.
The problem, says Dave Smith, distiller at St. George Spirits (which makes Hangar One vodka), “is that cheap vodka is made with low-quality ingredients, so there’s only so much cleaning that can be done to it.” Smith also points out that filtering the vodka after it’s made will take away any aromatics, nuances, and flavors the distiller might have wanted to be there.
I am new at this game and was wondering the same thing myself???? I live in the country and was wondering if i make it from pure rainwater and water it down with rainwater do i still need to filter it at all.????
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/474541
cool. very interesting. I saw something like this on tv. I think the show was mythbusters?
"Smith also points out that filtering the vodka after it’s made will take away any aromatics, nuances, and flavors the distiller might have wanted to be there."
I'm thinking any of that "stuff" that Gordon's wanted to make "be there", you'd probably wanna take out anyway!
I've done tests like this and then infused with vanilla bean and the like. It works.
Great topic here though.
Hmmm ... sound like it might be a good way to improve the taste of vodka-based mixed drinks. Not simple ones where the quality of the vodka makes a difference, but ones with lots of different stuff mixed together where the vodka basically just adds volume and alcohol.
I've often heard of this. The scientist in me wonders if an expensive vodka was run through a Brita filter numerous times and included in the double-blind study how it would compare to the others.
Would all vodka, regardless of quality, taste the same out of a Brita?
Mythbusters did this. They had a bargain Vodka and ran it through 6 fresh filters or something like that and compared it to a top shelf Vodka. They had two show members and a professional taster do a blind study. The pro and one of the hosts could tell the difference, but the much younger host couldn't.
this definitely works. i used to do this in college and ran a bottle of cheap rasputin vodka through a brita filter 5-7 times and it tasted great. we used it mostly for mixed drinks, and it seemed to help avoid hang overs too
Have your first martini made of high quality vodka. After that, it does not matter!
Cooks' Illustrated did this, running the cheap stuff through 4 x's and came to the conclusion that it made better mixed drinks, and would be fine for cooking, but if you're going to drink it neat, just drink the good stuff.