Slog - Comments on Product Placement http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement As much as I hate prattling on about a place that's already gotten plenty of love from the Stranger (particularly one sited a mere three blocks from my house), I would feel criminally negligent if I didn't let y'all know that Liberty, the new-ish sushi/Internet bar on Capitol Hill, is now, as far as I'm aware, the only bar in Seattle serving the best damn vodka on God's green earth— Tito's Handmade Vodka from Austin, Texas. The web site says it's micro-distilled six times or some such, but the reason I like Tito's is because it's the platonic ideal of... Copyright 2008 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:59:31 -0800 Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:55:46 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by COMTE Sounds like what you really desire is pure grain alcohol, aka Everclear. 190 proof and completely odorless and tasteless.

Unfortunately, also completely unavailable in WA State (unless you know certain people who know certain people, if you know what I mean).

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470928 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470928 Conflict of Interest Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:25:46 -0800 Comment by YLlama Is it really worth drinking flavorless liquor? After making the effort to become a serious drinker, I find bourbon vastly more appealing than vodka, no matter how good. But perhaps you're not serious about drinking?

]]> YLlama http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470945 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470945 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 01:37:12 -0800 Comment by SeattleExile Dude, Erica - what about just drinking water?

]]> SeattleExile http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470965 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470965 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:12:46 -0800 Comment by Fry Day Several times over the years I've bought Vodka(pla)Tonics for women. All it's gotten me has been flaccid strungout drama. Strictly Buttery Nipples and Sex On The Beach from here on.

]]> Fry Day http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470968 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470968 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:28:18 -0800 Comment by ImaginaryDavid I'm with you, Erica. Give me a clean vodka on ice and I'll sip on that all night long. Vodka burns clean and leaves one with little or no hangover, if you don't spoil it with tonic...

]]> ImaginaryDavid http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470971 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c470971 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:41:37 -0800 Comment by JenMoon if that is what you are looking for, erica, try Crater Lake. it's 10 times charcoal filtered and has that lovely smooth clean taste. really really nice. only a couple places carry it (capitol hill arts center lounge on 12th and a couple places downtown) but the liquor stores all have it for a little over $20/bottle...

]]> JenMoon http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471029 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471029 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:41:02 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Vodka is piss. Drink brown liquor. Drink liquor with soul. Drink liquor that tastes like something.

Ninety-nine out of a hundred vodka drinkers couldn't tell a blind tasting between any high-end plain vodka and Potter's, Cossack, or 3-Star.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471038 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471038 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:53:59 -0800 Comment by Foodie I love a crisp Vodka and often complement it with artesianal cheeses. Thanks for the tip on this sushi internet place. Do they have wi-fi?

]]> Foodie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471104 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471104 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 13:25:58 -0800 Comment by ECB Yes, Liberty has wi-fi.

]]> ECB http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471213 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471213 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:08:20 -0800 Comment by grumpypants I agree with Jenmoon- Crater Lake is excellent. Even more overlooked, however, is Pearl, a five times distilled pleasure from BC with a schizophrenic image problem. I think they have changed their bottle design 5 times in the last 5 years. Regardless, it is my favorite vodka. Hat tip to Tito's, though: Austin is my old stomping ground. I didn't know Tito's was available up here.

]]> grumpypants http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471224 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471224 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:58:16 -0800 Comment by Gomez I tried vodka and it ain't my thing. I'm a gin guy.

]]> Gomez http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471250 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471250 Conflict of Interest Fri, 29 Sep 2006 19:30:15 -0800 Comment by Liberty Yo, Erica.

There's no doubt that the brown liquor in terms of taste and body would win any contest. In fact, here at Liberty, Robb Sheldon, our head bartender, is a bourbon freak so we have all sorts of really good bourbons that you've probably not ever tasted. And, in fact (when available) we carry the whole Pappy Van Winkle family of bourbons, including the 23 year that's probably the best-tasting liquor that I've ever tried.

That said, last week, we did a blind vodka taste test between these vodkas: Grey Goose, Ketel, Stoli, Luksusowa, Ciroc (it's not really vodka, made from grain or potato, but grapes which I put it in as a wildcard) and our well vodka, Gordon's.

Guess what won? Would you guess Goose? Ketel? Stoli? Luksusowa? Nope. It was the Gordon's!!! 20 people showed up for the tasting, and more people picked Gordon's, and then in second? Ciroc.

In terms of how tasteless vodka is, I have to say that when you are tasting them next to eachother, the tastes do come out.

And, you're right about the taste of Tito's. The taste is so distintively better than anything else that a case can be made that all vodka is not equal.

On that note, we're doing a tasting of the same six (or any other of our many vodkas) for anyone that would like to have a blind taste test. Just ask for the test - but, hopefully not when we're really busy...

Hey Jen, how goes it?

]]> Liberty http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471382 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/09/product_placement#c471382 Conflict of Interest Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:55:46 -0800