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It literally isn't vodka. Everclear is a rectified spirit (pure grain alcohol) Vodka isn't anywhere near as distilled. It's less pure, a lot less. Plus vodka h

It literally isn't vodka. Everclear is a rectified spirit (pure grain alcohol) Vodka isn't anywhere near as distilled. It's less pure, a lot less. Plus vodka has a ton more water. Any time you create a liqueur you should use rectified spirits (Everclear/Crystal Clear/Golden Grain/etc) not vodka.

georgecmu 9y ago
There's quite a bit of a confusion here. Everclear is a rectified spirit (pure grain alcohol) 'Rectified' refers to the method of distillation, not purity or source. 'Rectified spirit' is not equivalent to 'pure grain alcohol'. The latter can be the former, depending on the type of distillation. The former can be the latter if it's derived from grain (rather than from e.g. potatoes). Vodka isn't anywhere near as distilled. Russian state standard for vodka specifies use of rectified alcohol. This statement doesn't make much sense, as vodka is simply diluted ethanol. Before dilution it has been distilled just as much as any other rectified ethanol. It's less pure, a lot less. Alcohol used in high-grade vodkas typically undergoes extensive filtration beyond distillation. Industrial rectified alcohol will typically contain significantly more contaminants (e.g. fusel oils) unless it's UHP lab grade and is what's used in the crappy cheap vodkas. Any time you create a liqueur you should use rectified spirits (Everclear/Crystal Clear/Golden Grain/etc) not vodka. Depends on the liqueur. Some formulations call for grappa, some for brandy, and clearly will not tolerate a substitution with a rectified spirit.
- Symbiote 9y ago
  How much worse is it to use a cheap vodka rather than a 60-95% spirit? I had planned to try making some liqueurs next month, probably with berries and/or spices, but if the vodka won't work well then I might not bother. (I'm fine with destroying a cheap bottle of vodka, it's not so expensive. The one shop that a Google search suggests might have 95% spirit sells it for almost $60/L, which is a lot for one of my food experiments that probably won't work out very well.)
  - georgecmu 9y ago
    You can get a $1.75 bottle of everclear for $35-$40 [http://www.theliquorbarn.com/everclear-grain-alcohol-190-proof-1-75l/ http://www.theliquorbarn.com/everclear-grain-alcohol-190-pro...] That should translate into < $10 for an equivalent 750 ml bottle of 40% vodka.
  - dpark 9y ago
    Depends on what you plan to do and what you mean by “cheap”. Bottom shelf vodkas taste pretty foul and aren’t good for much of anything except getting drunk cheaply. Smirnoff, however, is perfectly good for most purposes. You can definitely make liqueurs with vodka. It’ll take longer to extract flavors and the final flavor may not be as robust, though. Get 100 proof vodka if possible. The higher the proof the quicker and more efficient the extraction. I would suggest you pop into some local liquor stores and check out the pricing for 150 or 190 grain alcohol. I can’t imagine that $60 is the right price for a liter of 190. I bought a couple fifths (750 mL) a week ago from BevMo for $20 plus tax each. That was a sale price but the normal price is only $24.
    - Symbiote 9y ago
      Ok, I'll try it with the vodka. I gave the price in dollars as few will understand 395DKK, but I live in Denmark, where alcohol tax is very high. Although less than the other Nordic countries. It's cheap in Poland, but it's not permitted on aircraft, and I don't drive that way too often.

georgecmu 9y ago

There's quite a bit of a confusion here. Everclear is a rectified spirit (pure grain alcohol) 'Rectified' refers to the method of distillation, not purity or source. 'Rectified spirit' is not equivalent to 'pure grain alcohol'. The latter can be the former, depending on the type of distillation. The former can be the latter if it's derived from grain (rather than from e.g. potatoes). Vodka isn't anywhere near as distilled. Russian state standard for vodka specifies use of rectified alcohol. This statement doesn't make much sense, as vodka is simply diluted ethanol. Before dilution it has been distilled just as much as any other rectified ethanol. It's less pure, a lot less. Alcohol used in high-grade vodkas typically undergoes extensive filtration beyond distillation. Industrial rectified alcohol will typically contain significantly more contaminants (e.g. fusel oils) unless it's UHP lab grade and is what's used in the crappy cheap vodkas. Any time you create a liqueur you should use rectified spirits (Everclear/Crystal Clear/Golden Grain/etc) not vodka. Depends on the liqueur. Some formulations call for grappa, some for brandy, and clearly will not tolerate a substitution with a rectified spirit.

Symbiote 9y ago
How much worse is it to use a cheap vodka rather than a 60-95% spirit? I had planned to try making some liqueurs next month, probably with berries and/or spices, but if the vodka won't work well then I might not bother. (I'm fine with destroying a cheap bottle of vodka, it's not so expensive. The one shop that a Google search suggests might have 95% spirit sells it for almost $60/L, which is a lot for one of my food experiments that probably won't work out very well.)
- georgecmu 9y ago
  You can get a $1.75 bottle of everclear for $35-$40 [http://www.theliquorbarn.com/everclear-grain-alcohol-190-proof-1-75l/ http://www.theliquorbarn.com/everclear-grain-alcohol-190-pro...] That should translate into < $10 for an equivalent 750 ml bottle of 40% vodka.
- dpark 9y ago
  Depends on what you plan to do and what you mean by “cheap”. Bottom shelf vodkas taste pretty foul and aren’t good for much of anything except getting drunk cheaply. Smirnoff, however, is perfectly good for most purposes. You can definitely make liqueurs with vodka. It’ll take longer to extract flavors and the final flavor may not be as robust, though. Get 100 proof vodka if possible. The higher the proof the quicker and more efficient the extraction. I would suggest you pop into some local liquor stores and check out the pricing for 150 or 190 grain alcohol. I can’t imagine that $60 is the right price for a liter of 190. I bought a couple fifths (750 mL) a week ago from BevMo for $20 plus tax each. That was a sale price but the normal price is only $24.
  - Symbiote 9y ago
    Ok, I'll try it with the vodka. I gave the price in dollars as few will understand 395DKK, but I live in Denmark, where alcohol tax is very high. Although less than the other Nordic countries. It's cheap in Poland, but it's not permitted on aircraft, and I don't drive that way too often.