Scipio

Being the cheapo that I am, I've decided that I can stand to get drunk on something cheaper than smirnoff. All I've really had of the cheap stuff is heaven hill, and it was shitty. Any suggestions?

Bigwahzoo

I believe blue label Popov is what you are looking for. It is 100 proof and costs less than 10 dollars for a fifth. If you are looking for quality you will want to stay with the smirnoff but for ultimate cheapness go with the Popov.
Also as a warning you will be more likely to get sick off this cheap ass vodka.

juanvaldes

Be prepared for killer hangovers.

TaLoN

5 o'clock

duckduck

While you'll need to check the laws in your area and I in no way condone this (plus, I'm not liable if you bugger it up), you could always just brew your own:

http://www.thickos.co.uk/index.html

Though, I'd recommend using the newer stack distillers and starting off with beer rather than your own mash if you're a beginner.

Before you get all gung hoo, realize the dangers:

http://www.happinessonline.org/BeTemperate/p27.htm#1

Ethanol = good
Methyl alcohol = bad
Ethanol fuel at gas station = would be good if they didn't add benzene (ya know, makes it kinda poisonous...........which is a bad thing in my books )

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jujueye

I recommend NOT DOING THAT! Seriously, life is too short for cheap:

Vodka
Beer
Women
Cars

wait...i suppose we could scratch women...heh heh.....

Go for Absolut, or Belvedereand thank me later. Absolut goes down like water, baby!

World's King

I only drink the good stuff. Ketal One.

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apetaster

Look for something distilled or distributed out of Lewiston Maine. Made from only the best bruised, rotting and otherwise unusable spuds Maine has to offer.

KillerYoda

Drink Skol vodka. It tastes like shit, but it's cheap as hell.

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greytone

Drink at least the middle of the road stuff. The economics force more responsible imbibing.

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phoenix1002

Reminds me of one of my friends... Wanted a white russian, but only had some cheap stuff.. don't remember what. So he went to get some milk, but only had soy milk. So he used that! White russian made with cheap vodka and soy milk. Does it get worse than that?

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GuttersnipeXL

Now your speaking my language1

I think Fleischmans vodka is cheaper than Smirnoff, and is equally as good.

Like WK says though, Ketel One...Grey Goose, Van Gogh orange is quite tasty....too many to list.

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davidc209

I generally drink Ketal One. Somebody brought over a bottle of Sky Vodka over here last weekend at a small party I had. That stuff is on the cheap side, but it didn't taste too bad. I usually use vodka to make mixed drinks (hate it straight up), so it's hard to distinguish the good stuff from the bad when it's mixed in with a bunch of other shit.

Liquor Dealer

Someone once told me that Viaka or Barton's is in the price range you are talking about and I understand they aren't bad if you use them to mix - probably wouldn't be as good straight as what you've been drinking.

Binder

i agree cheap liquor is guaranteed way to a horrible hangover. is saving a few bucks worth a really bad hangover?

blkdmnd

Gordon's vodka has been ranked right up there with Absolut and Stoli. $7.95 a fifth around here. Vodka is one booze I can drink on the cheap. Scotch on the other hand.......

BTW, the hangover is more a result of what you mix it with. Drink it neat or on the rocks.

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MSD

Actually, duckduck, they don't add benzene. The preferred method of purifying alcohol is distillation. Distilling it normally will get nearly pure alcohol, but some water will remain. The only way to get it 100% water-free is to distill it over hot benzene. In this process, it picks up some of the benzene vapor, which is less harmful to the combustion process than water.

Ashton

duckduck

Really MrSelfDestruct? I was under the impression that fuel companies that produce ethanol fuel put in additives (ie. benzene) so that people couldn't separate the fuel and get cheap booze. I always thought that they added addition benzene because of the distilling process like you mentioned. If they don't add benzene to the ethanol car fuel, what is it? While I don't distill my own, the whole "screw-the-people-outta-booze" thing the fuel companies do intrigues me. If you know anymore about it, I'd appreciate you sharing it here.

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Met22

Smirnoff Vodka is the cheapest I would go.
If you are a martini drinker it is worth paying a little more.
Kettle One isn't a bank breaker

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dimbulb

or you could use ethylene glycol (antifreeze) in the distillation process. In industry, distillation is not widely used, its mostly done using membranes and whatnot due to the high energy costs in distillation ( its actually at LEAST 2 distillations if you use a 3rd compound like glycol)

yes... it is a BAD BAD idea to drink industrial ethanol. It's will definitely have been spiked with something that makes it uncomsumable to make it tax-exempt.....

Sticky

Want to hear about really cheap vodka.

When I was in Israel for the summer of 1994, my friends and I found what I believe is probably the cheapest ever foudn in a democratic non-post-communist country.

In one of the most famous markets in Jerusalem we found vodka for 4 dollars a 750ml bottle. The vodka was from a company called Kedem. They are a respectable company so it was very surprising to find Vodka that cheap.

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dimbulb

oh.... they might add methanol....which is methyl alcohol...
which will make you go blind.....

ethanol is common alcohol

SaltPork

how about New Hampshire vodka? Distilled in scenic Londonderry, NH. No finer a paint thinner...uh...grain spirit has there been.

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boatguy234

00

Frosstbyte

I recommend the wonderful Kamchatka vodka. Worst...stuf...ever...But really cheap.

YzermanS19

Cossack Vodka in the NE is pretty cheap and not too bad. Its better for mixing into screwdrivers and stuff, and I'd have a beer or two afterward.

Just dont drink the shit staight, it'll kill you.

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limited

Crystal Palace is my fav cheap vodka. 10 bucks for 40oz.

JStrider

McKormics vodka is very cheap... and tastes like shit untill youve had 7 or 8 shots of it....

i usually go with Sky vodka...

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bundy

dude, stuff the vodka thing... just try lighter fluid. mixed with coke...WOW - nothing nastier (but hey, its cheap).

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yournamehere

Uh . . . maybe old coffee grounds instead of Kahlua?"

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sonofagun

I realize this is an old (ancient...) post, but I found it on google, and I joined your forums, so shoot me.

'Cheap' vodka is obvious, but drinkable is relative. Some people can stand to take shots of 5 O'Clock (less than $15 for a half-gallon around here), while some people can't stand Skyy even when it's mixed (I like Skyy, personally...) but here's the thing - and I'm amazed that more people haven't heard of this - filter it.

I'm sure many of you have read vodka labels where they've said "charcoal filtered" or "triple filtered" or something of that sort. Don't think they're doing some super-scientific expensive process - because they're not. In fact, it's super-ultra simple and easy. It's weird, but I heard about this on TechTV (which is now G4, and unwatchable) during the show "The Screen Savers." (it's somewhat possible that the episode is still indexed on the site somewhere, but since G4 took over, I want nothing to do with them, or their website).

Anyways, here's the deal - there's two options here, one is a little more expensive, but technically easier, and the other is cheaper but involves a little more work (go figure...).

Option 1: Britta.

Buy a Britta water filter, the kind that's a jug that you fill a reservoir at the top, and the liquid goes through the filter and collects in the pitcher. Among a few other minor ingredients, the major ingredient in the filter is activated charcoal. Many "top shelf" vodka producers filter their vodka through activated charcoal - once, twice, or more. The Britta filter isn't designed for this, so it's not as efficient at filtering alcohol as it is water.

So instead of filtering it once, filter it about 3-4 times. Usually my friends and I (generally before a party... if it's just us, we'll just deal with the awful vodka ) filter our vodka about 4 times if we're using a Britta filter. Just keep the container the vodka came in (we'll usually get 5 O'Clock when doing this, oh so cheap), and filter it through the Britta, pour it back into the bottle when it's all done (the Britta filter we got holds a gallon, but the reservoir doesn't hold nearly as much), and pour it back into the reservoir and repeat. For your first time doing this, if you're skeptical, try a shot after each time you filter (you have to try one when it's in its putrid, unfiltered form too, for science's sake). After 3 or 4 filters (depending on the new-ness of the filter you've got in your Britta thing, and the nastiness of the vodka to begin with) you'll have very smooth vodka, with very little aftertaste. The burn is still there, but that's the alcohol, and unavoidable - but even then, the burn isn't as bad, and goes away more quickly. We've used one Britta filter for two gallons of vodka, and it still works pretty well. Don't expect it to last as long as when filtering water though.

Option 2: pure activated charcoal
This is cheaper. To find activated charcoal, visit your local Walmart/Meijer (I'm in the mid-west) etc. and find their animal supplies. If they've got a freshwater fish section, you're made. (I don't suggest pet stores as much, because they often have a higher price, but if all else fails, you can always find it at a pet store that carries fish.) There are probably other places you can find it, but I'm going with what I know .

Use a coffee filter, and fold it Chemistry-class-wise (a google search may turn something up... basically you fold it in half, then fold it in half again, then open up one of the cones [there should be two]). Fill it with some activated charcoal (more = more filtration, and it will last a little longer [ie... maybe two or three times through], but if you've got a cheap source of a. charcoal, your best results would be from changing it every time), and pour some water through it until it doesn't run grey (there's always some dust that will get through until it is washed out. If you skip that and just put the alcohol through, it will turn charcoal colored, and have some a. charcoal in it. It won't hurt anyone, but it's not as good for looks.). After it's clear, start filtering your vodka. Best results would be from changing the filter and a. charcoal after each time through, but a half-cup of a. charcoal is usually okay at filtering two or three times. Using this method, depending on how much a. charcoal you're using, and how many filtrations you let it go through with one filter, we usually say it's good enough after about 4 times through.

Presto-Chango : Top-shelf vodka.

So, my advice is to go buy a half-gallon of paint-thinner/rubbing alcohol vodka, and filter to your heart's content.

UndeadFred

In short, don't even consider home made vodka unless you know how to avoid the dangers of methanol, how not to make yourself blind drinking it, and... if you're looking for advice here, then you don't know enough. Don't do it!

And even if you're blind already, I bet there are several *other* nasty side effects to methanol poisoning...

Esen

Swedka is a cheap decent vodka for mixing.

Swedka is a cheap decent vodka for mixing.

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Craven Morehead

Mythbusters did a segment on this. Their conclusion = Busted!

soccerchamp76

Mythbusters isn't the end-all of what is actually true.

If you think of what vodka is, then you can help yourself.
Vodka is just pure grain alcohol (95% pure, as high as water distillation gets), diluted with water until it reaches 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.

Now that is out of the way, there are two things you can purify, the water or the alcohol. The only thing that separates the good vodka from the cheap vodka is the filteration and purification. Less purification, less manufacturing costs = cheaper price.

The Brita filtration system does work!

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thingstodo

Hangovers are actually caused by low electrolytes.

Your body measures the amount of fluid inside based on the electrolyte levels. When you drink a lot, you pee a lot, and there go your salts. As a result, your body retains fluid. The symptoms are a headache from the extra pressure and cotton mouth from your mouth being sealed up to retain fluids. Sweat mixers also make you feel bad, especially when you can no longer pee because your body is sealed up.

The best cure for a hangover is prevention. Just drink a quart of Gatorade or Power ade, etc. before going to bed. It's always worked for me and everyone I've shared this tip with. Or, get up and go with a little hair of the dog!

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Frosstbyte

I'm not sure what part of the myth Mythbusters was testing, but Brita filtered cheap vodka definitely tastes better than non-filtered cheap vodka. It tastes clean, as predicted, without the mineral-y crap taste you usually get., though obviously without the finesse flavors of Chopin, Kettle One, Grey Goose, etc.

It's a bit of a pain in the ass, and there's no getting around that, but if you don't believe it, I'd definitely try it. I think you'll be surprised.

MSD

Quoted for truth.

hunnychile

The Binder speaks the truth. Better to drink the good stuff if you want to feel better in the morning.

I would never want to be the kind of drinker who always looks for the cheapest stuff around. My friends would hate to party at my place. But then, that's just my personal opinion.

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