Smirnoff Blue 100 Proof

I'm not a vodka guy. At all. It's not that I don't like vodka, but more along the lines of I don't (or didn't) find it interesting. That is until I made a Cajun Martini. I've consumed more vodka in the last 30 days since first batching this cocktail than I'd had in the 12 months before that combined. That inspired me to take a closer look at vodka. First let's define a Cajun Martini. Here's the whole story - https://www.liquor.com/cajun-martini-cocktail-recipe-5218591 The short version to make a 750ml batched cocktail - put 450ml of vodka in a jar with a big, ripe, fresh jalapeno pepper that has been washed and cleanly split in half from stem to end with just one cut. Let the pepper infuse into the vodka for 6 to 8 hours or so. Strain the pepper out and bottle the infused vodka. Add 175ml of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth (this expression has a bit of an oregano note that some folks don't love in a Martini, but it works perfectly in this recipe, imho). Add 100 to 125 ml of distilled water to the batched drink and keep it in the freezer. Serve up in a chilled glass with a spicy pickle as the garnish. So far I've batched this drink with Smirnoff Blue, Sobieski and Luksusowa. To get a better idea of the nature of each vodka I also sampled them neat and neat/freezer-chilled. Here are my thoughts about the Smirnoff On the nose this vodka delivered ethanol and not much else. There was a dominant alcohol note and maybe a very slight hint of black pepper and of lemon rind but those required some teasing to get to and disappeared in the freezer-chilled sample. On the tongue this vodka was a bit hot with notes of black pepper and slight citrus. I noted a rich mouthfeel and overall thought it was quite neutral compared to the other vodkas we tested in this side-by-side comparison. My wife chose the Smirnoff as her favorite of the three with the Luksusowa in second place when tasted neat. I chose the opposite and had the Luksusowa as my first choice and this was my second place. When it comes to the Cajun Martini there's a monkey wrench in the gears as we both liked the Sobieski best! More about that in the upcoming review of that expression. I recommend this vodka as a solid, somewhat boring and generally average sample of the liquor style. I'm particularly interested in using this for infusions as its higher ABV may be helpful in wringing out every bit of flavor in my experiments plus I think it might stand up a bit better in complex concoctions. At the end of the day none of this is leading to a love affair with vodka, but the sweet freshness and slight capsaicin heat of the Cajun Martini will keep me entertained poolside for the foreseeable future.

Smirnoff Blue 100 proof proudly proclaims it's "ten times filtered." That's what I was looking for--a high proof, really neutral alcohol. Bought a 375ml flask for $10 to make a Cranberry Liqueur. We'll know that outcome in 3 weeks. Sneaked a taste of Ol' No.57, neat. First, It's vodka, a category of neutral spirits that runs from tasteless ethanol to mildly tasteful ethanol. So temper your expectations for this lower-shelf standby. Citrus, light caraway, and ethanol nose, quite viscous in the glass. Ethanol, caraway, grassy rye, and citrus with an oily mouthfeel. Light flavors (as expected) but not as hot as I was expecting from some reviews. Flavor lingers and then... gone. I've had worse, and I've had better, which seems like bragging for a vodka. Joke, relax. It's innocuous, which was my goal. At least at 100 proof you won't have to drink as much.

The fragrance combines the scents of ethanol, citrus, and sandalwood, . The initial impression of the palate is a blend of bittersweet beet notes. As it lingers, the finish reveals a combination of sandalwood and bitter citrus .

Oh boy. It’s like drinking fire. It’s not the worst vodka I’ve ever had, but it’s almost the worst. It just smells and tastes like ethanol

Bloody Mary