Saturday, February 5, 2011

Vodka vs. Scotch - a drink for different occasions

When it comes to alcoholic drinks, I am not an elitist.  I like scotch, and found myself developing an interest in appreciating it, but that does not mean I ONLY drink scotch.  Today, I am going to talk about Vodka, one of the world's most popular liquors, and my opinion between the two alcohol. 

But first, a little background knowledge about vodka.  The drink originated from Russia in the 14th century.  Its name is derived from "Voda", which is the Russian word for water. 

One of the things paid extra attention to when making vodka is the purity of the water used.  The purer the water used to make the drink, the better it is.  This is why you often hear the top vodka producers advertising they "triple distilled" their water in an attempt to eradicate every impurity from the final product. 

The main reason for vodka's popularity is because of its versatility.  It is generally smoother compared to scotch.  A lot of drinks have a vodka base; vodka can be mixed with most mixers like orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, milk, Kahlua or soda.  Vodka has been the most popular selling spirit in the United States for some time now, and has all but replaced gin as the base in Martinis. 

                                                                                   Vodka Martini

Vodka, to put it simply, is ethanol and water.  It is generally odourless and flavorless, and lacks "character".  Scotch, on the other hand, is aged in wood barrels for anywhere between 3 - 50 years to develop that oak-y flavor.  The steps in scotch production tries to maximize flavor components in order to give the drink that distinct "character", and is significantly more complex than that of vodka's.

So which drink is "better"?  Well, it depends on what the occasion is.  If you are partying with friends in a bar or at a house-party, vodka is the clear leader here.  Cocktails such as Cosmopolitan, martini, long island tea, white and black Russians are all made with vodka. 

Go for a nice scotch if you are in a more formal ambiance, or when you are in a situation where you can really take the time to appreciate the drink instead of chugging it down.  You can do shots with vodka, whereas scotch is more suitable for sipping and savoring. 

On a personal note, I like drinking vodka in the form of cocktails.  But I can never, ever drink it neat.  That's receipe for throwing up for me. 

Fun fact: even though both scotch and whisky are 80-proof in alcohol content, over-drinking on whisky will give you a worse hangover than vodka according to a study by researchers from Brown University

Whatever your choice of drink is, bottoms-up my friend.

87 comments:

  1. To be honest I'm more of a vodka person ^^, I love white russians as well form time to time.

    The reason why you get a worse hangover is because vodka is clear and scotch is a "colored" drink. I read that somewhere!

    Thanks for your comment on my blog :)

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  2. I usually don't drink, gave it up a long time ago :3

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  3. Great article.
    I like it how you compare the two depending on the occasion and you are spot on; scotch is more... Gentlemanly?
    But, I have to say that, for a long time now, vodka has been my poison of choice.

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  4. I've always ended up being more of a vodka man. But then again, the only time I drink is when I'm with friends.

    I'll take a white Russian any time though.

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  5. ugh vodka is the only reason my face comes within inches of a toilet seat... ugh


    more scotch! lol JK...

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  6. Haha how'd you change your comment thing to say "classy". That's classy lol

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  7. I don't always drink scotch but I find that I usually stick to whisky/whiskey. I have a fondness for Irish whiskey and bourbon, as well.

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  8. Vodka is the way to go my friends.

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  9. Vodka is just evil... I always end up in a bad way when I drink that stuff.
    It's crazy in Russia where they have supermarkets full of different types of vodka - my one vodka tip run it through a water filter (britta filter) to improve the taste

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  10. Vodka is dangerous because it has little flavour. You don't notice how much you drink... And then suddenly you find yourself on a traffic island and think how the fuck did I get here...

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  11. yep i completely agree with you here my friend.

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  12. beer is my vodka and scotch of choice

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  13. i stay very far away from vodka!

    your friend,
    ectomorphmuscle.blogspot.com

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  14. one of the few things me and Winston Churchill have in common: Johnny Black

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  15. Vodka is great but I def prefer dricks with character, like whiskey. Good post, I enjoyed it :)

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  16. vodka is good for getting plastered fast.

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  17. I prefer vodka too, but this is interesting

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  18. I prefer vodka for mixed dtinks like bloody marys and such likes, it's not really a 'sipping' drink like a good neat scotch is.
    I don't put anything in my whisky apart from 1 cube :-)

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  19. I didn't know that whisky will give you a worse hangover than vodka - great info on alcohol. Thanks

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  20. Scotch is great, just don't drink too much. ;)

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  21. you left out the fact that vodka is better for shooting up. i would personally only inject clear alcohols, though i know other people who have injected whiskey, it's much worse for your veins.

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  22. guess i prefer vodka. no hangover!

    numberrumbler.blogspot.com

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  23. I like scotch better...i hate the taste of vokda lol

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  24. I'm more of a vodka guy, scotch kills my throat...

    StarcraftIICommentary.blogspot.com

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  25. i don't drink but thanks to you i'm learning alot

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  26. Not big on Vodka, but I can see why people do use it. I think I'd take scotch.

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  27. It's agood thing your not favoriting any of the drinks, your post is just a clear view on the situation betwen those two alcochols, I agree wtih your opinion entirely.

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  28. Vodka straight for me. Love it.

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  29. I prefer rum. tell me about rum scotch man. Also, did you use the plural of alcohol as alcohol not alcohols?

    real cute buddy. thanks for the info

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  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  31. Vodka is fine for mixing with fruit juice. But for drinking neat Scotch is by far the best.

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  32. this post got me in the mood to drink this saturday night!

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  33. Vodka cocktails are a nice break form the norm. Sometimes gin if I'm drinking on the cheap.
    -Supported by, Maniacal

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  34. Haven't been out for a drink in awhile.. might have to soon.
    pectoralfinnnreviews.blogspot.com

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  35. I'm having a bloddy mary right now. Sadly I'm now out of mix, so my next drink tonight will either be plain vodka or vodka mixed with spaghetti sauce.

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  36. If I am to choose from these two, I'll take Vodka. I never developed the love for Scotch.

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  37. I prefer scotch but vodka is good at times.

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  38. It may be heresy, but I like Wild Turkey Bourbon. Following, supporting, and toasting to your health!

    Cheers!

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  39. you read my comment! :)



    following and supporting!

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  40. Interesting. I prefer vodka, but that's because I binge drink horribly!

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  41. No disrespect, but I can't stand Vodka. The most I can ever handle it is if it is mixed into a cocktail with multiple other tastes. Scotch or Tequila are my choice liquors.

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  42. I'm not a drinker, but I am intrigued by all the different types and combination of drinks.

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  43. Hmmm, what about sake do you enjoy that?

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  44. Vodka straight is awful. Its nice to mix tho.

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  45. vodka isn't too bad, i like a nice screwdriver from once in awhile

    http://lifeofbaron.blogspot.com

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  46. I like scotch but I love vodka. I have my own mix drink called the Pendragon. It is great.

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  47. I drink vodka more regularly than scotch, sometimes you just want something easy to drink like vodka & juice or lemonade.

    A nice scotch is great after dinner with a fat cigar ;)

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  48. alcohol has really strong side effects if you compare it to other substances
    i never think there's an occasion where i should drink scotch or vodka, and when i think there is it doesn't end well
    followin

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  49. I never knew this about Vodka. Never been and liquor drinker, but I was planning on getting into scotch. Sometimes, you just gotta class it up.

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  50. Not a special type of drink guys, but I'd love to try that. I'm used to PBR, so I'm not to hard to please haha.

    You should make a review on a perfect white russian.

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  51. I always have vodka mixed, and generally only have it when im out somewhere. at home i like to have a nice sip of scotch infront of the fire once in a while.

    Feels good man


    Follow me brethrens!

    http://seedypete.blogspot.com/

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  52. this is a good read, i remember reading a how-to in a mens magazine on drinking scotch when i was 16, but i never got the opportunity to put forth what i learned. I was used to the cheap vodka that the older kids would get us and keep the change from the money we gave them, so maybe experience has soured me from vodka. ill give it another try. thanks

    http://israelcarrascojokes.blogspot.com/

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  53. I have always been a fan of scotch, well to be honest any of the darker drinks but i will agree that for cocktails and partying vodka is leagues ahead

    Check by my blog for a nerdy giveaway and a freaky artist

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  54. pretty interesting!
    skotch!!

    http://all-around-toto.blogspot.com

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  55. Vodka and orange last night... Worst hangover ever this morning...

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  56. I don't normally drink... But when I do I choose vodka.

    Mmm

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  57. I can only drink vodka now in a cocktail. In my younger years, I often drank it straight from the bottle and, let me tell you, its a nasty type of hangover. Now I cant really appreciate it.

    Whisky is the drink for me now, but I guess I could try scotch, cant remember if I ever did.

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  58. I usually don't car what I drink, I have recently started trying sake though!

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  59. White russian is one of my favorite drinks, although i'm a beer man by nature

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  60. vodkas my choice of drink, but i always enjoy reading your posts!

    Following and supporting!
    http://benny-lava.blogspot.com/

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  61. hmm i didnt know hangovers are worst drinking whiskey. interesting.

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  62. I've heard that vodka's hangovers are less due to vodka having less impurities in it. Its, as you say just ethanol and water, and as, everyone should know, hangovers are mostly due to dehydration and lack of water.

    Check me out at:
    http://brassdragons.blogspot.com/

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  63. I've tried whiskey many times but it's just not my cup of tea.

    I'm Pole, so vodka on the other hand...

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  64. vodka gets me into trouble, scotch would be my choice

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  65. It's official I make the absolute best vodka martinis. It's a secret recipe combination that I keep in my head. I don't like mixing scotch so two measures over lite ice and im good. To those that can't stand the burn of scotch, you're drinking it wrong

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  66. If I am going to drink I prefer vodka. I don't care if that is what the majority of people from the united states drinks and that is actually news to me. I see most talking about everything other than vodka in movies and on tv and I thought vodka wasn't as popular but I prefer it mainly because it goes down smooth. I used to be a rum drinker and my body now hates it. I have tried a lot of other types and they seem to be thick compared to vodka.

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  67. My experience of vodka; it's a drink for people who want to become intoxicated but don't want to have to think about complicated flavours.

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    Replies
    1. I should say; there's nothing wrong with that, if that's your bag.

      Delete
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  72. Interesting post about different scotches! I'm a big fan of the Brothers Bourbon.

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