Plastic Jug Vodkas Have Their Moment

0903vodka.jpg All you secret lovers of bargain basement vodka brands like Popov and Majorkska can now rejoice, for some of your secret shame has been lifted: Your drink of choice (doesn’t matter which one, really, as long as it’s cheap) is now the “it” drink of choice. The Times reported Sunday that dubious vodkas—ones that might have a butane-heavy nose, for example, or a lush isopropyly bouquet—are outselling expensive liquor, and how. “The lower-end stuff is definitely flying out the door,” says a rep from Sherry-Lehmann, and a liquor store in Montclair N.J., last week sold out of Majorska (from $2.89), while Grey Goose fumbled. This has happened despite the overwhelming popularity and timeliness of a Chesley Sullenberger-inspired cocktail called "The Sully”: two shots of Goose with "a splash of water." The Times also shouts out the long-suffering and lower priced Smirnoff, which won a Times-conducted taste test in 2005, beating the 2004 Slate-anointed brand Chopin. Suggested food pairing for Popov? Join the economy minded, newly formed Society for the Appreciation of the Lowly Tinned Sardine.

Email This Entry


Comments (30) [rss]

user-pic

it should also be noted that the cheaper liquor buys have nothing to do with the economy, it's just hipster schwag.

Hopefully they'll bring back Fire Island-brand vodka! I swear they used to sell this stuff at the Pines liquor store a few years ago. Very, very bottom-shelf. Literally!

Buy local! Majorska is bottled in Clifton.

Vodka is not aged, like whiskey - it's stupid to buy more expensive brands.

I personally like Gordon's brand vodka - definitely much better than Georgi or Popov.

Vodka is filtered better than others though and vodka with lots of impurities can just rip through you system like whoa.

The stuff is disgusting. If you REALLY want a two day hangover and to destroy your liver, please, go ahead and buy cheap vodka. That 10 bucks you saved is totally worth it.

user-pic

Screw that. I'm sticking to my Stoli.

This stuff is like draino for your digestive track + the buzz usually sucks and a hangover is pretty much a guarantee no matter how much water and pseudofrin you take before passing out. I'll stick with Ketel One, thanks.

Ha! I'm IN. Got a jug at home as we speak. It mixes great with Crystal Light of all flavors!

user-pic

You could pass the cheap stuff through a water filter...

Maybe some of you vodka snobs should try Dan Akroyd's Crystal Head Vodka. It is filtered through diamonds and I'm sure would be easier on your delicate digestive systems.

Gordon's, Stoli, and Ketel One qualify as "snob" vodkas now?

On the bright side, one could view drinking an entire jug of Popov as getting a low-cost colonic because if you don't die, you definitely will be spending the entire next day on the shitter.

Popov - Because Sight Is Overrated.

My fiance seems to think a good cheap vodka is Svedka, we can get a jug of that stuff for $23(seems cheap compared to the other big name ones). Anyway, Cheers to whatever your drinking!

Tinned sardines are really not that cheap.

Anyone ever read the story of Grey Goose? Yep, it's imported from France, but the entire product is a marketing gimmick invented in America by Sidney Frank, the guy who brought us Jagermeister (and shot girls). Before Frank, no one had ever made vodka in France before. I do like Grey Goose, but I think Smirnoff is nearly as good and if you're making screwdrivers or other mixed drinks it's hard to tell the difference.

A few passes through a Brita filter take the edge off the cheap crap.

you filter your vodka through a Brita? really?

I like Sobieski--awesome and cheap.

Vodka is a flavorless odorless spirit. If you are mixing it with anything I venture to say you can't taste the difference btw Popov and Grey Goose. People are just pretentious snots.

But save those Grey Goose bottles anyway and refill 'em with the cheap stuff. It's much easier getting on the plane with a nice bottle.

Never trust a vodka made and bottled in Stamford, Connecticut.

Hey man, if yo get laid off and want to get drunk without paying 100 bucks for the opportunity, for a change.. cheap booze is a godsend.

I hear Old Warsaw is a pretty good brand of Vodka.

I recall buying plastic bottles of 'Pub Club' swill back in the day....haven't seen it since.

What happened to Poland Spring vodka? That stuff is truly death.

I'm sticking to Ketel. I'm not a wine or booze snob (but yes a ganja snob) or anything, but let's face it the cheap stuff smells and tastes like my asscrack. If I get laid off, I'll probably change my mind though.

I like the people on here trying to make it a health thing, as if Grey Goose or Stoli are good for you.

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Contribute

Latest Tip:

Newest Crazy Ebay Listing
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS

Follow us