www.CostaRicaTicas.com

While I consider myself a rum expert, I know very little about vodka.
I love Bloody Marys, and always enjoy a couple on Saturday or Sunday
afternoons to 'take the edge off'. Making a good Bloody Mary is an art.
Funny thing about Bloody Marys...either they are excellent or, if not made
correctly, taste like crap. Questions for Tman or others...where in CR can I get an excellent Bloody Mary? Mi amigo Eduardo at the bar La Cantina
at the BW Irazu makes a decent one, and I also had a good one from Minor at the pool bar at the Parador in Manuel Antonio (although it was $7 if I remember correctly).
Admin 1...I know you love Stoli. Recently, I've compared Stoli to other brands such as Skyy, and there's no comparison. Stoli is far better than most other brands. Should I try the Stoli flavored varieties (raspberry, vanilla, etc.)? Is Stoli indeed the best Vodka? I know Grey Goose gets a lot of publicity, but it's probably due to the bottle. Doesn't Stoli make a
special brand called Ultimate? Have you tried that?
Is it true that Vodka isn't noticable on your breath? I know you can smell rum a mile away (probably due to the high sugar content). I know some people keep Vodka in their freezer. Doe that make it that much better?
Thanks in advance for any answers/advice!

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Well being the drunk that I am I'll chime in here....

First off I am not a fan of Tomato Juice so asking me where to find a bloody mary is not going to help....

Now Vodka... I have been drinking in the states for years Grey Goose and Kettle 1. Goose is quite smooth, but kettle is smooth and it has a bit of a charcoal flavor or smokey flavor that I enjoy. Incidently Blind Chicago Taste test gave Goose the #1 rated vodka in the world many years running.

As I started to travel to CR I found that Stoli Red $8.00 Per Liter or Stoli Gold $10.00 per .750 ML at duty free were by far the best value in town. Gold comes in at #3 on the world taste taste and Stoli Red #7 if I believe. Thier prices in the states were every bit as high as Goose or Kettle.

I find the red as a bit more bite but the Gold is as good as it gets. Smooth with some flavor. If your comparing apples to apples as in this case and your dealing with the price difference than Stoli Gold by far is the place to be. They even have at Duty free a very rate Stoli Blue 100 PROOF. IT is by far way to strong for me and I can not handle it, but for the heavy drinker this might be the move $10.00 for a 750ML as well.

No Vodka unless its the price smart brand (CHEAP) will not be noticable on your breath. so your safe there.

SO FOR MY DOLLAR its STOLI GOLD followed closely by the Red...

PS: Putting flavors in vodkas is in my opinion for the ladies or for making the umbrella drink.

I drink it on the rocks sin fruit so flavors are not fore me.

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"Success isn't having $$ it is knowing how to Spend It"

Thanks Gman...I'll definitely try Stoli Gold. I'll pass on the flavored varieties. I figured they were for the ladies and the 'under thirty' crowd.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Tim,

I know your questions were directed to the Admins, but I am a vodka drinker with friends in the liquor business, and here's what they told me.

Most vodkas now are distilled from mixed grains, including wheat. Stoly, Sky, Absolut and other premium vodkas all use blended grains; if you want a pure potato vodka, Chopin from Poland is a good choice

To my palate, the quality of vodka matters more when drinking it straight.

Drinking good vodka also means lower health risks. Cheap vodkas contain higher amounts of "cogeners," poisons which naturally appear during the distillation process. The longer the vodka has been distilled and the more times it has been filtered, the better it will be for your body.

In a mixed drink such as a Bloody Mary, I think vodka quality matters a bit less, although a bad vodka can ruin the drink. I think that like rums, the only way to really taste the vodka is straight; a good vodka will have a clean, slightly astringent aftertaste and will not burn on the way down.

I too would like to know where in the Gulch one can get a truly fine bloody Mary. I suspect that this is hard to find.

I never drink cheap vodka; the poisons will blossom your nose and kill your liver. I don't need Stoly...Smirnoff will do just fine for me, but I won't drink cheaper brands (Popov, Bell Boy, Karkov, Fleishman....even Seagram's brand of vodka sucks IMHO).

Now, with all this Stoly talk, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Kettle 1, Belvedere and all the wonderful but obscure "former Soviet Union" brands from Georgia, Chechnia, Poland and Russia. There's some wonderful stuff out here; go sometime to a party at your local Russian restaurant and waste yourself tasting.

I wonder what brand Circus drinks (those mini-vodka bottles...)

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

I'm a Stoli guy too. I have one bar in Jaco where I can walk them through how I like my Bloody Mary. Hotel Poseidon has all the ingredients I like so I just tell them how much of everything. I like a good dose of horseradish and lots of worcestershire. A splash of tobasco, a little bit of lime juice ( watch them on this one, they love to put too much) dash of celery salt and I'm good. I've almost quit ordering Bloodies, because unlike other drinks, you get something different everywhere you go.

I cant keep up with the pros like Gman and Ciego here...but I'll give you a couple personal preferences.

While I like Stolis for value and ease of finding in the CR market...the best vodka and cheapest at the Sportsmens Lodge is the polish brand "Wybrovka" (dont hold me to the polish spelling...but that is how it is pronounced. It has a blue label on the bottle). Also, never a hangover with this stuff.

When I can find it, I prefer SKY out of duty free for its lighter/cleaner taste and still not a bad price.

Best bloody Mary so far in CR was at TexMex in Santa Ana...made by the flaca bartendress...who unfortunately doesnt work there anymore from what I understand. Hope she left someone her recipe...

TMan wrote:



Was at Tex Mex about 2 months ago. The bartender was not gordo but would not classify her a flaca and she made a great bloody mary. Based on the bloody marys she made me I would guess she either got the other girls recipe or makes a dam good drink with her own recipe.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

In Costa Rica it is Stoli on the rocks. In the states it is Grey Goose. Actually Jessica at the BM makes my daily bloody mary every morning....trained her 2 yrs ago as to my recipe. In the states I add a bit of beef broth to the drink.

I prefer my Bloody Mary with cucumber, celery salt, horseradish, worchestershire and limon and a dash of salt and pepper. Any of that good potatoe juice will do with this concoction. Hair of the DOG!.....especially you Admin!
Pura Vida!

Now, I am getting excited........maybe it was all the chicas in the casino last night or the money I won at the slots.......anyway it's getting close to party time you sexy bitches!

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GG
"Last time I said no......I misunderstood the question!"

HEck can anyone bring down some celery salt .....

I'll buy it from you

Hand-Solo,

I will try to remember...to bring some down for you.

I arrive Feb 9 for the weekend.

See you at happy hour the 9th or 10th in the usual place?

Ace

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

GT,

Obviously, there are a lot of fans of Stoli here. Personally, I am not one of them. The reason, and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned it, is that the vodka you probably have seen people put in the freezer is Stoli, because of it's higher sugar content - when drinking it straight and out of the freezer it is almost syrupy. I don't prefer the sweeter flavor of Stoli, which by the way, would add to any hangover (sugar=impurity=headache) and I would think would also make it more noticable on the breath. I prefer an Absolut, Grey Goose, "level" from Absolut, etc. As El Ciego pointed out these would just add to the quality of a Bloody Mary, but even Smirnoff is a good pick for this purpose.

As you can probably tell, I have imbibed my share of vodka.

Enjoy,

LostinKentucky

Speaking of Russians and vodka...............

The last time I was in Piter there was a breaking news story about a Russian expat living in the US. He would buy grain alcohol and tint it blue. Then he'd ship it to Russia in 55 gal drums as window washer solvent and then somehow remove the blue tint.

Next step was to pour it into Vodka bottles and sell it to his countrymen. They actually had a few deaths from Russkis who are passionate about vodka. Especially the cheap stuff.

The point of this story is you never know what you are actually getting. Some bars pour cheap voka into the more expensive bottles. Knowing the integrity of CR bar owners I'm guessing this could never happen to any of us.

Rocco

Celery Salt.

I checked my supply.
My spice bottle was half full and marked 1992. It tasted OK.

However I went to the International Farmer's Market and bought it in bulk.
I bought a pound and a third for $2.29. I can give away two thirds of it and still have way more than enough to last me the rest of my bloody mary life.

If any other CR residents who are members need some let me know. I am visiting a buddy tomorrow to get some empty spice bottles with shaker screens to put it in for you.

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

Ace,

Would appreciate a bottle if you have enough. If you are short of bottles a baggy will work as I have empty spice bottles. Gracias

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine