Vodka is a favorite for a number of Americans. The vodka brands list shows how much love Americans show vodka. In fact, many of them know more about vodka than other spirits. While everyone has their own preferred vodka favorite, not many know of the difference between vodka and other spirits.
Many of them only know of vodka from advertisements and other marketing campaigns, but today we’ll take a deeper look at how and why vodka is different from other spirits.
The Distillation Process
For other spirits like Tequila, Rum, Whiskey, and Brandy, the distillation process ends at around 40 to 55% alcohol volume. You see, the more you distill, the more impurities you get rid of. This means other distinct flavors in the drink.
On the other hand, vodka has a more precise process. First off, the sugars and yeast are left to mix to create the alcohol. This will go on until 15% alcohol volume is achieved. The reason it stops there is, past 15% the yeast will die.
To increase alcohol concentration, the liquid has to be distilled to separate the other liquids from the alcohol. The distillation goes to about 95.75% alcohol volume and this where the difference comes in.
Vodka is a tasteless, bland and neutral compared to other spirits like gin, which has a herbal trace. This is because vodka has is water-based. Even its Slavic word Voda, where vodka derives its name, means water.
Its initial purpose when vodka came out, was to provide a drink without any additives. In fact, if you are looking to get drunk alone, vodka is your best bet. The only thing in there apart from water is alcohol and the signature “burn” as it travels down your throat. As a matter of fact, because of its lack of taste, is where the next difference comes in.
The Mixes and Cocktails
Other spirits also provide good mixes and cocktails. However, mixologists prefer vodka. First off, because it’s an ingredient for a number of cocktails starting with a simple drink like the Screwdriver then moving to a more advanced drink like Cosmopolitan and then finally getting to the Vodka Martini.
By moving up the ladder like that, a beginner gets accustomed to the drink without interfering with the taste like other spirits would.
