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missroseroseI've actually got a few drinking-related subjects to expound upon, but given morning time constraints, I'll start with the most dramatic:
Citrus Vodka Smackdown!
vs. 
All right, so any fight between two flavored vodkas is far likelier to be a prissy slapfight than a proper balls-to-the-wall smackdown. Still, I've been experimenting with citrus vodka quite a bit lately - not in the least due to the lemon drop kick I've been on. On the advice of several blogs, I've been using Skyy Citrus, but it didn't seem quite right to just take their word for it - and, having acquired a multipack of flavored vodka samples from Costco, I decided to see how what is possibly the world's most-advertised brand stands up to the skinny blue bottle.
In a word, not very well. To begin with, the aroma of the Absolut is significantly harsher. Part of this can possibly be attributed to the higher alcohol content (Absolut's flavored vodkas are all the full-strength 80 proof), but there's a distinct medicinal quality that's present in the flavor as well. (Having tried plain Absolut as well as several other flavors at this point, I believe I can safely say this is a problem across the entire line - perhaps the developers wanted an appropriate flavor to fit with their signature Swedish medicine-bottle shape?) There's a definite citrus flavor, true, but it's a fairly uninteresting one with little complexity.
The Skyy citrus, on the other hand, has a much more pleasant flavor and is far silkier on the tongue. There's some vodka burn, true, but it doesn't crop up until much later, giving you time to appreciate the complexity of its citrus flavors. Skyy's made a name for their flavored vodkas by claiming to use all-natural ingredients; I can't tell you if the same is true for Absolut, but I can say that, between these two flavors at least, the latter tastes much more artificial.
But since neither of these vodkas are designed to be consumed neat, it only seemed fair to make them each into a drink where their properties would be on best display. So I mixed up two lemon drops, and Brian, in the name of scientific rigor, helped me drink them (poor him).
The results? While not quite as dramatic as with the straight-up vodka, there's still a distinct difference between the two, mostly in the finish. Absolut's harshness pretty much disappears into the drink, but the single-note citrus character definitely shows up after you swallow. Similarly, Skyy's complexity of aroma really shows to advantage at the end, and makes Skyy the undisputed champion, at least in this matchup.
Winner:
vs. All right, so any fight between two flavored vodkas is far likelier to be a prissy slapfight than a proper balls-to-the-wall smackdown. Still, I've been experimenting with citrus vodka quite a bit lately - not in the least due to the lemon drop kick I've been on. On the advice of several blogs, I've been using Skyy Citrus, but it didn't seem quite right to just take their word for it - and, having acquired a multipack of flavored vodka samples from Costco, I decided to see how what is possibly the world's most-advertised brand stands up to the skinny blue bottle.
In a word, not very well. To begin with, the aroma of the Absolut is significantly harsher. Part of this can possibly be attributed to the higher alcohol content (Absolut's flavored vodkas are all the full-strength 80 proof), but there's a distinct medicinal quality that's present in the flavor as well. (Having tried plain Absolut as well as several other flavors at this point, I believe I can safely say this is a problem across the entire line - perhaps the developers wanted an appropriate flavor to fit with their signature Swedish medicine-bottle shape?) There's a definite citrus flavor, true, but it's a fairly uninteresting one with little complexity.
The Skyy citrus, on the other hand, has a much more pleasant flavor and is far silkier on the tongue. There's some vodka burn, true, but it doesn't crop up until much later, giving you time to appreciate the complexity of its citrus flavors. Skyy's made a name for their flavored vodkas by claiming to use all-natural ingredients; I can't tell you if the same is true for Absolut, but I can say that, between these two flavors at least, the latter tastes much more artificial.
But since neither of these vodkas are designed to be consumed neat, it only seemed fair to make them each into a drink where their properties would be on best display. So I mixed up two lemon drops, and Brian, in the name of scientific rigor, helped me drink them (poor him).
The results? While not quite as dramatic as with the straight-up vodka, there's still a distinct difference between the two, mostly in the finish. Absolut's harshness pretty much disappears into the drink, but the single-note citrus character definitely shows up after you swallow. Similarly, Skyy's complexity of aroma really shows to advantage at the end, and makes Skyy the undisputed champion, at least in this matchup.
