Enjoy the festive season! (Smirnoff Vodka)

Member Name: tb4ms

Product:	Smirnoff Vodka
Date:	03/12/06 (984 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It makes you tipsy and is great with mixers

Disadvantages: The cost

My love of vodka and in particular Smirnoff, began many moons ago and vodka is in fact the only alcohol that I dare to drink which can be very awkward when you go to parties etc as most people serve wine or lager. So generally this means that I have to take my own supplies along with me.

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Description of the product
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Smirnoff Red Label comes in a clear glass bottle with an embossed crown and flag type thing at the bottom of the bottle and embossed Russian writing at the neck of the bottle. As suggested by the name it has red labels on it with Triple Distilled for Purity, Premium Vodka written on it. It is the single largest selling vodka in the world

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Taste / Smell & Colour
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Often known as a firm favourite for secret drinkers due to the fact that you can't smell it on someone's breath...........you can however tell by their behaviour how much they have been drinking.

It is said to have no smell or taste. This is untrue. I've just had a sniff of the bottle and it smells almost clinical, surgical if that makes sense. But when mixed with something I find that the smell is killed off / drowned by the particular mixer that is being used.

It does definitely have a taste but not a heavy, sickly taste like JD, whiskies etc

It is clear and could be mistaken for water so keep out of reach of children!!

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Cost and Sizes
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35cl bottles are approx £5.97 (£17.06 per litre)
70cl bottles are approx £10.88 (£15.54 per litre)
1 litre bottles are approx £12.48

It is therefore one of the more expensive vodkas available which is a downside.

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Alcohol content
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37.5%

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The boring bit / The history of Vodka
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I've got to admit that drinking the stuff is better than listening to the history of it but here goes!!
~ Vodka is derived from the Russian word water 'voda', perhaps because Russians and others from the Baltic regions tend to drink it like water.
~ Pure distillation of vodka began somewhere between 1448 - 1478. There isn't a precise date, I think largely due to the fact that the distillers were too busy experiencing the effects of the liquid rather than making concise records, the former being much more enjoyable!!
~ The Smirnov family from which the name Smirnoff came, fled Russia during the revolution and established distilleries in parts of Europe and America
~ Vodka was originally thought of as a peasant's drink, the richer enjoying such drinks as scotch or cognac.

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How is vodka made?
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Vodka is the closest drink one can get to pure alcohol.

Very, very briefly, vodka is made from grains, vegetables, fruits, molasses or bread.
It is rectified ( impurities are removed through heat) then it's filtered through charcoal.
The almost neutral spirit is then watered down and balanced with un-rectified spirits to give vodka it's distinctive character.

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How to drink vodka
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I prefer to mix my vodka with ribena or diet coke but the original, some say correct way is to serve it chilled in a shot glass and 'neck it'. This is because in very cold climates from whence it originated it helped give the body a feeling of being warm.
In fact when I ordered a vodka and coke in Prague they gave me a vodka in a shot glass and coke in a separate glass, that's the way they do it!

Vodka is an integral part of many cocktails, e.g. Screwdriver and Bloody Mary.

There are now lots of flavoured vodkas around, none of which I am very fond of, often being too sickly or sweet and I'm not a huge fan of Smirnoff Ice although my friends drink vast quantities of it.

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Side Effects / Hangovers etc
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Smirnoff is great at making you feel good about yourself, confident and what you think is being funny but be warned that the next morning you have this horrible sick feeling when you are reminded about dancing around pretending to be an Irish Dance Champion!

Hangovers ~ Well I don't really get them with Vodka but I suffer terribly with wine etc..This is all thanks to the purity of the drink......
So while all of your friends who have been 'necking' the trendier JD and coke tipple, are suffering the next day just say a note of thanks to the old voddie!!

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Little known facts about vodka other than the fact it is a drink
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Did you know, because I didn't ...................

It is good for bathing jellyfish stings (how many of us have a bottle of Smirnoff on the beach with us, but just incase you do, now you know!)

Cotton wool soaked with vodka and wiped over the face is very good for cleaning and tightening your pores.

It removes hairspray stains from mirrors and is also good for cleaning chandeliers.

It cleans lipstick from clothes.

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Cheaper versions
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Yes there are lots on the market and my palette has become accustomed to them simply due to budget restraints, they are however in my opinion, harsher and coarser and I bet they don't make them there chandeliers half as gleaming!!
I just wish that they would lower the cost of Smirnoff so that I can enjoy it more often.

Summary: A great tipple for those who don't want a hunge hangover!