Vodka is not usually my tipple of choice, I am much more of a gin and tonic kind of girl. But I do love to make flavoured vodkas to give away at Christmas. In all the recipes I have looked at, it says to use a mid range vodka rather than the cheapest you can find, but I disagree.

The bottle itself is plain and simple, a clear glass bottle with a white label with the Sainsbury's Basics logo on the front. The ingredients are stated as 'neutral grain spirit and demineralised water' and it is 37.5% volume. It has a white screw top aluminium lid.

A 70cl bottle costs just £9.29, making it £13.27 per litre. As a comparison, Sainsbury's vodka is £10.49 for 70cl (£14.99 per litre) and Smirnoff is £14.69 for 70cl (£20.99 per litre). This all adds up when you are making a large amount of flavoured vodkas as I do, so the savings for me are huge!

I wouldn't drink Sainsbury Basic Vodka on its own as a shot, though saying that I might give it a try this evening when I get home to see if it is as bad as I imagine it to be - harsh tasting and eye watering! If I do I will report back! But when you are mixing the vodka with sugar and fruit, or jelly babies, or toffee pennies, or whatever else you can find that you want to add to it, it doesn't matter that it's the cheapest you can find. In fact, that makes it even better when giving away home made gifts in an effort to cut your Christmas spending.

All in all it is perfect for me and my flavour experiments!

**Update**
I tried it on it's own - would not recommend! So for those of you who like vodka shots, try another brand!!

Also published on Ciao by MrsW2011