Shaken, and Not Stirred — But What About the Clathrates? [differences in vodkas explored]

University of Cincinnati ^ | 6/14/2010 | Dale W. Schaefer

[Pharmboy]

A UC researcher proposes that taste is in the tongue of the beholder when it comes to vodka.

Photos By: Ashley Kempher, photojournalist; video by Jay Yocis

University of Cincinnati Professor Dale W. Schaefer, in the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department of UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science, is part of an international team of scientists studying to see if there is a scientific way to measure structure in vodkas. UC collaborated with scientists from Moscow State University.

Since vodkas are 60 percent pure water and 40 percent pure ethanol (ethyl alcohol), many people conclude that vodkas are uniformly tasteless. As reported recently in the "Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry," the researchers found that vodkas differ in their physical structure, which could lead to perceptible differences in taste.

One vodka martini, please, with an extra shot of clathrates.

“Nobel prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling proposed that the narcotic effect might be due to the formation of crystals called ‘clathrate hydrates’ in the brain. I think that idea is wrong, but we propose a cage-like hydrogen-bonded structure, which is a liquid analogue of a clathrate,” says Schaefer. “Water alcohol mixtures are known to form clathrate hydrates below -80 degrees C, which is why we proposed a transient cage-like structure in the liquid at room temperature.”

Schaefer posited that the structures were responsible for variation in taste. The team then tested five vodkas: Skyy, Belvedere, Stolichnaya, Grey Goose and Oval. They found that vodkas differ in the prevalence of the cage-like structure. Computer simulations by Schaefer's group show that trace impurities control the structure.

Still, Schaefer says that it takes a discerning taste to distinguish between vodkas.

“It is likely that less than 50 percent of the population can distinguish one vodka from another,” he says. “Our findings could only apply to the 50 percent who can distinguish. As Walter Lippman said, ‘The music means nothing if the audience is deaf.’ Some even claim there is a genetic component to alcohol perception."

The next step is to test the hypothesis in the paper by testing subjects with the ability to distinguish brands in blind taste tests. At present there is no more funding for the project now.

“So until we get more funding, we are no longer players,” says Schaefer.

Much of the analysis was done by two post-docs: Dan Wu, now at Dow AgriChemicals, and Naiping Hu, who is still in Schaefer’s group. Master’s student Kelly Cross also worked on the project.

The Moscow team was led by Svetlana Patsaeva, whose father was Viktor Patsayev, a Soviet cosmonaut who was killed in the Soyuz 11 disaster.

By the way, Ian Fleming’s James Bond had another preference: he always preferred Russian or Polish vodkas if they were available. Schaefer’s researchers would be happy to know that.

[Pharmboy]

Hmmm...I will try that. I usually use a 4:1.

[lovecraft]

Haven’t bought anything else since.

Yup and even your most discriminating Vodka drinker should be pleased. Even Tito's uses the same ethanol that every other Vodka starts with. The only differences is how you choose to filter and cut it with water and the type of filtration and water used (spring, tap, etc.).

Modern Vodka truly is just a marketing game nowadays.

[aculeus]

(Sigh) I never “got” martinis even though I lived through their heyday.

[dblshot]

I’ve been bruised by gin myself. I prefer vodka to gin because there can be a lot of botanicals in gin. Juniper berries were introduced to cover up the bad taste of gin but it doesn’t help much. A Tanquery once in while isn’t too bad but cheap gin-no way!

[lovecraft]

All Vodka is the same, the differences only come in the filtration, water, and marketing. And primarily it's the marketing. Now I don't prefer the real CHEAP stuff as it is not filtered enough to remove the impurities and to smooth out the taste. Monarch and Popov can do a number on your stomach, at least it has on mine. :)

But I wouldn't spend over $15 or $20 bucks on a large bottle either. All your paying for there is a high end marketing program. Try the Svedka...trust me.

[codercpc]

I love cocktails with vodka! But, having said that, I can no longer drink cheap bar rail vodka. A few years ago I noticed that sometimes after drinking just one vodka drink, I would get horrendous, brain crushing headaches. For me this was unusual, because except for the occasional sinus headaches I NEVER get them.

A friend of mine told me they had heard that cheap vodka sometimes contains impurities that give people headaches, and that I should try a premium brand. I thought it was silly, but to tell the truth, except for a casino in Las Vegas that obviously didn't give me the brand I asked for (complimentary of course), I have never had another vodka headache.

[hoagy62]

Since I live in Washington State, THEY sell all the hard liquor. I don’t recall ever seeing Svedka on sale there, but I’ll look next time.

[lovecraft]

It’s Swedish, and has gotten pretty popular, so you shouldn’t have trouble.

[Daffynition]

The United Colors of Vodka

A new fashion spreads across some Russian vodka consumers - why drink dull colorless vodka if you can drink colorful liquid made of some “Skittles” sweets and the fire-water.

[Elle Bee]

During my years of ‘research’, I determined that the cheapsest vodka worked just as well as the most expensive in every way, including taste-wise...Sure would like to get reimbursed for all those experiment expenses...

try Stolichnaya Gold and get back to me on that opinion

.

[neverdem]

Thanks Pharmboy

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[Pharmboy]

That’s a pretty good idea...running the cheaper spirits through a Brita. Must try that some time.

[wbill]

Remember that I was a starving college student, and back then, I would drink it, if it didn't kill me first. Now that I'm older, wiser, and only drink a bottle or two a year.....I don't bother with the cheap stuff. (...thinking of "Georgia Moon" and shuddering...)

I've not tried "filtering" since my younger and more foolish days. Lemme know how it goes. :-)

[wbill]

Mine is more properly called a “Montgomery,” with a 15:1 ratio.

You and my Grandfather would have gotten along just fine. He taught me how to make a properly DRY Martini....

Pour a generous tumbler of Gin. Garnish with an olive, or a twist of lemon, depending on your mood. Then, take a bottle of Vermouth and set it on a shelf. Look at the bottle of Vermouth, while drinking the Gin.

THAT'S a dry martini. :-)

[Pharmboy]

I hate to sound like a professor here, but the "dry" in martini, although it has come to symbolize a minimum of vermouth, does not mean that at all. In the early days, martinis were made with dry and sweet vermouth, and the dry signified an absence of sweet in what you ordered.

Personally, I like what a bit of dry vermouth does to the gin, and that is after all, a martini. Otherwise, it's iced gin, and if you like that, no problem, but it ain't a martini.

And just for completeness sake, some classicists insist that without a dash of orange bitters it's not a real martini.