Absolut Dismay

I learned something today.

Vodka is nasty.

I've got a whole 750ml bottle of Absolut Peppar, and have NO CLUE what to do with it. Tried it in tomato juice, and dumped it out. Tried it straight, dumped it out. Tried it in cranberry juice and held my nose. (no, I didn't dump it out, I drank it. Didn't enjoy it, though.)

What does one do with vodka? What does one do with vaguely pepper-scented vodka?

It's a cornucopia of dismay!

Next time I'm buying rum. Or gin. Oooh, gin and tonics in the sunshine...

In a former life, I loved vodka tonics with a slice of lime. Just plain vodka though. Bloody Mary's are good, too. I don't drink anything that strong anymore. It would probably knock me out.

Not sure what I'd do with pepper vodka. I expect it's intended for Bloody Marys. If you like spicy Bloody Marys, try the tomato juice again with plenty of lemon and some celery seed. I'd drink it. :cool:

Seriously, I shudder to think how much vodka I enjoyed back in the day.

But never pepper vodka. Or any other flavor.

Vodka tonics and vodka martinis with a twist were my faves. Sometimes bloody marys.

I've got a big bottle of good Jamaican rum that my cousin gave me for Christmas. What's the best way to enjoy it? Seems like mixing it with cola or making a tropical drink would be a waste of something so smooth.

Hmmmmm I don't think it would work with pepper vodka.... the only use I've ever had for the stuff is making homemade perfume - you get some essential oils and dissolve them in the vodka (though preferably the really, really cheap stuff)

If I could figure out how to drink the stuff, I could do THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLYxeJjxc8s
"My Drunk Kitchen"

Can I cook with it? Marinate something? Soak beef in it and make fajitas? Might have to try the bloody mary with the lemon juice. I've never had a bloody mary, but tomato and lemon is a *good* thing in my universe!

NY Biker - I would try the rum straight, but I like rum quite a bit and do silly things like that. Hot buttered rums are also very nice for a bedtime cozy-up drink: cup of hot water, shot of rum, spoon of butter, spoon of dark brown sugar, lots of ground cinnamon and allspice. I wouldn't look askance at someone who used good rum in a rum-and-coke, either. Rum is quite friendly that way.

The only way I'll drink vodka is in bloody marys...with lotsa Tabasco and jalapeño stuffed olives...yum! Or in a white Russian, though they are generally too rich for me to drink often. Other than that I'm really more of a tequila or rum gal. Hubby got me a bottle of Patron Silver for Mother's day...it lasted maybe a week (he helped). :o

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

NY Biker - I would try the rum straight, but I like rum quite a bit and do silly things like that. Hot buttered rums are also very nice for a bedtime cozy-up drink: cup of hot water, shot of rum, spoon of butter, spoon of dark brown sugar, lots of ground cinnamon and allspice. I wouldn't look askance at someone who used good rum in a rum-and-coke, either. Rum is quite friendly that way.

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Hot buttered!! That sounds excellent.

I have a nice recipe for rum cake. It's basically just yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix, and whatever amount of water you're supposed to add, you make it 1/2 water and 1/2 rum. You bake in a bundt pan, let it cool, prick some holes in it and then glaze it. But the key is the glaze, which is made from rum, sugar and butter. I'd be happy to just pour that stuff in a glass and drink it. :D

Get an entire wild salmon, cut the salmon lengthwise so you have two huge long filets. (leave skin on). Toss head, tail, fins in stock.

Take the flat of your French knife, cut horizontally closely below the salmon vertebrae and remove the entire salmon spine. Throw in the stock.

Carefully remove all bones with tweezers. These you might not put in stock.

Meanwhile, now this might depend on size of the salmon that T caught for you, number of salmon but you're making "mud". This consists of nearly equal parts of salt (I used to use kosher, no reason, just liked it), sugar, fresh dill leaves and a little fresh ground paper to taste. Put the 3 ingredients in a Cuisinart. Put the cover on the Cuisinart. :rolleyes: Pulse it till it's a thick but soft "mud".

Add Vodka of any sort; plain, pepper, chocolate .... depending on your taste goal. You can also use lemon or lime juice in any recipe for those who don't like or can't drink booze or if you like your vodka and don't want to waste it. :rolleyes:

Get flat cookie sheets or other large smooth pan with a slight lip on the side. It needs to be large enough to more than fit each individual side of fish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap all the way out to each side. Next slather a layer of dill/vodka/salt/sugar mixture on the bottom, put a side o' fish on that, then cover the top of the side o' fish with the mud.

Don't leave any part of the side o' fish open to air. This is important.

The dill/vodka/salt/sugar/pepper mix is what "cooks" the fish. So if you leave anything uncovered it's raw.

Once each side o' fish is covered in mud you put a layer of saran wrap on top of that, a towel on top of that, and heavy plates on top of that. Remember my memory of this is from a cafe' setting so those were heavy plates. You may want to put plates on top of the fish filet and maybe a heavy can of Costco tomato sauce, something to weight the fish down.

Leave in fridge overnight.

Next day take side o fish out of the fridge, don't scrape the "mud" off, just carefully slice it thinly and slightly at a diagonal.

Serve and enjoy.

You need to buy *good* vodka, not Absolut.


//Yes, snap is a vodka snob. :D


Hangar One Buddha's Hand Citron. Or Mandarin Orange. Can't say anything yet about the Chipolte -- I'm betting it makes an awesome Bloody Mary. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

You need to buy *good* vodka, not Absolut.

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I'm a vodka virgin, wandering the aisles of the liquor store alone... I thought "mmmm, pepper! I like spicy!"

Honestly, this stuff is so nasty that I don't think I ever want to buy vodka again.

(but if anyone offers me a sip of some dionysian ambrosia made from vodka, I'll accept)

use it in a Flambe maybe.

I can't even drink wine without having adverse effect so I can't even begin to think about drinking distilled spirits.

Peppery alcohol... Flambe a rare piece of expensive cut of steak for a good show??

Not much of a help. Sorry. No clue here...

No clue- I haven't had vodka since college- a long time ago. I'll just take a shot of Irish whiskey, thank you.

Vodka is the only type of hard liquor I can drink, but I have never heard of vodka with pepper. Sounds terrible.

I don't buy flavored vodka, either.

Maybe you could infuse it with cocoa and mix in some sugar and make a spicy chocolate liqueur, the way my mom used to make coffee liqueur with instant coffee. (Mind you she had a source for medical grain alcohol at the time. :cool: But I've heard of people doing it with vodka.)

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I don't buy flavored vodka, either.

Maybe you could infuse it with cocoa and mix in some sugar and make a spicy chocolate liqueur, the way my mom used to make coffee liqueur with instant coffee. (Mind you she had a source for medical grain alcohol at the time. :cool: But I've heard of people doing it with vodka.)

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hmmm, this sounds like it could be yummy. The only way I've seen people drink pepper vodka is straight up - which doesn't sound good to me. Then again, I like MY vodka in milk with a little Kahlua - White Russians are great if you get the percentages right :)

Hmmm...what about making vodka sauce for pasta? That's my favorite kind of spaghetti sauce. I LOVE cheese! :D

Add enough water to make the bottle look full and regift it.

I second the vodka sauce for pasta, but I don't think it'll use it up quickly.

(A good use for non-pepper vodka is to make vanilla extract for baking...put a few vanilla beans in it and let them steep for a few months.)

Or you could just throw a party, provide bloody marys, and not drink any yourself :)

Take it to a party.

I use vodka pretty frequently, but pepper vodka sounds less than appetizing. In any case - you can try this:

1lb pasta
smoked salmon, crumbled
onions
butter
Fresh grated romano cheese.

Sautee onions in butter. Add salmon, and 1 cup vodka. Let simmer 10 mins for the alcohol to burn off. Add pepper/spices (I like Penzeys' Sunny Spain with this dish). Add to cooked pasta, season with cheese.

Sounds like a bottle of evil. I'd dump it.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Sounds like a bottle of evil. I'd dump it.

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"Like"

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Originally Posted by PamNY

Add enough water to make the bottle look full and regift it.

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Pam, you're a genius.

+1 on the vodka sauce. that is good stuff. make a fresh marinara sauce, add a cup of vodka, cook it for 20-30 minutes, add some heavy cream and parma, cook it a little more so it's hot. yum! the pepper would probably not be bad in it.

grey, i'm gonna have to try that salmon recipe.

bloody marys are great, that's the only thing i can think of with a pepper vodka. cranberry juice and pepper sounds ick, regardless of the alcohol type.

alas, vodka's kind of an expensive thing to just try, if you are getting it by the bottle. better to experiment at the bar or restaurant. you can get a top shelf brand and if you hate it, you've only wasted $9 instead of $30.

Definitely get some bloody mary mix - and not just tomato juice...real bloody mary mix (Mr & Mrs T's is ok for a store bought version). Spicy and delicious!

Or you could make oyster shooters if you like oysters:

Oyster Cocktail - Oyster Shot - Oyster Shooter

If you are a raw oyster lover, wait until you try this Oyster Shooter. You will definitely be in "Oyster Heaven!" Oyster shooters are popular because they're breathtakingly simple to prepare and consume, and also delicious!

Recipe Type: Cocktail, Oysters
Yields: makes 1 oyster shooter
Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1 small freshly shucked raw oyster with its juice (liquor)*
1 ounce ice cold high-quality Vodka**
Dash of Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce
Squeeze of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

* If you can't find small oysters, cut oysters into smaller pieces that are easy to swallow.

** By chilling the vodka, it acquires a thick, silky texture.


Preparation:

Place oyster and its liquor (juice) in bottom of a chilled martini or shot glass (any small glass may be used).

Pour in Vodka; add Tabasco Sauce and lemon juice.

Drink as a shot, allowing oyster to slide down your throat, try not to chew. Enjoy!

Variation: Add approximately 1/2 to 1 ounce of V8 Vegetable Juice.

Makes 1 shooter.

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Hmmm...what about making vodka sauce for pasta? That's my favorite kind of spaghetti sauce. I LOVE cheese! :D

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This! The only problem is it uses about 2 tablespoons at a time.

Or Bloody Marys.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Flavored vodka? Never knew they had such a thing.

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Oh yeah...there is such an animal. Infused is OK, but distilled is so much better.

There is a bacon-flavored vodka. I kid you not.

I found someone at work who would like my bottle of Absolut Peppar, so problem is solved!

Thanks everyone, for the great ideas! (spaghetti sauce, chocolate mix, and re-gifting were especially good!)

Next time I wanna try something new, I'll just buy one of those little wee airplane bottles...

Don't some folks use it for cleaning?

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Next time I wanna try something new, I'll just buy one of those little wee airplane bottles...

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Or get it as a gift. I got a bottle of Jack Daniels at the office gift exchange last December. At first I figured I'd regift it, but since I've never tried it before I figured I'd keep it for myself. (I haven't opened it yet -- still finishing off the Bailey's I picked up while I was at the liquor store buying other bottles of Bailey's to give my cousins for Christmas.)

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Flavored vodka? Never knew they had such a thing.

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http://www.liquorpress.com/2011/04/2...lavored-vodka/

There are also fruit-flavored rums (love coconut rum myself!)

I think all the flavored vodkas sound kinda yummy (citron, mango, vanilla, etc.) except pepper! I wouldn't drink them straight but use in a fruity drink. :D