An Expert's Trick Can Make Harsh Vodka Taste Better

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Cheap vodka is affordable and accessible, but it doesn't always go down easily. Some bottom-shelf bottles can taste harsh or like rubbing alcohol, especially when served neat or in drinks that don't cover up the alcohol well. If you have a somewhat unpleasant bottle on your hands, one trick can make it taste a little smoother: Run it through a water filter.

The key, however, is to make sure the water filter uses carbon. In an interview with Mashed on best and worst vodkas, Albert Beltran, beverage director at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, explained, "You take a water pitcher with a carbon filter, you run the vodka through the filter twice, and the vodka will lose most of its harshness. Carbon is the king impurity collector. It strips all the bad out and leaves you plenty of the good."

The idea is similar to the filtration process some vodka brands already use during production. Activated carbon (or charcoal), which is what Brita water filters use, is a popular material for filtration. It is very porous, which means it easily traps impurities, particles, and other unwanted compounds. When vodka passes through the filter, some of the undesirable flavors or odors may cling to the carbon, leaving the spirit tasting cleaner. Higher-end vodkas typically go through multiple distillations, rather than filtrations, so this hack won't turn the cheapest bottle on the shelf into a luxury one — but it can make it more drinkable.

For the best results, you can use a standard water pitcher that you have at home — but again, the key is that it uses a carbon filter, like Brita or Pur Plus. Albert Beltran suggested running it through twice, but you can repeat the process to filter it four or five times to improve upon the smoothness. Naturally, if you haven't replaced your water filter recently, it will affect the efficiency and results. The quality of your filter will also affect the quality of the vodka, just as it would for water.

You'll likely still want to follow other best practices to improve the drinking experience when it comes to cheap vodka. Cold temperatures can help dull unwanted, sharper flavors, so this is one situation when you might want to store your filtered vodka in the freezer. Serving it on ice also aids in providing a smoother sip.

Cold, filtered vodka might not be up to your standards for sipping neat, so consider using it as a cocktail mixer to ensure that the vodka doesn't take center stage. Martinis and vodka sodas are too vodka-forward to cover any undesirable flavors, but plenty of other cocktails should do the job. A Moscow mule or any drink with fruit juice, soda, or a lot of citrus can be more forgiving for cheaper vodkas.