Vodka

Let me tell you about vodka the way I'd explain it over a shared table, not a bar counter.

Vodka is built from purified grain or potato spirit, diluted with water. No sugar, no fat, no protein — just 231 kcal in every 100 grams, pure energy with nothing to chew on.

How do you choose good vodka? Smell it first. It should smell clean and neutral, with nothing harsh pushing back at you. Taste a drop neat — it should feel round on the tongue, almost soft, not scratchy. Look at it in the glass: it must be perfectly clear, no haze, no floating specks. Try two bottles side by side if you can — the difference in smell and feel on the tongue will tell you more than any label.

Some people say vodka has "no taste," so any bottle will do for cooking or drinking. No! Pour it, smell it, taste it, and you'll find real differences between bottles. That misconception leads to a real kitchen mistake: people grab the cheapest bottle for dough or marinade, thinking vodka is just neutral alcohol, without ever tasting it first to know what they're actually adding.

Keep it cold, keep it honest, and taste before you pour it into anything.