After one spends any amount of time working in the hospitality industry, they are bound to develop strong opinions. One Arizona bartender is no exception; she’s posted a take that has her commenters heated.
Elizabeth Thorne (@elizabeththorne_), who also posts storytimes about dating in Arizona, said that she believes there’s not a tangible difference between well vodka and premium spirits. The content creator posted a video that received more than 226,000 views. In it, she explained how she served a friend—who had claimed to only drink Tito’s—Smirnoff for an entire night. The friend apparently didn’t notice until later in the evening.
Thorne’s Take Receives Flak
In Thorne’s video, she says, “No one can change my mind about this, but I’m a firm believer that if you order a mixed drink and you have a preference like Ketel One or Tito’s or Belvedere vs. Smirnoff, and I give it to you in a mixed drink, you would never know the difference if I were to give you well vs. top shelf, right?”
Many commenters said that contrary to Thorne’s take, they could tell a difference between different spirits. The difference they noticed was reportedly not because of taste but rather the hangover the next day.
“Bartender of 20 years. Absolutely disagree. The hangover is different, the buzz is different. Yes it might taste the same going down, but not coming up,” one viewer said.
Another commenter added, “You can definitely tell the difference between top shelf, vodka, and well vodka.”
Then a third added, “I had a girl that told me it wasn’t the different taste for her. The drink did taste the same, it was how the hangover hit the next day that would tell her what she drank the night before.”
@elizabeththorne_ PSA before you guys come for me, I don’t give people the wrong alcohol on purpose but I’ve always thought there’s no way someone can taste the difference #arizona #fyp #storytime #bartender #server
Can You Taste The Difference Between Top-Shelf And Well Vodkas?
Vodka is considered a neutral spirit from a taste perspective. It loses some flavor and character in the distilling process, according to Tasting Table. And while some purveyors and experts claim there’s a definitive difference between Grey Goose and Tito’s, there’s not a large amount of evidence to conclude a significant taste and quality difference between one bottle of mid-range vodka and another.
Blind taste tests, too, don’t usually result in definitive findings when using random participants who aren’t cocktail experts. The New York Times did a blind taste test of 21 different vodkas in 2005. The result? Smirnoff was the winner.
But there are a number of people who swear up and down that there’s a difference between premium brands and cheaper vodkas. Taste tests from the Robb Report and Bon Appétit came up with conclusive rankings between different premium vodkas. In addition, there is some evidence to conclude that premium spirits can be smoother, as some cheaper vodkas contain additives and fillers. Those additives and fillers can, at times, explain the difference in the next-day hangover.
Tasting Table reports that some premium vodkas are made from “custom-grown wheat” rather than sugar beets and molasses. That results in a tangible difference that isn’t just marketing. But, for many brands, there isn’t a definitive quality difference across prices.
BroBible reached out to Thorne via TikTok comment for more information.