Get one tumbler glass

Get a cucumber and a cheese slicer or whatever instrument that you have handy that makes super thin slices.

Slice cucumber thin-thin & half the tumbler full. Add crushed ice to the other half of the tumbler.

Pout vodka on top, any smooth vodka will do. Depending on your tumbler this could be a large shot on top or the usual 2ounces.

Stir. Drink. Be surprised how much of that edge is yanked off by the cucumber.

I don't know which vodka would make a good base, btw - I mean, I'm in Sweden where our cheap vodka is exported as the really cool stuff. (and failed)

Thanks for the tips!

I'm mostly just looking for a vodka that doesn't taste like paint thinner, but so far I haven't been able to get much by way of suggestions.

You're talking to a Swede. There is no Vodka that taste like paint thinner.

What do you think of Finlandia? That one can be mellow. It's a barley-vodka. They tend to be kinder.

I'm a Stoli Gold girl, myself. It's my vodka of choice for cocktails. Although I did like 3 Vodka, it's made from soy and I remember it being smooth as a chilled shot. The BF recommends Grey Goose.

Yeah, Stoli is nice. Of course, I have to say yeay absolut as well - there's a law about that here ;-). Don't go near explorer as it's harsher. I've never tried Grey Goose.

Keep in mind I am the girl who as a young college chick went out with a guy to the Coffe Shop at Union Square and he went to get drinks. "Vodka" I said "with a twist of lime"

He returned, and there was a big chunk of ice in it.

"What is this?" I said. "Eeeh, ice?" he said
"If I wanted rocks in my vodka, I would have said rocks."

He returned the drink and I felt evil as hell. ;)

Cheapish vodka but filtered through a coal-Brita-water filter thing three times with a bunch of cubed cucumbers into an airtight container. let sit away form light for 5 days, shaking occasionally. Drain, filter, and re-bottle.

Enjoy.

That sounds pretty good.

Whelk, another friend of mine recommended I use bottom-shelf vodka, and I thought about doing the Brita thing. I may give that a try!

yay. As long as it's not utter gut-rot it should work. Three times seems to the most before you get diminishing returns.

My favorite vodka is Ketel One, which is Dutch, but which I have never tried to infuse. It's not super-expensive.

I lost track, though, of whether we're just supposed to be voting for our favorite non-Russian vodkas. :-)

(I once went to a party of Russian ex-pats in the U.S. It was a blini-and-vodka party. The Russians very intelligently stayed away from the Russian vodka and praised to the skies anyone who brought Scandinavian or Dutch vodka. Just as a reference point.)