How to Make Cheap Vodka Taste Better

Gather your filtration materials. The key to this filtration technique is food-safe activated carbon, which can be bought at your local pet supply store. Activated carbon is a substance created to have holes in it smaller than the eye can see, making it ideal for filtering out fine impurities from a substance. You'll want at least 3 cups (1,020 g) of this for filtering. It should be relatively cheap to purchase from your local pet store, or you can buy bags in bulk from online retailers for even less. In addition to your activated carbon, you'll also need:

• Cheap vodka
• Coffee filters
• Colander
• 2 bottles/containers (larger than the amount of vodka purchased)
• Funnel
• Strainer/colander^[4]

Prepare your activated carbon. Straight from the bag, your activated carbon will have some dust remaining on it from processing and handling. You don't want this residue getting into your vodka, so you should remove it from the carbon first by running your carbon under water while in a colander or strainer. Then you should:

• Place your activated carbon in a coffee filter. Cone shaped filters that will roughly match the shape of your funnel will make the filtration process easier, but standard coffee filters will work as well.
• Put about 2 inches (5 cm) of food-safe activated charcoal into your filter, and then place the filter inside your funnel.

Chill your vodka and prepare a cold place for filtration. The colder your vodka is, the more easily the impurities will be soaked up by your carbon activated filter. You may want to chill your vodka in your freezer beforehand. For best results, you might consider clearing a space in your freezer so the vodka can filter in the cold.

Drip filter your vodka into your container. Place your funnel firmly into the mouth of your container so that it is stable and will not fall over. Then pour vodka into your funnel until it is ¾ of the way full, though you'll want to keep the level of your vodka from going over the top line of your filter.^[5]

• If your vodka rises above the filter, there's a chance that it will trickle between the filter and funnel without receiving the purifying effects of the activated carbon.
• It may take a considerable amount of time for your vodka to drip filter through the carbon into your container.

Prepare for round 2 of filtration. Filter your cheap vodka until none remains. When the level of your vodka begins to diminish in your funnel, you should add more to continue the filtration process. When finished the first filtered batch:

• Move your funnel with its filter and activated carbon securely into your second container to prepare for round 2 of filtration.
• Run your filtered batch through your carbon several times. The more times you pass your vodka through your activated carbon, the more impurities the carbon will soak up from it.
• Since fresh activated carbon filters at a better rate, after your second or third filtration cycle, you may want to change your coffee filter and activated carbon. Don't forget to rinse your fresh activated carbon to remove any silt or dust from it before using it for filtration.
• You should aim to keep your vodka exposed to the activated carbon for a minimum of 5 minutes to ensure the best results.^[6]

Gather vodka polishing materials. The main ingredient in liquor polishing is activated carbon, though adding your carbon to a full container of vodka may cause your container to overflow. You'll also have to strain the carbon out at some point, so you'll need:

• Food-safe activated carbon (3-5 cups (1,020-1,700 g) depending on the amount of liquor being polished)
• Container (freezer safe)
• Funnel
• Strainer/colander

Pour your vodka into your container. You'll want a container that is larger than your amount of vodka, otherwise, when you add your carbon, you might lose some vodka to overflow. Place your funnel in the container, and pour your vodka from its original vessel into the container.

Add activated carbon straight to your vodka. Impurities in alcohol, like aldehydes, amino acids, and oils are likely the culprits making your cheap vodka taste foul. Polishing alcohol is the process of soaking it for a length of time in activated carbon to remove these impurities.

• Rinse your activated carbon in a colander/strainer under cold water to remove any dust that may have formed on it during the packaging and handling process.
• Add 1 cup (340 g) of food-safe activated carbon per 1 gallon (3.8 L) of vodka.

Allow the vodka to soak for 7-30 days. At minimum, you should allow your vodka to soak in the activated carbon you've added for a week. For even better results, you can allow the vodka to soak for a month, though after a few months you'll reach the carbon's limit and see little change in quality.

• Shake the vodka in its container for a few minutes every day to ensure the consistently filtration throughout the mixture.
• Keep your vodka in a cold location, like your freezer, to make the impurities in it easier for the activated carbon to absorb.

Strain your carbon from your vodka. A regular kitchen strainer should be sufficient to catch your activated carbon while letting the vodka drain through into a container. You may want to nest your strainer into your funnel so the vodka flows directly down the nozzle of the funnel and into a container, preventing lost liquor.

Infuse your cheap vodka with other flavors. By adding a new flavor to your vodka you can mask its harsh, cheap quality. This can be done through a process called infusion, where your cheap vodka takes on flavors from other ingredients, improving its taste. Some ideas that you might use to improve your vodka include:

• Make chocolate vodka – the sweetness of chocolate will cut the sharp, biting taste of your cheap vodka.
• Make Skittles vodka – sugar is often added to vodka to mask its burn. The sweetness of Skittles will mellow your cheap vodka's harshness.
• Try toffee vodka – combine vodka with toffee and let it sit for 24 hours for another sweet option.
• Infuse the vodka – there are many fruits, berry, and herb infusions you can add to your vodka. Choose your favorite to create a better tasting vodka!^{[7] [8]}

Make cocktails with your cheap vodka. Adding certain mixers to cheap vodka can cut its burn or hide its low quality flavor. Common mixers include sour mix, pineapple juice, orange juice, lemonade, and cola.

• The ratios you use for different cocktail recipes will vary, but generally you should follow the spirits:liqueur:mixer ratio of 3 parts to 2 parts to 1 part (3:2:1) for more liquor forward drinks, or 2 parts to 1 part to 1 part (2:1:1) for less strong cocktails.^{[9] [10]}