Hacking Vodka

enrico_suave writes "A group of geeks aimed to find out whether running cheap vodka through a brita water filter would make it drinkable. They claim after several passes through the filter the cheap vodka surpassed the premium Ketel One in drinkability tests. I think they should have done the test 'double blind' although drinking Vladmir Vodka probably could make you go blind anyways... =)"

Comments

Common knowledge?

[Anonymous Coward]

I believe this has actually been known for a long time.

Here is the canonical list of the top ten things that taste better once filtered through a Brita pitcher six times, in decreasing order of improvement, according to the Brita FAQ:

• Orange juice
• Coca Cola
• Vodka
• Cooking oil
• Urine
• Gasoline
• Blood
• Vinegar
• Water
• Semen

Surprisingly, pus did not make the list....

Re:Common knowledge?

[Rie Beam]

Curious - as to who was the first person to say "This semen would taste better run though a Brita water filter"?

Re:Common knowledge?

[Necrobruiser]

Just incase anyoen was thinking of trying it.

Stop telling people not to drink gasoline. We'll all be better off once the people who would drink gasoline, drink gasoline. ;)

Re:Common knowledge?

[JPriest]

Exactly, hacking vodka is actually pretty common practice the next morning.

Re:Common knowledge?

[pturing]

it also depends on what vodka you are drinking. If it comes in a plastic bottle, expect to get sick. Good vodka is relatively free of the other little organic molecules that cause most of your problems.

Of course, if you're drinking enough of it then your problem is dehydration. If you have a pain in your side and/or your urine isn't colorless, then your probably need to drink more water, whether you've been drinking alcohol or not.

Better than a Volcano

[glowimperial]

Finally a great science project that the kids can do at home.

Re:Better than a Volcano

[pHatidic]

Last year some kids I know 'liberated' a distillation column from the chem labs and took some normal vodka and distilled it into 190 proof "super-vodka". A couple shots of that and I was hallucinating and kept running out of my dorm room every half hour because for some reason I thought my bike was being stolen. I still get that warm tingly feeling in my liver just thinking about it.

Re:Better than a Volcano

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, I would highly unrecommend drinking anhydrous alcohol, due to the benzine in it. Distillation alone will not remove all the water from the alcohol, so benzine is typically used to get rid of the rest (don't ask me how, I have no idea what the chemistry behind it is).

Benzine is an awful toxin and carcinogen...not so much something you want to ingest.

190 proof grain alcohol is pretty cheap...and you're really not gonna notice a difference, in either taste (they both taste like...burning) or in effect (that last 5% makes almost no difference).

You might want those taste buds later on in life anyway...

Fantastic!

[Anonymous Coward]

Great. Looks like someone's nine years of freshman chemistry hasn't been a complete waste.

Re:Fantastic!

[Zenmonkeycat]

Nope, just two semesters of freshman chemistry; then you get two semesters of organic chemistry, and two full years of "A History of Russia: Depressing, Frozen Tundra Where Health Goes to Die."

Hey, I often run Vodka through a filtration system

[physicsphairy]

But it sure doesn't make it taste any better.

Re:Some calculations...

[FunOne]

It should also be noted that the chick in the middle of this picture is kinda cute.

How much vodka have you had tonight?

Double Blind Study

[serutan]

If you really want a double blind study mix Vladimir and Pepe Lopez Gold tequila.

Ladies and Gentlemen

[Adrilla]

I've just become a home scientist.
PS: Science makes the room spin.

Re:Obligatory Bad Joke

[tarunthegreat2]

In Soviet Russia, the lame jokes get fed up of YOU! HA HA!

Re:Obligatory Bad Joke

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, that, unlike most comments related to Soviet Russia, is actually pretty poignant. There was enough vodka per capita in the USSR that the drinker could be considered an impurity in the drink.

Re:Some calculations...

[cacepi]

It should also be noted that the chick in the middle of is kinda cute.

She is. I know the first thing I look for in a girl is a 5-'O-clock shadow.

That's a dude, dude.

Re:Some calculations...

[austad]

Sir. I don't pretend to know what you have been drinking. However, it is reasonable to assume that you have drank it all.

Re:beer too?

[kimanaw]

Please, don't abuse beer in this fashion.

Beer has been attacked from all sides of late, whether its MADD or Atkins. Need I remind you that it was "liquid bread" that built the pyamids, and that modern democracy was born in the pewter mugs of beer swilling patriots ?

As a homebrewer, I beg, nay, demand that you love and care for your beer as it is. There are many good homes where your unfiltered beer would be welcomed. If you are either unable or unwilling to support your beer, please, please send it to a good home with someone who will love and cherish your beer without questioning its color or purity. May I suggest the Hospice of St. Arnolds ?

Speaking of filters...

[H0NGK0NGPH00EY]

I think this would be a good place to post an email exchange that my best friend had with random representative (whoever answers the emails sent to the help address) at PUR.

> From: Willett, J.R.
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 3:16 PM
> Subject: PUR
>
> Hi
>
> I received a PUR Water Filtration Pitcher (Plus LX, Platinum Edition) as a
> Christmas present, and I have a question about what things it can't
> filter.
>
> I have been very satisfied with its performance in removing chlorine from
> tapwater, however I am wondering what the limits are in its filtering
> capabilities. Could it, for instance, remove ammonia from an ammonia-water
> solution? In other words, could I use it in the desert to recycle urine
> into
> drinking water? The box says a lot about what it can filter, but not much
> about what it can't filter. It only says that the water must be sterile,
> and
> everyone knows that urine is completely sterile on leaving the body. Upon
> leaving the urinary tract, it provides an ideal environment for growing
> bacteria, but it is completely sterile inside you. The reason we don't
> habitually drink our own urine is because the water in our urine carries
> bodily poisons with it, including ammonia. If, however, your pitcher can
> remove these poisons, I can see how my PUR Water Filtration Pitcher could
> come in handy when water is scarce.
>
> Although my roommate has offered to sample my filtered urine, I thought I
> would ask you people first, before I pee in my PUR pitcher.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -J.R. Willett
-----Original Message-----
From: Beckenbach.Mark [mailto:Beckenbach.Mark@purwater.com]
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 9:38 AM
To: 'Willett, J.R.'
Subject: RE: PUR

Hello J.R.,
Gee-Whiz, I must admit that I read your e-mail with some skepticism. Upon
further reflection I came to the conclusion that you could indeed run human
urine through our filters. If you do this it could very well hasten your
way to death, but you can filter urine. We don't normally test urine or the
body's by-products associated with it. Drinking urine is a bit out of the
main stream, if you'll pardon the pun. The filter may have some effect on
the potency of the ammonia. If you're in an emergency situation with out
water, drinking urine will only make your day worse. The ammonia in urine
isn't what's going to ruin an already pisser of a day, its the salts. By
constantly reintroducing those salts into your system, you are increasing
the amount of salt in your system, and decreasing the amount of usable
fluids. This salt will draw water from other tissues in your body, as will
your kidneys. Your kidneys need the extra water to flush the salts out.
It's a viscous circle. As your kidneys are shutting down, the poisons in
your body will increase; thereby playing havoc with your heart. The lack of
electrolytes in your in your brain can cause the synapses to misfire
eventually causing you to get delirious and run screaming into the desert
waving your hands over your head chasing Elvis.
All levity aside, I am not a physician. However I do understand our
products and have a thorough understanding of human physiology. My
recommendation is not to do it. Carry a bladder of water in your trunk.
Being prepared is the best way to keep from having to drink pee.
Mahalo,
Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Willett, J.R.
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 10:17 AM
Subject: RE: PUR

Mark,

Thankyou for your timely reply in this matter. Not only have you saved us from what could have been a disasterous science experiment, but you have provided a tremendous amount of amusement to several college students with perhaps too much time on their hands to wonder about such things.

I assume that if the filter cannot rem

Re:Speaking of filters...

[Dogtanian]

the other shit in the urine will require more water to process than you get from the processed urine.

Dude, if you have shit in your urine, you should see a doctor *pronto*.

Anhydrous ethanol is usually spiked

[fejes]

Spiked with Methanol,that is, which makes you go blind. One thing I know from working in Chemistry labs is that you should never touch alcohol coming from a lab. (If you don't believe me, squirt a bit into a Gas Chromatography column, and notice that there are two peaks, not one.)

Having done this

[icebattle]

I recently completed my first batch of home distilled vodka and, frankly, it was great. The yield was excellent, and my home made still worked fine. I even have some pics of the rig.

I ran half of the completed product through a carbon filter, and it seemd to improve the smoothness. Maybe. We had a few merry evenings with the stuff, and no nasty hangovers.

I'll be kicking off the next batch soon. Long live SuperYeast!