Question:
I have a nightly vodka martini.
I make it slightly dirty (olive juice) and slightly wet (a teaspoon of vermouth). I shake it vigorously and pour it in to a crystal classic martini glass with 4 (!) olives. Love them olives!
I'm also cost-conscious and I've done a lot of searching on the web for polls and expert opinions re what's the world's best vodka and also affordable...my budget eliminates some choices, like Grey Goose. I have been alternating between purchasing Absolute, Skye and Stoli, and to be honest, I don't notice a lot of difference.
Tasting/judging vodka, according to what I've read, is difficult because this is a spirit that ideally is NOT supposed to have a "taste" unless it's flavored. It's supposed to be smooth and filtered, which eliminates a lot of rot-gut, but, unlike, say bourbon, is not meant to meander from a very "neutral" taste.
You'd be surprised about the difference in opinions. Some polls think Absolute is garabage; other pick it as a winner. Some think GG is the holy grail; others think it's way overrated.
Of course, as in perfume, you drink what you like...my problem is that they all taste pretty much the same to me, as a novice drinker...while I would't mind paying another 5 bucks or so for something better than my current troika of Absolute/Skye/Stoly, is the next step "up" something that a beginer would notice?
What the experts say is that if you mix vodka, you can get away with a Smirnoff, but if you drink it straight, the premium brands are required. There's also a huge debate in the world of alcohol between vodkas made from wheat/barley etc vs. fruit, with many thinking the fruit-based vodkas, with very few exceptions, are inferior.
Another challenge I have is that the liquor store in my state are STATE CONTROLLED ABC stores. While I've read a lot about many great botique vodkas, like on called "Pearl of Russia," I believe, the state stores here only carry the recognizable brands. Not unlike doing your perfume shopping at the mall!
What's "your" vodka, and why? And what's your drink?

Answer:
If you can't tell the difference, then buy by price.
I can tell the difference between potato and rye vodka.
My favorite vodka I can't get anymore, not sure if they are still making it: Stolichnaya Gold (I have tried their Elite and didn't like it)
As far as 'no taste at all', it's called Ketel One.
Favorite drink: Scotch-
Aberlour Distillery
A'bunadh
One ice cube, two fingers in an old-fashioned double glass.
When I make a martini, the glasses and vodka come from the freezer:
2-3 sprays from the martini mister on the glass (Martini and Rossi extra dry vermouth)
vodka to 1 cm of rim
one last spray on top
queen olive with pimento on a little plastic sword
I know what the 'dirty' martini is, but don't understand why you would waste good vodka with brine. (yeah, I know, to each his own)

Answer:
"Dirty" is simply a term used to decribe the addition of olive juice. You're getting brine from the olives anyway. An additional 1/2 teaspoon simply adds a little zip/flavor and is just barely noticable; for me it does nothing to ruin the taste.
In fact, the two mix beautifully. That's why the classic martini--gin or vodka--HAS an olive or two. But of couse, as you said, it's a matter of taste.
Yeah, I freeze my glass and shaker also.

Answer:
usually keep bottles of belvedere, grey goose and ketel one on hand at home, and love a good martini, with a touch of "dirt" and lots of olives
internet lore has it that popov run through a brita filter is as good as any of the ones listed above, but my brita pitcher is reserved for water only. (and i could no more bring myself to buy popov at this point than i could buy a bottle of chaps)
but i'm with radix, my drink is scotch.
i like mine neat, and usually something peaty like Lagavulin or Talisker

Answer:
also, if i'm out at the bar and being cost conscious, i usually get a stoli & soda with a lime. it's good, refreshing and doesn't break the bank.

Answer:
Any suggestions for a goodtasting, simple to make WARM/HOT vodka drink for the wintertime?

Answer:
I was a bartender in S. FL for about 5 years. I would recommend Ketel One. However, I'm not a vodka drinker. I see no point in drinking alcohol for pleasure if it just tastes like alcohol. If you're going to mix it, the brand shouldn't matter that much.
I'm a beer man myself. I sample everything I can get my hands on. My favorite is a german wheat beer called Tucher Kristall Weizen (crystal clear). It has a thick head, slightly fruity aroma and taste, and no aftertaste. Women that don't like beer frequently like this stuff. There's also a Helles Hefe (light - most common version found in 12oz 6 packs and on draft in bars), Dunkles Hefe (dark), and Bajuvator (Doppelbock) versions. The Helles and Dunkles versions are cloudy due to remaining yeast sediment; very "hearty" beers. It is most prevalent in S. FL because that's where the importer is. I'm actually having a very hard time finding it up here in the Midwest.
I also like a seasonal specialty beer made by Dos Exxes called Noche Buena. It's an amber beer with a nutty flavor made around Nov. & Dec. It's very popular in Mexico and very seldom makes its way up here to the states.
Other than those, I drink Dos Exxes.
As far as hard drinks, i like Jack Daniels in various concoctions (neat, rocks, w/water, coke, etc.).

Answer:
I have only tried vodka as a Vodka Cruiser (pre-mixed drink) - I don't go out much, so I haven't really tried too many drinks, other than Bacardi Breezers (another pre-mixed), midori & lemonade, strawberry daiquiri and cosmopolitan. And I've had sips of frangelico, sambucca, amaretto, baileys and a couple that i can't remember at the moment!!
I would love to try lots of different things, just for the sake of saying that I've tried it - plus, I'd love to be able to make cocktails! I have heaps of cocktail books - including one that showcases various cocktail bars around the world and their signature drinks (man, that would be one great world tour!! lol) -- thanks for the thread, it's an interesting one!
edit: I have had beer and wine, of course, but do they count?? lol

Answer:
best vodka, hands down: hangar one. for their flavored ones, they procure the finest essential oils; for their straight one, you don't even need to chill it (in fact, like better wines and beers, too much chill kills the flavor). if you want a perfume analogy, they are the alaya senders of vodka.

Answer:
For vodka I go for Absolut, simply because I like the bottle. I can tell a slight difference in taste between vodkas most of the time, but I stick with Absolut because it passes and I like to keep my variables the same (ie. if I use a different vodka in my classic recipe for "x" it will not taste exactly like it usually does.) My drink is most assuredly the Bloody Caesar, imbibed before noon (or thereabouts) the day after our first warm weather party of the year under the grapevines in our back yard. My "dog" has clam juice hair.
Martinis are usually gin for me, and very dirty (it's ALL about the olives.)

I'm more of a scotch girl. Oban for jazz bars, and Lagavulin or Laphroaig for cozy-ing up on a chilly day. Or for removing the varnish from my fingernails (the Laphroaig.) Alway, ALWAYS, neat. I will slip an ice cube in if I'm on the bum and drinking Johnny Walker Red. It certainly benefits from it.
Also go for a good Manhattan from time to time, but that must be made with Canadian whiskey.
I'll stop now. Gotta' go mix a drink. **hic**