“My favorite vodka drink is vodka.” Another Sun editor made it clear to me that she would drink any of this week’s taste test drinks any night of the week. What kind of mixology editor would I be if I disagreed? Nonetheless, one brand had to surpass its competitors.

This week’s drink was conceived at every Sunnie’s favorite late night spot in Ithaca: ShortStop. In between holding orange, cranberry and pomegranate juices, as well as debating cola and VitaminWater as mixers, I decided to create my own drink. This may not have been the best idea, as a few people felt the drink tasted like cough syrup.

“This tastes like medicine,” another tester said.

I really wanted something sweet and fizzy. A tester told me it was a “girlie drink” because it was pink (it’s actually red).

The winner of the vodka challenge was Absolut ($8.99 for 200 mL). Smirnoff ($8.99 for 200 mL) came in a close second. Ironically, Barton ($6.49 for 750 mL) vodka got as many first place votes as Grey Goose ($9.99 for 200 mL).

“[Smirnoff] and [Barton] are similar,” one tester said.

In the losing category, Grey Goose actually got the most last place votes. One tester said the drink with Grey Goose tasted like water; another said it tasted like Kool Aid; a third said it was “very strong.”

That being said, one of testers asked to keep the bottle of Grey Goose to impress her friends later that night.

The Sun’s Mixology Editor can be reached at mixology@cornellsun.com. Please Drink Respon­sibly appears Fri­days.