Hey, you! You want a double?
Now that warmer weather is finally on the horizon, bars and restaurants are opening their outdoor patios, parks are becoming perfect for having boozy picnics with pals in and ice-cold beer-filled beach days are so close we can practically taste them.
With all that being said, it’s time to drink outside again.
And this season, we’re putting all our money on the table and saying that vodka is going to be the hit sipper as the temperatures begin to rise. And with that money, we plan on saving a buck or two by ditching pricier bottles for the best cheap vodka instead.
Whether you can sip your favorite vodka with the cup full, mix in your favorite juice to cut the taste or take shot after shot after shot to get your buzz on, you might be surprised that you’re potentially paying too much for your Russian water. With vodka, there isn’t really a need to reach for the top shelf every time. The best vodka brands simultaneously are the best cheap vodka brands. The more you know!
Whether you’re pregaming the club on another weeknight or you’re trying to get hammered for cheap at the park with pals, save the Grey Goose or any pricy Russian bottle for a rainy day and check out the best cheap vodka brands you can buy now for under $25 a bottle.
1. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
BEST OVERALL
While it might come as a shock considering this is probably the vodka of all vodkas right now, you can get a 750ml bottle of Tito’s for just under $25 in most states and territories. Occasionally, depending on where you are, it might be a buck or two more than $25, but in other spots, it’s even occasionally under $20.
Tito’s is naturally gluten-free because unlike most vodka alternatives, it’s entirely made from corn. The vodka itself is honestly pretty tasty, too, so feel free to sip this stuff straight on the rocks or side by side diluted with some seltzer so you can really get to understand some of that flavor.
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2. Deep Eddy’s Lemonade Vodka
BEST FLAVOR
If you’re into vodka flavors, we 100% suggest you give Deep Eddy a try. From flavors like sweet tea to orange to ruby red, the drink possibilities are endless with this brand. Our favorite? Lemonade, by far. And get this — there is no need to use any mixer aside from water or seltzer with Deep Eddy. The vodka itself is sweet enough to mask that otherwise brutal taste by mixing with any no-flavor liquid option.
You can get yourself a 750ml bottle for just under $15 in some areas, making it a pretty cheap option to at least try out. While the brand is known for its array of delicious flavors, they also have a non-flavored vodka alternative. Their unflavored isn’t the vodka of all vodkas, but it definitely gets the job done.
3. Stoli Vodka
MOST ICONIC
No other vodka on the planet has the same value of likeability through multiple generations the same way Stoli does. Whether you’re 21 or 85, folks across any (legal) age range can agree that there is something about Stoli’s Russian vodka that burns just right.
Stoli is an iconic name in vodka that is distilled through selective grain until it’s filtered through birch charcoal and quartz sands, to get as fancy as fancy gets. It’s then blended with the purest water you can get until it becomes the bottle we all know and love.
Most folks consider Stoli a top-shelf bottle and to be frank, so do we. But, a 750ml bottle of Stoli is available for purchase at just under $25 in some spots. Don’t worry about an overpour, either — you can pick up another bottle tomorrow.
4. Haku Japanese Vodka
MOST SMOOTH
Is it just us, or did you also think Japanese vodka would be way more expensive than it actually is? Although you won’t always be able to find this bottle under $25, if you’re lucky, you’ll absolutely be able to. That means you can get yourself a bottle of Haku Japanese Vodka affordably and make delicious cocktails right at home.
And when we say delicious, we really mean it. This is some of the smoothest vodka you’ll ever drink. So much so, that it doesn’t even taste like traditional vodkas.
Haku also tastes excellent when chilled, so we suggest you leave this one inside your freezer instead of on top of your bar cart. Vodka lovers even prefer drinking this stuff on the rocks or neat in a tumbler, so if that’s your preference, we say go for it.
5. Svedka
BEST FROM THE FUTURE
Some hate it, some love it, but we at SPY swear by it. Svedka is probably the most bang for your buck option on the market that honestly isn’t the worst to slug down. Maybe you just overdrank it in college, that’s your fault, but the “#1 vodka of 2033” is really an affordable, dare we say tasty, cheap vodka brand that most are sleeping on. Like, come on, a 1.75ml bottle for just around $20? That’s a price you can’t beat.
Mix this stuff with your favorite OJ brand and a couple of ice cubes to give your go-to breakfast juice a bit of a bite. If you’re ever hosting a party, we definitely suggest buying a couple of bottles to please the crowd since it’s both so affordable and easy to drink.
And, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have to already know about Svedka’s wild list of flavors, from grapefruit jalapeno combination to their pink lemonade. Two words: must try.
6. Russian Standard Vodka
BEST FROM THE NORTH
We know it’s getting warmer, but put a little hair on your chest with just one shot of Russian Standard. We promise you’ll enter this summer looking like a wildebeest. We kid, but in reality, Russian Standard is exactly that — a Russian standard. It’s unique for the fact that it offers both purity and taste by using hardy winter wheat grown on the Black Steppes of Russia and ice-cold waters from Russia’s Lake Ladoga.
It’s distilled tons of times until it’s ready to be filtered through charcoal, giving it its brute, Siberian taste that will absolutely get the job done. At normally just a $20 price point per 750ml bottle, this stuff is the cheap vodka to snag for the warmer months ahead.
7. Seagram’s Vodka
BEST FROM GIN MAKERS
From the people who’ve given us some of the best tasting gin and ginger ale options since 1857 is a vodka that’s just as delicious. While some might be surprised Seagram’s is in the cheap vodka playing field, longtime fans will know that the brand has mastered some of the smoothest yet well-priced vodka to exist.
If you’ve ever had (and loved) their gin, you’ll know that Seagram’s doesn’t fool around. Given that a 750ml bottle of vodka is only around $15 depending on where you go, see for yourself why Seagram’s vodka is just as delicious as their gin and ginger ale.
8. Three Olives Rosé Vodka
BEST ROSÉ
If you haven’t yet hopped on the rosé vodka bandwagon, you’re a bit behind. A few summers back this stuff was finding its way through liquor stores across the country just to be sold out the same day new shipments arrived. The trend has died a bit, but since rosé season is approaching, this is the perfect time to stock up on our favorite rosé vodka mix, Three Olives.
We find most rosé vodka types that aren’t Three Olives taste, well, completely awful. This brand has really hit the nail on the head by giving us vodka in the forefront and rosé in the back, which is exactly what we want when drinking vodka. With such a great taste and such an affordable price (around $22, depending on where you are), feel free to drink this stuff straight out of the glass on ice this summer.
9. Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
BEST ORIGINAL
You can’t hate on our good ‘ole friend Smirnoff. The brand has been synonymous with the word “vodka” ever since it debuted in the 1860s. You know it, you might hate it, but you have to admit — it’s cheap and it’s pretty smooth as it makes its way down.
Considering there are so many new vodka brands that claim to be the best “this” and the best “that”, adults are throwing Smirnoff to the side when in fact, they don’t have to. It’s still a delicious cheap vodka option that gets you buzzed and pairs well with most mixers.
So, next time you’re making yourself a vodka drink, get yourself a bottle of Smirnoff and remind yourself that it isn’t all that bad. Plus, a 750ml is always under $20, and that you just can’t beat.
10. Pinnacle Original Vodka
BEST IN FROZEN DRINKS
Whip out the blender, it’s time to make some frozen cocktails. This summer is going to be hot. There’s simply no doubt about it. Cool off by blending ice into your favorite cocktails and sip in the sun. Perfect for lounging by the pool with your pals or tanning on your roof with a book, Pinnacle makes a hell of a vodka for blending.
There are a ton of delicious flavors from Pinnacle that will enhance your frozen drink’s flavor, like Pinnacle Whipped or Pinnacle Pineapple. Hey, maybe even mix a few.
11. SKYY Vodka
QUADRUPLE-DISTILLED
If you didn’t know, SKYY made history upon its creation as America’s first quadruple-distilled, triple-filtered premium vodka in existence. It’s been around since the early 90s and ever since its creation has become a bar staple for many patrons across America.
Try SKYY for the most fresh-tasting martini you’ll ever have. Don’t forget extra olives. Never forget extra olives.
12. Finlandia Vodka
BEST SCANDINAVIAN
Ever heard of Scandinavian vodka? No? Well, now you have. The region of the midnight sun is surprisingly well-versed in the production and distilling of exceptionally smooth-tasting vodkas, and Finlandia is no exception. Distilled and bottled in Finland, clearly, this vodka uses barley and water sources native to the region to keep consistent quality and taste within every bottle.
Although this stuff is nowhere near Russian, we love using Finlandia for creating a zesty Moscow Mule for its bitey yet delicate flavoring. Looking to taste it for yourself? You can find this brand for just around $20 a 750ml bottle depending on where you are in the world.
13. Georgi Vodka
ABSOLUTE WORST, BUT CHEAPEST
Well, it’s not that we suggest it, but we’re including it anyway. For those of you that haven’t heard of Georgi, consider yourself lucky. For those of you who have tasted our good pal, you were probably 16 years old sneaking this stuff out of your parent’s liquor cabinet, not knowing they solely use this stuff for pasta sauces on Sundays.
While it tastes exactly like what you might think, we made you a promise and we meant it: it doesn’t exactly taste like rubbing alcohol but it might come close. We only suggest getting yourself some Georgi on dire, and we mean DIRE emergencies, like snowmageddons and hurricanes in which every single other vodka option is sold out.
While it is not good at all, it is normally under $10 for a whole 750ml bottle, which is pretty hard to beat. If the power goes out during a storm and you and your best pals are looking for a way and a reason to get blacked out, grab the Georgi make a crappy bowl of punch to call it a night. Just don’t hate us for your hangover the next day.