Awesome Vodka

TBH we haven’t had many RTD cocktails we’d drink again. Absolut’s tasty bottled Cosmopolitans and on-trend Espresso Martinis (made with real espresso and Kahlúa coffee liqueur) are an exception, especially because a $17 750ml RTD bottle blows $17 bar cocktails away. No mixology skills required. Simply shake or pour over ice.

Vodka is only as good as the water that accounts for 60% of the spirit. Crystal clear 80-proof Reyka Vodka comes from Iceland, far from urban pollution, where arctic rain is filtered through 4,000-year-old lava fields. Scottish barley is added and distilled using the world’s only copper Carter Head still used to make vodka.

Swedish distiller Purity added an award to their trophy case when their Connoisseur 51 Organic Vodka was named Vodka of the Year in the New Orleans Spirits Competition. The organic spirit is distilled slowly at low temperatures for more than 20 hours in a custom copper still for a total of 51 distillations.

What began as the go-to-drink of campfire jam sessions hosted by lifelong friends Brian Thomason and Matt Hemmings, Sunshine Punch is an ready-to-drink bottled rum and vodka cocktail with an orange-and-vanilla-flavored creme base. It’s easy peasy to enjoy simply poured over ice, in a slushie, or as a chilled shot.

The way life is today, you never know when a drinking emergency might come up. This fun gift set from Not Another Bill comes packed with vodka, bloody mary mix, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, and a cocktail shaker. The only thing missing are drinking glasses, but you can always use your coffee mug for that. They also make an emergency gin and tonic suitcase.

Is there an end in sight for celebrity-owned spirits brands? Nope. Music producer-rapper Polow Da Don has twiddled the knobs for Christina Aguilera, Rihana, Usher, etc., and recently introduced YoCo Vodka, an all-natural, gluten-free spirit that uses activated carbon to create some bomb-diggity hooch.

Instead of going to Iceland to see the Northern Lights only to see nothing, I could’ve just gazed into the iridescent bottle of Crystal Head Aurora, a metalized skull inspired by the Aurora Borealis. The additive-free vodka inside is distilled 5X and filtered 7X, including three passes through layers of Herkimer diamonds.

Until the 19th century, Polish vodka-makers used the technique of “malting” (fire-kilned drying) for rich and distinctive flavors. Over time, that old tradition faded as vodka became more associated with neutrality. Belvedere Heritage 176 applies fire to the rye before distillation, to offer a taste of vodka’s flavorful past.

Inside Crystal Head’s spookiest skull bottle yet is a unique clear spirit made with premium Blue Weber agave sourced from a single farm in Mexico… yet this is vodka, not tequila. Crystal Head Onyx is blended with pure water from Newfoundland, Canada for a clean, semi-sweet finish that’s free of additives, oils, and sugars.

Bottled in Michigan, American Liquor Co. Vodka is blended like whisky. Every budget bottle mixes vodkas made from four classic ingredients – wheat, rye, potato, and corn – from American distilleries: Middle West Spirits, Stumpy Spirits, Yahara Bay, Grand Traverse Distillery, Valentine Distilling, and Proof Artisan Distillers.

The black bottle hints that this small-batch vodka from a “small ass facility” in Oregon is pretty badass. Confirming that are Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka’s rescue pittie, Mr. Pickles, and heavily tatted owner/distiller, Ben Green, a self-taught renegade who sources Pacific Northwest wheat for BST’s slow-distilled, freeze-filtered vodka.

Artist Tom of Finland masculinized erotica that boldly defined late-20th century gay culture. In Tom’s memory, pour a stiff one with small-batch Tom of Finland Organic Vodka made by Master Distiller Mika Mönkkönen at Lignell & Piispanen, the second-oldest family-run company in Finland.

Raise a glass to diversity and equality this Pride Month with Crystal Head Vodka’s limited-edition Pride bottle, a true collector’s item, even when empty. Dan Ackroyd’s vodka brand is a proud ally and donor to the LGBTQIA+ community, so celebrate with a rainbow flag of cocktails like the deliciously fruity Sugar Daddy.

While enjoying happy hour at home, raise a glass to Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka team. They make some fine hooch, but it’s the iridescent, skull-shaped bottle that’s so head-turning. Designed by artist John Alexander and manufactured in Milan by Bruni Glass, here’s an inside look at the heads being made.

American law states that vodka should be distilled or treated until it has no “distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.” So why are some vodkas more expensive than others? NPR points us to businessman Sidney Frank.

A welcome alternative to cinnamon-flavored whiskeys, naturally-flavored Blazing HEEET has a much more neutral base flavor, offering up a hot and slightly sweet taste just like a red hot candy. Try it solo, or with a little Applejack for a cinnamon apple treat.