Vodka

Swap it in for your next Bloody Mary, try it with a tall pour of soda and a squeeze of lime—or in one of these three cocktails.

The health guru chef-writer dishes on her favorite cocktail upgrade for entertaining friends and family this summer.

For mixing into dirty martinis, splashing with soda, or spiking up any drink you can think of, vodka is a necessary bottle. And it’s key for entertaining; while some drinkers aren’t partial to gin, say, or tequila, virtually no one has a vodka aversion. But which should you get? Here are eleven bottles to know and try.

Crush on this slushy.

After last summer’s frosé frenzy, we’re all craving the next big chill. At Treasury in San Francisco, there’s always something icy churning at the bar. “Slushies signal a good time,” says beverage director Carlos Yturria, the brains behind this watermelon-based party starter, spiked with sherry and Aperol.  Slideshow: More Frozen Drink Recipes 

Chris Lilly has been at the helm of Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama, for some time now, constantly perfecting and producing quintessential barbecue goodness. I had the chance to try Chris’s barbecue at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in 2011, and I can honestly say it has forever changed me. I compare all barbecue I have eaten since against his majestic mountaintop of flavor. Hope you feel the same about his Bloody, featuring beef jus (save the drippings from your next barbecue, or use unsalted beef broth), smoked celery salt, and lotsa smiles and high fives. —Brian BartelsReprinted with permission from The Bloody Mary, copyright 2017 by Brian Bartels. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs copyright 2017 by Eric MedskerSlideshow: More Cocktail Recipes