Almost an afterthought in many a gin martini or vodka cocktail, Noilly Prat is the first and most famous of all Vermouth expressions. It’s a dry, straw-colored fortified wine created by French herbalist Joseph Noilly in 1813 and fundamental to many martinis.

If it’s not quite your style of mixer, there’s a range of sweeter (or even drier) variations available to jazz up your cocktail mix.

4. Schweppes Tonic Water

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Tonic water contains quinine, which gives it the slightly bitter taste that works so well with spirits. The best tonic bottles offer sharp refreshment to mixed drinks and cocktails.

In traditional medicine and folklore, quinine is a common treatment for malaria, so would have been needed (along with gin) during the peak of the British Empire and even further back than that in other forms across cultures.

The water you’ll need to create a vodka drink recipe has to have a crisp bitterness and gentle tang on your tongue. This flavor edge pairs nicely with citrus or pineapple juice, botanical flavors in an infused vodka tonic, or matched with fruit for sour cocktails.

5. Q Ginger Beer

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Q Ginger Beer is crafted only to be used as a mixer and is not recommended for standalone consumption. The Q mixer is spicier and features higher carbonation with less sugar, exactly what your vodka mixer, rum, or whiskey is looking for to complement a cocktail shaker full of spirits and ice for more pop in the glass.

Recipe: The Bloody Mary

The best Bloody Mary’s you can drink during any part of the day, but it’s synonymous with hangovers. A spicy, savory Bloody Mary is a go to for anyone needing some hair of the dog after a big night out

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz vodka (We recommend Tito’s Handmade Vodka for value)
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1-3 dashes Tabasco sauce (more for spicier taste)
• 4-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce (more for savory taste)
• Salt and pepper pinch
• 1 tsp celery salt
• Ice

Garnish: Celery stick, lemon slice