Bully Boy Vodka

Bully Boy Vodka is a 40% ABV (80 proof) vodka from Massachusetts. Bully Boy is a New England craft label, so it sits in a different category from the large national brands that dominate most vodka shelves. The details we have don't name the base ingredient or describe the distillation. For that reason, treat any grain, potato or corn character as something to find out by tasting, not as a stated fact. Craft vodkas at this strength usually give a clean, lightly textured spirit with a faint sweetness on the front of the palate and a dry, quiet finish. Taste a small pour neat before you build a drink around it. That restrained profile suits spirit-forward drinks, where the vodka is most of the glass. A Martini is the clearest test. Stir it with ice and a splash of dry vermouth, then strain it into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or an olive, depending on whether you want a brighter drink or a more savory one. The same neutral backbone works in a Cosmopolitan, where the vodka should support the cranberry, lime and orange liqueur without competing with them. It works equally well in an Espresso Martini, which needs a clean spirit so that the coffee and sugar stay in front. In long drinks, a clean vodka lets the other ingredients carry the flavor. A Moscow Mule needs only the vodka, a good ginger beer, fresh lime and plenty of ice. Serve it in a copper mug or a tall glass, and use a spicier ginger beer if you want more bite. For a Bloody Mary, vodka at this strength carries the tomato, horseradish, Worcestershire and hot sauce without adding anything of its own. That makes it a good base for a brunch pitcher. If you're drinking it straight, keep the bottle in the freezer. Cold thickens the texture and tones down alcohol heat. Pour it into a small chilled glass, or over a single large cube in a rocks glass if you want it to open up slowly as the ice melts. Straight pours go well with salty or briny foods such as smoked fish, oysters, pickles and cured meats. These are traditional matches for chilled vodka. A cold, neutral spirit cuts through salt and fat.