Russian Standard Vodka

More of the World's Best Vodkas

Origin: Russia; $25

Remember Dmitri Mendeleev? He's the 19th century Russian professor who created the Periodic Table, and in the process doomed generations of high schoolers to fail chemistry class because they couldn't remember whether "Si" stands for silver or silicon. (It's the latter, genius!) Mendeleev also played a major role in developing a precise formula for vodka, and Russian Standard adheres strictly to his calculations, yielding the most "vodka-like" entry on our list. It burns, kicks, screams and likewise refuses to go down too smoothly. And that isn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it's a thing called flavor. If I were a Russian mobster, this would be my go-to hootch.