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Unless a cold shower is your thing, there are few better ways of forgetting the heat than getting summertime sippers down you like cool vodka cocktails.

This summer, mixologists around Kent and beyond the county borders have gone into overdrive with their cocktail shakers. And with sizzling temperatures far from done just yet, now could be a good time to bring in some much-needed reinforcements to quench your thirst.

Which brings us to vodka. Vodka is without doubt a great, long-time chum of cocktails simply because there are so many different and diverse flavours.

Some are buttery, others can be crisp while you can also get vodkas tasting bitter or of green apples and vanilla.

To cut a long story short, vodka is a brilliant mixing companion for cocktails and don't despair if your drinks cabinet has come up short. Check out these 5 offers for vodka on Amazon (free delivery). Sign up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial if the special offer is for Prime members only.

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Here are some of our best vodka cocktail picks to hopefully leave you shaken but not stirred:

James Bond’s Vesper Martini

Ingredients: 85ml Gordon’s Gin, 30ml of vodka, 15ml of dry vermouth, a large slice of lemon peel

In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, vodka and dry vermouth. Shake it over ice but do not stir before then straining it into a chilled champagne goblet. Add lemon peel to garnish.

Cosmopolitan

Ingredients: 55ml of vodka, 30ml of cranberry juice, 20ml fresh lime juice, 20ml of triple sec, orange twist

Mix the vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and triple sec in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake well until the outside of shaker is very cold (about 20 seconds). Pour the mix through a strainer or a slotted spoon into a Martini glass. Garnish with orange twist.

Harvey Wallbanger

Ingredients: 50ml of vodka, orange juice, 1 tablespoon of Galliano (or an anise/herb flavoured liqueur), 1 orange slice, 1 cherry

Pour the vodka into a highball glass and top up with orange juice. Gently add the Galliano to the top of the drink to create a separate layer. Serve with orange slice and cherry to garnish.

White Russian

Ingredients: 55ml of vodka, 30ml of coffee liqueur, 30ml of creme

Put all the ingredients and some ice into a shaker and shake well for 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker gets cold. Strain the contents into a short glass with ice.

Moscow Mule

Ingredients: 45ml of vodka, 15ml lime juice, half a cup of ginger beer, 1 lime wedge

Add the vodka and lime juice into a big glass. Add ice cubes and the ginger beer and stir well. Add a lime wedge to garnish.

Screwdriver

Ingredients: 55ml of vodka, 140ml of freshly squeezed orange juice, orange slice, 40ml of Campari (optional)

Serve into a Collins glass with plenty of crushed ice. Stir well.

Bloody Mary

Ingredients: 40ml of vodka, ½ cup of tomato juice, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, 1-3 dashes of Tobasco sauce, 4-6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of celery salt, celery stick, lemon wedge

Shake all the ingredients together with ice and then strain into a tall glass. Garnish with the celery stick and lemon wedge.

Vodka Mojito

Ingredients: 50ml of vodka, 3 lime wedges, mint, 3 teaspoons of sugar, crushed ice, apple juice

Add the vodka, lime wedges, sugar and a few mint leaves to a highball glass and stir. Fill with a crushed ice and then top up with apple juice. Add a sprig of fresh mint to garnish.

Monkey Bar’s Maanga

Ingredients: 60ml of vodka, 90ml of freshly squeezed sweet lime juice, 45ml of raw mango squash, 1 raw mango slice

Mix the vodka, sweet lime juice and mango squash into a shaker with ice cubes and shake well. Pour the mixture into a tall glass and garnish with the mango slice.

Indian Summer

Ingredients: 60ml of vodka, 60g of fresh mango cubes, 6-8 fresh mint leaves, 1-inch of ginger, 20ml of sweet and sour syrup, 15ml of lime juice, 1 mint sprig

Place the vodka, mangoes, mint leaves, ginger, lime juice, syrup and a few ice cubes in a blender and blend until well-mixed. Pour the mixture into a Margarita glass and serve frozen with mint sprig for garnish finish.

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