Any recommendations on what kind of brandy to use? I never buy brandy but I would like to try this recipe.

Hi SMSF - Most Penne alla Vodka recipes I know don't require brandy, including those from fine cooks such as Marcella Hazan. If you choose to make the dish without brandy, it will taste fine.

When the brand I'd used for years was mysteriously no longer available, I asked several chefs what brandy they used for cooking (you do want something drinkable, but not Cognac). the "winner" by a longshot, was DeVille brandy. You can keep brandy in your cupboard for a VERY long time w/o danger of spoilage, so it's a good choice of liquor to have on hand for cooking -- unlike wine, which -- if you're not going to drink it -- will go bad. I do think once you try it, you'll find many other uses for it in your cooking. I wouldn't omit the brandy from the vodka sauce. I find it adds a roundness to the sauce that is unattainable otherwise.

It's such a small amount of brandy (1/4 cup), you could skip it and just substitute more vodka. Or just buy a couple of those tiny airplane-sized bottles of brandy at a liquor store: just tell the clerk you want a decent brand for cooking.