Step 1: Postmortem blood sampling supports toxicology, alcohol levels and grouping. To keep the sample reliable, it should be drawn from a sizeable peripheral vein accessible before the body is opened.
Step 2: The standard practice is to take roughly 10 to 20 ml from the femoral vein in the groin region prior to commencing the autopsy. Being peripheral, it minimises the postmortem redistribution artefacts that plague central samples.
Step 3: If the femoral vein is unsuitable, the jugular or subclavian veins serve as acceptable backups, yet the femoral vein stays the first choice.
Step 4: Arteries such as the femoral and brachial, and the cephalic vein, are not used for this routine collection.
\[\boxed{\text{Femoral vein}}\]