Cocktails with vodka: 8 essential drinks.
Vodka is the blank canvas of spirits. Almost no flavor of its own, which is exactly why it works in dozens of cocktails, it's a vehicle for citrus, ginger, and whatever else you put with it. The pre-prohibition books mostly ignore it (vodka came late to America) but the modern era is full of essential vodka drinks. Here are 8.
The 8 drinks
1. Moscow Mule
Vodka, ginger beer, lime, served in a copper mug over crushed ice. The drink that put Smirnoff on the American map. Build: 2 oz vodka, 4 oz ginger beer, 0.5 oz lime juice.
2. Cosmopolitan
Vodka, Cointreau, lime, cranberry. Made famous by Sex and the City but a legitimately good drink. Build: 1.5 oz citrus vodka, 0.5 oz Cointreau, 0.75 oz lime, 0.5 oz cranberry.
3. Vesper
Three parts gin, one part vodka, half part Lillet Blanc, lemon twist. James Bond's drink in Casino Royale. Build: 3 oz gin, 1 oz vodka, 0.5 oz Lillet Blanc.
4. Bloody Mary
Vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper, celery. Brunch's defining drink. Build: 1.5 oz vodka, 4 oz tomato juice, 0.5 oz lemon, dashes Worcestershire and Tabasco, salt and pepper, celery garnish.
5. Espresso Martini
Vodka, fresh espresso, Kahlúa, simple syrup. Shaken hard for the foam. The drink that won the 2020s. Build: 2 oz vodka, 1 oz espresso, 0.5 oz Kahlúa, 0.25 oz simple syrup.
6. Vodka Tonic
Vodka, tonic, lime over ice. Hard to mess up, harder to make excellent. Use a small-batch tonic (Fever-Tree) and a quality vodka (Tito's, Belvedere). Build: 2 oz vodka, 4 oz tonic, lime.
7. Lemon Drop
Vodka, lemon, Cointreau, sugar rim. Build: 2 oz lemon vodka, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.75 oz Cointreau, sugar rim.
8. White Russian
Vodka, Kahlúa, cream over ice in a rocks glass. The Big Lebowski's drink. Build: 2 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlúa, 1 oz heavy cream.
About vodka
Vodka is defined by what it isn't, colorless, odorless, tasteless. The 'differences' between premium vodkas (Grey Goose vs. Belvedere vs. Tito's) are mostly marketing, with some texture variation. For mixed drinks under 1.5 oz vodka, use anything middle-shelf. For Vesper or Vodka Tonic where vodka is the headliner, spend a bit more.
FAQ
- What's the best vodka for cocktails?
- Tito's (~$20) is the workhorse. Smooth, neutral, American-made. Belvedere and Grey Goose ($30-40) are noticeably smoother for sipping straight or in martinis. Below ~$15 you start tasting the alcohol burn.
- Should vodka be kept in the freezer?
- Yes for sipping vodka straight. The lower temperature thickens the texture. For cocktails, room-temperature vodka is fine, the ice in the shaker dilutes it appropriately.
- Why does vodka give people worse hangovers than other spirits?
- Counterintuitive but it's mostly a myth, vodka has fewer congeners (flavor compounds that contribute to hangovers) than darker spirits like bourbon or rum. People drink vodka faster because it's neutral, which is the actual problem.
- What's a 'flavored vodka' worth using?
- Citron (lemon vodka, Absolut) for Lemon Drops and Cosmos. Pepper vodka for Bloody Marys. Skip the dessert flavors, cake-flavored, gummy bear, salted caramel, they're sugary and shallow.
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