Vodka is, without a doubt, the ultimate versatile liquor. With virtually no distinguishable taste except that of a clean, clear alcohol, vodka mixes perfectly in countless cocktails — from sweet to savory to spicy.
Below, check out five essential cocktail recipes every vodka drinker should know like the back of his hand.
Vodka Martini
- 3 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Dry Vermouth
- Lemon twist or olives for garnish
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir to combine. Strain into chilled martini glass. To make it dirty, add a splash of olive brine. Garnish with a lemon twist or olives.
Moscow Mule
- 2 oz Vodka
- 4 oz Ginger Beer
- .5 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Add crushed ice to a copper mug and pour in vodka and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and give it a quick stir before serving.
Bloody Mary
- 2 oz Vodka
- 4 oz Tomato juice
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 2 tsp horseradish
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch Ground black pepper
- 1 Lemon Wedge
- Celery Salt to rim glass
Rim a pint glass with celery salt until fully coated and fill with ice. In a shaker, squeeze the lemon and drop it in, and add the remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish as your heart desires.
Vodka Gimlet
- 2 oz Vodka
- ¾ oz Lime
- ¾ oz Simple Syrup
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Cosmopolitan
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Cointreau
- 1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
- 1 dash Cranberry juice
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until the shaker is frosted over. Strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass.
Bonus: Caipirovska
- 2 oz Vodka
- .5 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Muddle lime wedges in bottom of shaker. Add sugar syrup and vodka with ice and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass with fresh ice and serve.
