Since vodka has quite a neutral taste, it pairs well with almost anything. That includes soda, fruit juice, chocolate, cream, tomato juice, and even peanut butter. The trick to making vodka cocktails is to start with decent vodka. If you go for something cheap, chances are your drink will taste like nail polish remover. Instead, spend a little extra, and you’ll find vodka can be creamy, spicy, and citrusy. And let’s not forget it’s one of the healthiest spirits around!
Best Ever Vodka Cocktail Recipes To Try in 2022
1. Jack Frost Cocktail
With the holidays creeping closer and closer, it’s about time we started looking for fun recipes, right? You’ve probably got a list of cookies, cakes, and candies to make. But don’t forget about the drinks! This is the perfect winter cocktail, and it will be such a hit at your next Christmas party. It might look cold, but the blend of vodka, pineapple juice, blue Curacao, and cream of coconut will leave you dreaming of an island paradise.
2. Adult Hot Chocolate
Looking for something to warm you up after a long day out in the cold? This boozy hot chocolate is easy to make and best served by a roaring fire. If you’ve never tried whipped cream vodka before, let me warn you: this stuff is addictive. I tried it as a taster once in a liquor store and immediately bought a bottle. It’s creamy, lightly sweet, and when you add it to diet coke, it tastes just like an ice cream float! In this case, it will provide warmth and sweetness to the hot chocolate. It’s even good enough that you could skip the extra whipped cream on top. Perfect if you’re trying to eat and drink more healthily.
3. Vodka Tonic
Tonic is pretty bitter, and you usually see it paired with gin, which adds herby, botanical flavors, along with a touch of citrus. For those who like tonic water but prefer something cleaner, vodka is the next best choice. I like it with a squeeze of lemon and lime, but that’s optional. It’s also tasty with orange juice.
4. Homemade Bloody Marys
Bloody Marys are distinctly savory. They’re usually a little spicy and are loaded with the kind of ingredients you’d expect to see in tomato soup, not a cocktail. It all starts with a base of tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. From there, you might want to add cucumber, vinegar, celery seeds, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Plenty of people drink them for fun, but it’s believed to be a hangover cure, too. The veggies should help to settle your stomach, while the vodka is thought to relieve headaches.
5. Vodka Cranberry
Unfortunately, a lot of bars will serve this with just vodka and cranberry juice. Needless to say, it tastes like watered-down juice with a hint of alcohol. To make it right, you need to add lime and orange juice. Lime will, like lemon, add zesty goodness, which works like salt or sugar to round the drink out. Orange juice pairs perfectly with cranberry and adds a slight sweetness to balance out the bitterness.
6. Frozen Mudslide
If I go out to eat, dessert isn’t even a question. Yes, I want it, and no, I probably won’t share. But sometimes, I drink dessert, and this frozen mudslide is one I can’t resist.
The classic recipe contains vodka, coffee liqueur (Kahlúa), and Baileys. Of course, if you don’t want the coffee, you could use Crème De Cacao to make it more chocolatey. To make it frozen, you’ll add vanilla ice cream to the mix and use a blender to make it velvety smooth.
7. Vodka Watermelon Cocktail
Just because you’re trying to be more healthy and maybe reduce your calorie intake doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a grown-up drink every now and then. So, how does this fruit cocktail with watermelon and vodka sound? Did I mention it’s only 136 calories? Just toss watermelon, coconut water, and lime juice into a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour this into a pitcher or glass and top it with vodka. Remember to use seedless watermelons or to remove them before blending.
8. Black Russian
The black Russian got its name simply because Russians like vodka, and the drink is dark in color. There’s no Russian link, and it was actually first created in 1949 Brussels. Many people think this and the espresso martini are the same, but there’s a key difference. The black Russian has two parts vodka to one part coffee liqueur, whereas the martini uses two parts vodka to one part each coffee liquor and freshly brewed espresso. Both are pretty strong, and the coffee flavor sits front and center.
9. Fresh Cherry Lime Vodka Soda
Just like orange and cranberry are made for each other, cherry and lime are a match made in heaven. This drink would be super tasty without any alcohol. It’s tart, sweet, and wonderfully bubbly. But for those looking for that extra something, all it takes is a glug of decent vodka to make this a light, bright, refreshing cocktail.
10. Berry Vodka Cocktails (Sugar-Free)
Even if it’s the dead of winter, you can whip this pretty drink up in minutes. Frozen fruits will work just as well as fresh. You’ll just need to pull them out about ten minutes early. You’ll rely on the berries for flavor here, as it doesn’t call for simple syrup. Though you can always add some if you feel it’s falling flat. But to keep it sugar-free, try adding flavored seltzer instead of club soda. Lemon and lime would be terrific and add a touch of zestiness to the mix. Or, use Absolut Citron, which is sugar-free and has a lovely light citrus taste.
11. Kentucky Peach Vodka Cocktail
It’s not unusual to see cocktails with a dash of alcohol and then a whole slew of tasty extras. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want something with a kick, these watered-down drinks just don’t cut it. This cocktail, though, uses vodka and bourbon, so you know it’s intense! Not only that, there’s no fruit juice in here to take away from the fact this is a cocktail. So instead, you’ll use peach-flavored vodka to keep it nice and boozy.
12. Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail
Where the Kentucky Derby has the mint julep, the Preakness Stakes has the black-eyed Susan. Preakness is an American horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland, and can you guess what the state flower is? The Black-Eyed Susan! Since this drink is so sunny in color, you can see why it’s named for the pretty flower. Though, I’m sure this tastes better. You might find a few variations of this cocktail, but this is the one from the Preakness website, so you know it’s authentic.
13. Classic Screwdriver
It’s funny that something so simple has its own name. After all, it’s just orange juice and vodka, so does that qualify as a cocktail? This is a mixed drink if you want to get technical since it only has two ingredients. Fun fact, to be a cocktail, you’ll need at least three. But let’s not split hairs. Just like the mimosa or the Cuba libre, this effortless drink is tasty and crazy-easy to make. As good as some other cocktails are, you won’t want to make complicated syrups and find six different liqueurs. Sometimes, you’ll just want to pour, stir, and enjoy.
14. Caramel Apple Martini (Toffee Apple Martini)
If you’re a fan of appletinis, I’m sure you’ll go nuts over this caramel apple version. Where appletinis are tart and crisp, this twist on the classic is smooth, sweet, and almost creamy in texture. Rather than using apple liqueur or apple brandy, which can taste a bit synthetic, find a decent apple cider. You can then add caramel schnapps for a sweeter finish or go for caramel vodka for a more subtle and less sweet taste.
15. Vodka Root Beer Float
You might want to hold off on making these until after the kids have gone to bed. They look too good to resist! I like to use hard root beer for that extra kick, but that’s up to you. I also go for whipped cream vodka for an extra rich finish. That being said, if you wanted to make these for everyone, it would be as easy as making a big batch with regular root beer and just adding vodka to the adult’s drinks. I did this over the summer and just used different colored straws to tell them apart.
16. Sea Breeze
Although I usually go for the bay breeze with vodka, cranberry, and pineapple, the sea breeze is a close second. Full of vodka, tart cranberry juice, and sour grapefruit juice, this might not be for those of us with a sweet tooth. I have to admit that I find it a little bit too bitter, but I know plenty of people who love that. Plus, it has a pleasant, vibrant color that screams vacation.
17. Cucumber Vodka Soda
As odd as it may seem, cucumber cocktails are refreshing, hydrating, and even slightly sweet. Since the flavor is so mild, it’s not distracting, though you’ll absolutely taste it. To balance that vegetable flavor out, you’ll add lime juice and simple syrup. This is also best with lime or lemon seltzer rather than regular. Alternatively, you could lean into the savory flavors and use this amazing jalapeño simple syrup instead.
18. Madras Drink
The madras is a twist on the classic Cape Cod (or Cape Codder), which is just vodka and cranberry juice. The twist includes orange juice, cutting down on the tart flavors, and adding natural sweetness and zest.
19. Sex on the Beach Cocktail
Did you know that this drink got its name from a bartender in Florida who was trying to promote peach schnapps to a bunch of spring breakers? It kind of makes sense if you think about it. I like to look beyond the silly name and just enjoy the flavors. Between the peach, orange, cranberry, and Chambord (or Grenadine), it’s so fun and scrumptious.
20. Peanut Butter Cup Martini
I know a lot of you have been waiting for this one since I mentioned peanut butter in the intro. Sorry to keep you waiting! I’ve been on the lookout for International Delight Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Creamer for ages. It’s so popular, and it sells out fast. If you see it, stock up! If you can’t get ahold of any, try making your own peanut butter creamer with this recipe instead. Then, you just add vodka and shake. How easy is that?
21. Bailey’s Chocolate White Russian
The white Russian came after the black, and it’s as easy as adding cream to the mix. It’s pretty easy to make vegan if you use coconut cream. This version, though, moves away from the coffee flavors and focuses on rich, dark chocolate. You’ll use chocolate vodka and Irish Cream rather than coffee liqueurs. It’s a little like the mudslide from above, only without the ice cream.
22. Classic Moscow Mule
Although I tend to go for the dark & stormy, which uses rum, this is one of my favorite drinks. It’s so versatile, and you can use pretty much any kind of spirit. You can make this with ginger ale and have it weaker, but I think it’s best to use ginger beer. The flavor is so much more pronounced, and I love the extra spiciness it brings. Also, this is one of my favorite drinks to add that jalapeńo simple syrup to. It blends so well with ginger and vodka! Trust me and try it. You won’t be sorry.
23. Salty Dog
Funnily enough, this drink gets its name from its inspiration and original recipe, the greyhound cocktail. The greyhound, like the salty dog, mixes gin or vodka with grapefruit juice. It’s simple, clean, and pretty tart. To make this into the salty dog, all you need to do is add salt to the rim of the glass. Get it? Salt + greyhound? It might seem like a frivolous addition, but you won’t believe how that lick of salt changes this drink for the better! Click on a star to rate it!
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