Top 19 Vodka Mixers For A Perfect Home Bar
May 5, 2020
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Because vodka is largely flavorless, it can be combined with any number of mixers, especially those with a strong flavor of their own. For example, adding any type of juice or any type of soda to vodka works just fine. Even so, there are some vodka mixers are better than other, so in this list were focusing on the most powerful and the most interesting mixers.
Its also worth mentioning that vodka still has some impact on your drink. For one thing, it imparts an alcoholic kick. The vodka also impacts the texture of your drink.
Some vodkas, particularly low-quality ones, do have a little flavor as well. Any flavor comes from impurities and is generally undesirable. If youre using a fairly intense mixer, like cranberry juice, then low-quality vodka isnt likely to be a problem.
On the other hand, if you are using a more subtle mixer like soda water, the quality of your vodka will make a difference. You dont need to be extravagant, but try to avoid the cheapest of the cheap.
When youre looking at mixers, also consider the strength of the final drink that you want. If the mixer is on the mild side, then the alcoholic undertone of the drink will be quite distinct. This undertone tends to be masked by stronger mixers, to the point that you might not notice it at all.
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Grapefruit Juice And A Splash Of Soda
As with pretty much every item you consume, the caliber of your ingredients matters here. Pour a few ounces of good-quality grapefruit juice over a shot of vodka on ice, give it a stir, and top with soda water and a lime wedge. Its a light, bright, slightly effervescent version of a Greyhound cocktail.
What Does Strawberry Vodka Taste Like
Strawberry vodka and related flavors are considered some of the prime variants of vodka. And the taste is much more pleasant than pure vodka – you might even be able to drink it on its own.
As you might expect, strawberry vodka tastes similar to vodka mixed with strawberry juice.
What you might not know is that rarely, if ever, does flavored vodka have any actual fruit in it. The strawberry taste tends to come from chemical flavoring.
While the flavor is much more manageable than that of solo hard alcohol, especially if you have a sweet tooth for fruits, dont expect any miracles. Note that part of this achievement is accomplished by lowering the alcoholic content of the drink, as strawberry vodka , is usually at or below the 70-proof level.
Even so, youll probably still find it preferable to mix this with non-alcoholic or slightly alcoholic options. After all, this isnt flavored spritzer, which is carbonated and sweet, almost like a spiked soft drink.
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Is Sprite And Vodka A Good Mix
Sprite and vodka is a good mix and offers a light, refreshing taste. This mixer can work well in any drink, and its also affordable. Plus, this mixture will make the flavors of both drinks pop more.
This mixer goes well with citrus-flavored vodkas like lemon or orange.
For example, suppose you want to try some chocolate flavors. In that case, Sprite would be an excellent pick for a mixer.
You could even have strawberry flavor combined as an appetizer before dinner without worrying about spoiling your appetite.
This combination might not work so well on its own. Regardless, it does wonders for adding extra flavor and enhancing other ingredients mixed into these two beverages.
The downside of drinking Sprite as a mixer is its sugar contentyou may want to limit yourself if youre trying to cut back on sweets. Notably, mixing high amounts of sugar into your system isnt great for your health either.
Muddle Fresh Fruit Or Herbs
The next way to add flavor to your vodka soda is to simply muddle some fresh fruit or herbs.
This is the quickest way to ramp up the flavor of your drink, and bonus: a few slices of cucumber or a couple of berries isnt going to ruin your diet either.
I like to think of this kind of vodka soda as a way to incorporate your daily serving of fruits or veggies into happy hour.
One of my favorite ways to use muddled fruit in a vodka soda is to muddle some cucumber with a squeeze of lime juice and then garnish with fresh mint.
Its cool, refreshing, and the perfect light cocktail to have when you want a drink but dont want to feel weighed down. Tip: be gentle if you muddle mint, it can release an off-putting flavor if muddled too vigorously.
Cucumber Mint Vodka Soda
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Vodka Tastes Like: Everything From Fruit To Grass
Jon deBary, bar director of Momofuku, New York, NY
The true goal of a vodka producer is to create a clean, pure distillate that retains some character of the base ingredient, says deBary, in agreeance with many of the other bartenders surveyed. He goes into detail about how those base ingredients can affect vodkas flavor: For instance, one of my guilty pleasures, Ciroc vodka, which we serve at Ko and Má Pêche, is made from grapes, and has a distinctly fruity aroma and bright acidity. Ketel One, another one of our favorites, is made from wheat, and so the result is a softer texture. Aylesbury Duck vodka, which we use extensively, is made from Canadian rye and so it is slightly grassy and spicy.
Why Mix Vodka With Grape Juice
There are so many alcoholic drinks and juices, and you might wonder why this combination is special. Vodka is an alcoholic drink without odor and with a neutral flavor. Vodka doesnt taste good, and mixing it with other liquids can make the taste bearable and even delicious.
Grape juice isnt much utilized in the cocktail industry, despite its flavor and versatility.
On its own, grape juice is very good for your health. Freshly made grape juice can reduce the blood clots risks and improve your cholesterol. Moreover, it helps maintain blood pressure in a healthy range and keeps your blood vessels in good condition.
It loses some of the beneficial properties when mixed with alcohol, but it is still better to use grape juice than soda juices.
Also, when you mix grape juice with vodka instead of sugary drinks, you get a delicious drink with fewer calories. I wont go that far to say that vodka and grape juice combo is good for weight loss, but it certainly is better than soda-based cocktails.
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Infuse It: Vanilla Bean Liqueur
Good things come to those who infuse vodka. That’s how the saying goes, right? The hardest part of our super easy liqueur is waiting a month before you try it. In place of that harsh, cheap vodka taste, you’ll have the bold, rich flavors of real vanilla bean ready to add to tropical martinis or warm toddies.
Fix Whiskey With Wine
Don’t struggle through whiskey that’s far from smooth. You can fix the flavor by adding another alcohol.
Image via Concannon
Add a different, better-tasting whiskey to balance its flavorsor you can pour in a shot of red wine. Birchbox suggests using a sweet whiskey for bottles that are too heavy with the taste of alcohol, and port wine for any whiskey that needs a smoother sip.
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The Best Way To Cover Up Vodka
Vodka is not a very strongly flavored alcohol, so any sort of intense taste should cover the flavor up thoroughly. There are two sorts of drinks that will do the job quite well: sweet and tart, and salty and spicy. If you want to drink something salty and spicy, follow the link References to make a Bloody Mary.
Start with the vodka, and use as little as possible. The less vodka in the drink, the less you are going to taste it.
Mix up tart, sweet fruit juices. Both the tartness and the sweetness will help you cover the taste. For example, you can mix one part vodka with two parts each of orange juice and pineapple juice to make a bay breeze. Both juices are very sweet and tart, so they will help cover the flavor.
Consider adding simple syrup to the drink. Mixing in an ounce of simple syrup will make a sweet drink even sweeter, making it hard to taste the vodka.
Add a splash of lime or lemon juice. This will increase the tartness, further masking the taste of the vodka.
Add some soda water. The sensation of soda bubbles popping on your tongue will mask the subtle flavor of the vodka.
Add pieces of fruit to the drink. Fruit will soak up some of the alcohol. You will still feel the effect of the vodka when you drink it, but you won’t taste it as much.
Add ice. Colder drinks go down more smoothly. Even if you still taste the vodka, it won’t bother you as much.
Shake The Skittles And Vodka
Now your infusion bottles all have Skittles in the bottom. Give each bottle a good shake the more, the better.
The candy coating will start to rub off and color the vodka, but the white insides of the Skittles still have a lot of dissolving to do. After shaking them, set them aside for a few hours.
We found that shaking them every few hours, up to maybe 4 times altogether, helps them dissolve faster especially if youre making a bigger batch.
These Skittles all dissolved overnight, but some people have had it take longer, so be sure to do this a full day in advance of when you want to serve them.
See the white stuff at the bottom? Thats the gunk weve been talking about. Once theyre all dissolved, youll notice a lot of layer of this white muck floating at the top of your Skittles Vodka. Well take care of this in Step 6.
Feeling like this is too much work? You could always make Vodka Gummy Bears instead.
Skittles Vodka makes a great gift! And weve got more ideas for cocktail gifts, too.
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Easy Flavored Vodka Drinks With Recipes
Flavored vodkas have been growing in popularity with most brands introducing an array of new flavors. From vegetal flavors like cucumber or jalapeno to fruit flavors such as raspberry or grapefruit to sweet flavors like vanilla, caramel, and chocolate, flavored vodkas can add variety to your cocktail repertoire.
Vodka And Grape Juice Calories
In fact, vodka is one of the alcoholic drinks with the lowest calories. It also doesnt contain carbs, which means that people on LCHF or Paleo diet may enjoy a glass or two occasionally. The number of calories in one shot of vodka depends on the proof rating or the concentration of vodka.
Therefore, the stronger or more concentrated the vodka is, the more calories it will have. Vodka is free of sugar, minerals, and fats.
For example, one shot of vodka, which is approximately 1.5 ounces contains 85 calories for a 70-proof vodka. The strongest, 100-proof vodka shot has 124 calories.
A half a cup of grape juice, without added sugar, also doesnt contain too many calories. It does have carbs, and natural sugar, as well as proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Half a cup, approximately 4 ounces, has only 76 calories. But, canned juice or sweetened versions of juice have more calories.
Watch this video to know more:
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Orange Or Pineapple Juice
Its a mystery that the Screwdriver cocktail doesnt get the eminence it deserves, especially when Americans buy orange juice more than any other juices. When you hear ‘summer’, you think rum or tequila. However, vodka lovers will tell you that a dash of tropical fruit into a glass of vodka is as every bit as summery. Pineapple juice has the same effect, too!
Popular Brands: Tropicana 100% Orange Juice, Lakewood Pure Pineapple Juice
What Is The Absolute Best Thing To Mix With Vodka
The absolute best thing to mix with vodka is tomato juice. It has a rich, savory flavor, is low in sugar and carbs, and has no caffeine. Its a safe, yet tasty, mixer for vodka and wont add too many extra calories to your drink.
Regardless of which mixer you choose, a good rule of thumb is always to mix alcohol with a non-alcoholic beverage. This helps dilute the alcohol content of your drink and is an effective way to avoid overindulging, which comes with negative consequences like lack of self-control, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Oxidation damages cells and causes aging in the human body.
Non-alcoholic drinks typically served in clubs like soda water are diluted and have a pH lower than that of vodka.
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Iced Tea And Lemonade
Iced tea and vodka, third-wheeled by lemonade, create a light and refreshing summer drink. Its okay to solely use lemonade to mix with vodka . But if you want to include both, its called a John Daly, named after the American golfer and his infamous alcohol problems.
Popular Brands: Snapple Iced Tea With Lemon, Sweet Leaf Iced Tea, Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix
Bring Bubbles Back To Your Champagne
Chances are you’ve left some champagne out only to find it’s falling flatbut it’s an easy problem to solve. As The Kitchn explains, you just need a few raisins to restore bubbles if your champagne is starting to lose its vigor.
As your champagne starts to lose its bubbles, drop a few raisins into the bottle: the carbon dioxide responsible for the carbonation in champagne attaches to the raisin’s nooks and crannies, then re-releases back into the drink itself. In a few minutes, your champagne will be back to its former, bubbly self.
Oh, and don’t worryyour champagne won’t taste like raisins, either.
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Because You Really Don’t Want To Drink It Straight
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Have you ever thought you’ve found your favorite chaser just to realize that it doesn’t mask the awful taste of vodka anymore? Not to worry, there are plenty more drinks out there that you might not know about. Some vodka mixers aren’t as well known, but they’re ones you have to try nonetheless.
It doesn’t matter if you need a quick chaser or if you’re making a mixed drink, all of these vodka mixers will do the trick. Just find what you like and stick with it. Who knows, maybe you’ll even switch it up a bit.
What The Vodka Cranberry Drink Tastes Like
The Vodka Cranberry is sometimes thought of as a beginners drink because its not very strong and you dont really taste the alcohol. But its a delicious drink for anyone.
The great thing about this drink is how refreshing it is without being strong. The lime and cranberry are both tart, which really wakes up your taste buds.
But you also get some sweetness from the dash of orange juice, and that makes it delicious.
Note that some bartenders do make this drink much stronger. The classic recipe only calls for an ounce of vodka, but some put in a good bit more.
When its mixed according to this recipe, the only reason youll know the vodka is in there is that slight burn you feel as it goes down. And it is really slight.
If you want a regular strength drink, you certainly can bump the vodka up to the standard 1 1/2 ounces without changing the flavor noticeably.
If you want your drink on the strong side, bump it up to two ounces of vodka and just reduce the cranberry juice accordingly.
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Drop Grilled Citrus Into Beer
Another trick to turn gross beer into something worth drinking is to add citrusbut not just any kind of citrus. For a truly transformative taste, use grilled citrus instead.
Image by Brady Klopfer/Food Hacks
Tossing lemons, oranges, or even limes on the grill caramelizes the sugars hiding inside these fruits… which makes them the perfect balanced addition for unpleasant beer.
Muddle Lime Or Lemon To Step It Up
Lime juice is absolutely essential in a vodka and coke, because otherwise the vodka fades into the background. What we recommend? Muddle 2 lime wedges in the glass first. This is similar to the technique used in the Cuba Libre. The flavor profile begs for a brightness from citrus to cut the sweetness of the cola! You can also use lemon for a similar effect, if thats all you have.
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And The Other Varieties
There are probably dozens of varieties of vodka out there. Smirnoff alone sells over twenty flavored vodkas, most of these tasting like fruit.
People can get almost every taste they can desire in the same package without having to buy tons of different juices or rums to mix with plain vodka as they would have had to do before the turn of the century.
As with strawberry vodka, this makes the taste of the drink more pleasant, but with around 70 proof, dont expect that it will taste as good as say, a chilled coconut rum or peach wine. The alcoholic taste is still strong enough that you may want to at least mix the drink with a soft drink if you intend to drink it for pleasure.