Infuse Your Vodka With Fresh Or Dried Botanicals
One of the best ways to upgrade your vodka soda is to simply infuse your vodka with a fruit, herb, or other botanical.
Some of my favorites are hibiscus, strawberry, chamomile, coconut the list goes on! Fruits or herbs can take hours or days to infuse, but teas like hibiscus can take just minutes, meaning you dont have to do a whole lot of planning ahead either.
Ive included instructions below for creating a Strawberry Hibiscus vodka infusion, but if you leave out the strawberries, you can have infused hibiscus vodka in about 10-15 minutes!
Strawberry Hibiscus Vodka Soda
Diva Premium Vodka $1 Million
DIVA doesnt use gold in its vodka production, but it does involve precious stones for a truly luxurious taste. This brand, a favourite amongst celebrities, is distilled multiple times to ensure a smooth flavour profile and comes with more precious stones stored inside the bottle. Once empty, the stones can be kept as a keepsake.
How To Pair Mixers With Alcohol
Tonic gives a hint of bitterness to either gin or vodka.Seltzer water adds sparkle to a heavy drink and body to flavored vodkas for a light, low-key sipper.Cola is a classic, and goes equally well with whiskey as it does with rum. Ginger ale and ginger beer go well with bourbon and blended whiskey. If you like it sweet, use ginger alefor more spice, use ginger beer.Lemon-lime soda, though a little sweet, is a good beginners introduction to whiskey drinks and works well in fruity punches.Grapefruit soda mixes perfectly with tequila and a pinch of salt.Orange juice works with gin, vodka and rum freshly-squeezed adds another layer of texture and flavor.Grapefruit juice is better with gin than vodka, as the florals of gin and the sharpness of the juice complement each other nicely and is always a great match with rum and tequila.Lime juice is the prime ingredient in sour mix bottled, sweetened lime juice is perfect with gin.Cranberry juice works well with vodka and orange liqueur it also gives the cosmopolitan its signature red color.
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There’s A Reason Why This Versatile Spirit Is The Most Popular In The World
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Liquor / Chloe Jeong
An unaged spirit distilled and filtered repeatedly to achieve smoothness and clarity, vodka has had a reputation for blandness. It was even long defined as “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” by The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau . In April 2020, though, the bureau dropped the definition that held vodka back, acknowledging something that experts know: vodkas are wildly diverse, distilled using everything from grains to grapes, milk to maple sap.
With that said, how should you decide among them? Charles Joly, spirits tasting judge and founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, says Most people want something relatively neutral, but that doesn’t mean it has to lack character. When he judges a vodka, he considers the quality of the distillate: It shouldnt have an aggressive burn.” He wants an aroma that hints at the raw material used to make the vodka, be it grapes, potatoes, or grain. And he looks for a creamy mouthfeel without a cloying glycerin texture, as well as a clean, mouthwatering finish. From big, bold, and spicy to smooth and sweet, or anything in between, theres a vodka out there for every palate. With the help of our experts, below you’ll find a curated list of the best vodkas to get right now.
Best Cosmo: Stirrings Simple Cosmopolitan
Courtesy of Amazon
In case you havent heard, the Cosmopolitan is coming back into fashion after a long hiatus. But the key to making this blend of vodka, cranberry, lime, and triple sec is using high-quality ingredients. If you dont have everything on hand, this mixer from Stirrings is your best bet to craft a satisfying drink. The ingredients include cane sugar, cranberry juice, and key lime juice, resulting in a well-balanced blend of sweet and sour. This is a great mixer to keep stocked in your home bar.
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Pineapple Guava And Mango
Vodka is not your usual tropical cocktail drink, but when it works, it works. The flavorless drink goes really well with fruits, and pineapple is no different. Although you might be more comfortable and familiar with pineapple and rum, it is perfect for vodka too. The juice is a strong concoction that will blend out the strong flavor of the vodka if you dont want to taste the liquor and focus on the buzz.
With guava, the best way to drink vodka would be to infuse it with the juice. But dont forget the chili and salt rim icing, which is the best part of the drink. The spicy and salty touch will enhance the taste of guava and drown out any burning notes in the vodka.
Lastly, we have little to say about mango. Pour pretty much anything in mango, and you have a divine drink. Enhance your vodka cooler style.
Best For The Beach: Neft
Courtesy of Caskers
Region: Austria | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Lemon, Spice, Vanilla
Four strains of ancient, non-GMO rye and pure Alpine spring water go into this award-winning Austrian vodka. Its light, lemony, and sweet.
Its smoothness, a product of triple distilling and carbon layer filtration makes it great for sipping neat, but its just as good mixed into cocktails. But the best thing about it is its packaging. Inspired by the producers grandfather, a Russian wildcatter, its packaged in a mock oil can, making it lightweight and unbreakable for outdoor imbibing.
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What Is A Well Drink
Well drinks, also known as rail drinks, are mixed drinks made of one or more liquors and a combination of soft drinks. Rum and coke is an example of a popular well drink.
What differentiates well drinks from other cocktails is that theyre made with the bars cheapest liquor. These liquors are kept at the bartenders waist height in whats known as a speed rail. The rail is a rack that resembles a well, which is where the name well drink or rail drink comes from.
The well typically holds a cheap brand of vodka, tequila, rum, gin, and whiskey. Your bar should also be stocked with various juices, sodas, grenadine, triple sec, sour mix, and garnishes like cherries, lemon wedges, and lime wedges.
Of The Best Vodka Mixers
Fed up of vodka and tonic? No, nor are we. Theres every good reason for this drinks huge popularity on a summer evening when youre out socialising with friends and you want something bright and drinkable. Vodkadoesnt have a lot of taste when you drink it neat, which means that getting creative with your additions is going to make all the difference.
Where shall we start? Well, if you havent tried it as a mixer, that’s hard for us to believe, but feel free to start your list with tonic, as one of 7 of the best vodka mixers. That feels like it goes without saying. What follows is a collection of 6 alternatives.
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Half & Half Spindrift
The bubbly Arnold Palmer from sparkling water purveyor Spindrift is an excellent complement to vodka, especially if you pour it over ice and garnish with a lemon wedge. The results are bright and breezy, the perfect late-afternoon or happy-hour sipper. The only thing keeping this from ranking higher on our list is availability Half & Half is sold on and in chains like Target, but its a pretty specific item, and you might not have it lying around when the mood for a vodka cocktail strikes.
Vodka Cranberry Drink Recipe
You might think the Vodka Cranberry drink is simply vodka and cranberry juice, especially since thats how some bars serve it. Well, some bars are lazy and shameful.
This drink actually has four ingredients, and the last two are very important to the flavor. That means this drink recipe is actually a little more complicated than its name might lead you to believe.
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How To Make A Lemon Drop Martini
Making a martini can sometimes be a little intimidating. You watch bartenders or mixoloists carefully put together complex cocktails that taste amazing and thing I could never do that. Though mixology is an art and I love discovering new cocktails when Im out, its very easy to make tasty drinks at home.
To make this lemon drop martini, all you need are three ingredients:
We decided we wanted this lemon drop martini to be naturally sweetened and perfectly tart. We used our homemade honey simple syrup as our sweetener and squeezed fresh lemon zest for the zing.
After you have measured out all of the ingredients, we suggest that you serve these lemon drops cold. If you have a cocktail shaker, place 5-6 ice cubes, and ingredients into the shaker. If you dont have a shaker, a mason jar with a top works just fine!
Shake your lemond drops for about 30 seconds to chill and mix all of the ingredients. Before pouring the lemon drop into the glass, wet the rim of the drink glass you plan to use and dip in in sugar.
Pour the lemon drop into the glass and enjoy!
Titos Handmade Vodka: First Impressions From A Liquor Snob
Upon first glance, Titos Handmade Vodka appears to be keeping it real. Despite its supposed quality and its ever increasing reputation, the bottle is kept extremely simple and non-flashy, as is the label with its simple print and subtle logo. Despite it being churned out by the millions of bottles per year, you get the impression that not a whole lot has changed since the product was first crafted and bottled. It still has the look of a handmade craft product. The back label, in an equally non-flashy way, carries a bit of information about the philosophy behind the product and the process through which it was created. Here, too, you get the feeling that not much has changed and this, also, is a good thing.
The first test of any vodka: How does it fare neat?
Examining the content of the bottle it is as expected colorless and crystal clear. The smell, as could also be expected from an odorless spirit is almost non-existent: a trace of alcohol and a faint whiff of sweet corn. Titos, in a sense, has the look and smell that you would expect of a premium vodka, crystal clear and by no means off-putting on the nose.
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Kors Vodka 24k George V Limited Edition $24500
Kors combines delicious vodka and history in its bottles. Each bottle is handmade out of crystal and its recipe is an ancient one ordered by Russias Czar Nicholas II. Its thought that the Czar created it as the perfect-tasting vodka using a complex method involving solid gold pipes and infusing it with diamonds. Its limited edition label comes from the fact that only 250 bottles of this vodka were ever released.
Put It In The Freezer
If you insist on buying a particular brand of vodka, which does not have a lot of taste but leaves a burning feeling, then consider mellowing out the edge. Put it in the freezer for a few hours. It will dull the sharp edges, and you will get a much creamier drink.
But be cautious, this is for cheaper, common vodkas that are not premium quality. Putting quality vodka is going to do the same thing, dull the edges. This means, with cheaper vodkas, you get a smoother drink. With good quality vodkas, you lose flavor. Here is why you should never put good quality vodkas in freezer.
If you think your drink is too sharp for your taste, that is a prime candidate to be put in the freezer. Vodka freezes at -15 degrees C, which is way beyond normal freezers, so you dont have to worry about the bottle cracking or freezing.
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Vodka And Club Soda With Lime
So, I always like to find a drink that can lower my calorie count. While vodka isnt the lowest sugar count liquor, it isnt the worst. So, I mix my vodka and club soda one part of vodka to three parts of club soda. I add juice from about a half of a lime and give it a good stir.
When it comes to vodka, drink what you like and what you can afford. I like Titos Vodka. I also really like Grey Goose and Kettle One but lets be honest, I drink my fair share of Smirnoff vodka too. My point, drink what you like. I do keep my vodka in the freezer so it is already chilled.
Go ahead and fill a glass with ice and pull your vodka out of the freezer and make your yourself a vodka and club soda with lots of lime.
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Tomato Juice Or Bloody Mary Mix
Yes, youll need a few more flavoring agents to really make it a truly tasty beverage, but at its base, a Bloody Mary is essentially just tomato juice and vodka. This savory delight works best when youre hungover or when you are out at a bottomless brunch. If you want to make one at home with full flavor, we suggest having plenty of one of these Bloody Mary mixes on hand.
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Best For Sipping: Absolut Elyx
Region: Sweden | ABV: 42.3% | Tasting notes: Malt, Citrus, Grass
I love sipping vodka straight from the freezer, says Tony Abou-Ganim, star bartender and author of “Vodka Distilled.” Its a beautiful, velvety liquid when it gets to that temperature, then it reveals itself as it warms up. The go-to in his deep-freeze is this premium Swedish bottle. Made with single-estate winter wheat, it has a sharp brightness, he says, that elevates all those malty, grainy flavors in standard Absolut.
Good to Know: The true test of a sipping spirit? Make sure it pairs deliciously with food. Great sipping vodkas, Abou-Ganim says, cuts through caviar like a knife it goes with pickled herring, stinky cheese, charcuterie, foie gras, gravlaxanything cured.”
Easy Classic Titos Handmade Vodka Cocktail Recipes
Whether youre out on the town or in the comfort zone of home, we all have our go-to beverages to complement whatever mood were in. Keep it classic and enlist these three easy-to-make Titos Handmade Vodka recipes to keep the good times rolling.
1½ oz. Titos Handmade Vodka3 oz. ginger beer½ oz. fresh lime juice1 lime slice
1. Add vodka, ginger beer and lime juice to a Titos copper mug with ice.2. Stir and garnish with a lime slice.
1½ oz. Titos Handmade Vodka4 oz. lemonade
1. Add vodka and lemonade to a glass with ice.2. Stir and garnish with a lemon slice.
1½ oz. Titos Handmade Vodka4 oz. sparkling mineral water1 lime slice
1. Add vodka and sparkling mineral water to a rocks glass with ice.2. Stir and garnish with lime and orange slices.
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Simple Syrup And Lime Juice
When searching for some of the most popular cocktails in the world mojitos, , sours, mai tais, and juleps youll find simple syrup in all of them. Simply measure one part sugar and one part water and mix them up into a syrup. You can buy a bottled version of it or whip it up at home.
Popular Brands:Stirrings Simple Syrup, Nellie & Joes Key West Lime Juice
Best Potato Vodka: Woody Creek Distillers
Region: Colorado | ABV: 40% | Tasting notes: Potato, Earth, Pepper
While potato vodkas only used to come from Russia, the U.S. now produces outstanding versions of its own. Abou-Ganims top choice is this bottle from Colorado-based Woody Creek Distillers.
Its distilled only once from Rio Grande spuds grown on the distillers own farm at alpine altitudes. The process leaves in a lot of the character of the potatoes, says Abou-Ganim. Its earthy, funky, and vegetal with a rich character.” He says its the vodka to reach for if you like your martinis big, bold, and garnished with a blue cheesestuffed olive.
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The Drink Recipes Every Vodka Drinker Needs
The Spruce
Vodka may be the most mixable and useful liquor in the bar. The spirit’s clear, clean taste pairs well with any flavor, from sweet to savory and dry to spicy. Featured in thousands of cocktail recipes that vary in character, ingredients, and style, there is a vodka cocktail for every drinker and occasion.
Within that extensive list of vodka drinks, some standouts are considered essential. These are the most popular of those recipes and the drinks that everyone should taste at least once.