7 Quick & Easy Vodka Cocktails
Vodka may have a reputation as being basic or unexciting, but that's not fair to the alcoholic beverage. It's used in classic cocktails like the Cosmopolitan, the Bloody Mary, and the screwdriver, but you can create other fun vodka cocktails with the spirit, too.
Plus, vodka is great for various meal plans and dietary restrictions. Varieties of vodka that are made from potatoes are naturally gluten-free, making them a great choice for people with celiac disease or who have gluten sensitivity. And the drink often ends up on roundups of healthier alcoholic beverages, as it's lower in calories than other alcoholic options.
These 7 vodka cocktail recipes go to show that vodka is anything but boring, and it's versatile enough to use in tons of different recipes. Here are some creative ways to use vodka in your at-home cocktail recipes.
Cranberry Limoncello Cosmo
Fabrizia Spirits in Salem, New Hampshire, shared this festive take on a classic cocktail that's vibrant with lemon. The Cranberry Cosmo combines the bright flavor of their small-batch limoncello with the sweet and tart flavor of the cranberry.
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
2 ounces cranberry juice
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce limoncello
Fresh cranberries
Lemon slice
Sugar for rim
How to Make It
Combine cranberry juice, vodka, limoncello, and fresh cranberries. Serve in a cocktail glass with sugar on the rim, and garnish with a lemon slice.
The Savannah Banana Martini
Named for the Georgia baseball team, the Savannah Bananas, this sweet concoction is a rich, decadent way to cool off a sweltering Lowcountry night.
The owner of the minor league team, Jesse Cole, allowed Joseph's Restaurant and Lounge in Savannah to use the name for the drink. The restaurant sells it as a way to raise money for local charity Backpack Buddies, which provides nutritional meals for children.
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1.5 ounces New Amsterdam Vodka
.75 ounces Combier Creme de Banana
1.5 ounces heavy cream
How to Make It
Add all ingredients into a shaker cup and shake vigorously for 30 seconds; this allows the heavy cream to fluff. Strain all ingredients into a martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings over the top of the cocktail.
Tito's All-Time Favorite
This classic twist on the vodka soda from Tito's Vodka in Austin, Texas, is simple and easy to make. Thanks to slices of orange and lime, this cocktail tastes fresh and clean. It's also one of the easiest cocktails to make on this list.
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Tito's Handmade Vodka
4 ounces sparkling mineral water
1 orange slice for garnish
1 lime slice for garnish
How to Make It
Just add Tito's Handmade Vodka and sparkling mineral water to a rocks glass with ice. Stir and garnish with an orange and lime slice.
Bramble Smash
"The Bramble Smash is a tasty, easy-to-make at-home cocktail that is also very flexible," says Simon Stilwell, general manager at Wild Common in Charleston, South Carolina. "Traditionally, a smash includes fruit 'smashed' with sugar, citrus, and alcohol. To make it easier and give the drink a more consistent flavor, we swap out the fruit and sugar for jam or preserves."
Stilwell adds that while his "favorite flavor" of jam to use in this recipe is blackberry, you can try out other fruit flavors, too.
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 ounce blackberry jam or preserves (2 tablespoons)
1 ounce lemon or lime juice—pick the one you think tastes good with the jam you're using
1.5 ounces vodka
Splash of club soda
How to Make It
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Garnish with the herb of your choice. Mint, thyme, or basil are best—pick one that you think works with the flavors of the jam and citrus.
BLK EYE Frog
"The subtle essence of lavender and the simple but not too sweet flavor of blueberries bring this incredible, smooth-sipping cocktail to your lips for a wonderful experience," says Todd Gregory, Co-CEO and COO of the Black Eyed Distilling Company in Fort Worth, Texas.
With the combination of lavender and vodka, this drink is a relaxing way to end an evening.
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 1/4 ounces BLK EYE Vodka
3/4 ounces Sallie's Greatest Blueberry Lavender Syrup
4-5 blueberries, muddled
Splash of soda
Fresh blueberries for garnish
How to Make It
Combine vodka, blueberry lavender syrup, muddled blueberries, and a splash of soda. Serve in a cocktail glass with fresh blueberries for garnish.
Sweet and Heat Infusion
This fun infusion from the Ghost Coast Distillery in Savannah, Georgia, is easy to replicate at home for a delicious-flavored vodka. Serve strained and chilled to enjoy that sweet taste with a little kick.
Makes 1 infusion
Ingredients
750-milliliter bottle Ghost Coast Vodka
1 jalapeño, sliced
1/2 pineapple, in wedges
How to Make It
Combine all ingredients in a glass container and let sit in the refrigerator for three days or until the desired flavor is reached.
The Cleanse
This recipe comes from Stateside Vodka in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The simple flavors of lemon juice and cucumber shine in this recipe—if you want a simple, reliable cocktail, you can't go wrong with this one.
Makes 1 Cocktail
Ingredients
1.5 ounces Stateside Vodka
0.5 ounces lemon juice
0.5 ounces simple syrup (optional)
2 mint leaves
Fresh cucumber slices, muddled
Fresh lemon slices
Water
How to Make It
Using a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, muddled cucumber slices, and mint leaves. Top with water and garnish with fresh lemon slices.
