If you look up the recipe for a traditional martini, you’ll see that it’s made with gin and dry vermouth. But not everyone likes gin and its juniper, floral, and botanical flavor profile. Luckily for these folks, there’s a way for them to still enjoy a martini without drinking a mouthful of potpourri. They can swap out the aromatic and floral gin for a smooth, neutral, seemingly flavorless vodka. If they do that, they can’t call it a martini, though. They’ll have to give the original cocktail the respect it deserves by referring to it as a vodka martini.
Fear not, cocktail newbies, making a vodka martini isn’t that much different than whipping up a traditional gin-based martini. You add the vodka and vermouth to an ice-filled mixing glass and stir to combine. That last part is extremely important. Even though James Bond preferred his martini shaken, most bartenders will tell you that stirring is the better option to avoid cloudiness. It also avoids dilution and unwanted aeration and stops the vermouth from immediately dissolving. Think about that next time you try to impress a date by going all 007 to the bartender.
After it’s combined well through gentle stirring, you simply strain the ingredients into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel and/or an olive. It’s simple, elegant, and perfect for an evening nightcap. What’s not to love?
The best vodkas for your evening vodka martini
Now, we get to the most important part of this article. You’ve learned about the vodka martini and how to make it. Now it’s time for the main event. While there’s no disputing the importance of vermouth in this timeless cocktail (without it, the drink is just a glass of vodka with an olive in it), the vodka is the most important ingredient. It has to be smooth, highly mixable, and have no harshness whatsoever).
To help you on your vodka martini journey, we selected a handful of vodkas we think work perfectly in the drink. Keep scrolling to see them all so you’ll know what bottles to stock up on.
Belvedere Vodka
Belvedere is a hugely popular vodka and for good reason. This award-winning Polish-made vodka consists of two simple ingredients: Polish-grown rye and purified water. That’s it. Distilled using fire, it’s known for its smooth, sippable, highly mixable flavor profile. This vodka is anything but flavorless. Notes of candied nuts, vanilla beans, and cracked black pepper pair perfectly with the sweetness of the vermouth and the tangy salt of the olive.
Reyka Vodka
It should come as no surprise that a small batch vodka that comes from the “land of fire and ice” is made with a mixture of barley and wheat that, after distilling, is filtered through 4,000-year-old lava rocks. To add to that, the Icelandic distillery is powered by geothermal energy. It’s more than just a gimmick, though. The vodka itself is known for its mix of lemon peel, vanilla, and floral notes.
Hangar 1 Vodka
San Francisco-based Hangar 1 is a small batch vodka made from a blend of column still-distilled American wheat and pot-distilled Viognier grapes. The result is a balanced, complex vodka known for its mix of ripe fruit, vanilla, and gentle spices. It’s soft, crisp, and well suited for mixing with vermouth.
Absolut Vodka
If you only buy one vodka on this list, make it Absolut. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular vodkas in the world. This Swedish-made vodka is made from winter wheat that’s locally sourced and deep well water from Åhus, Sweden. The result is an exceptionally complex, smooth vodka with notes of vanilla beans, ripe fruit, cracked black pepper, and gentle spices.
Ketel One Vodka
Named for the original Nolet family copper pot still that’s still in use today, Ketel One Vodka is made from 100% European-grown winter wheat. Distilled in a blend of column and copper pot stills before being filtered through loose charcoal, this Dutch-made vodka is known for its nuanced flavor profile featuring notes of licorice, vanilla, cracked black pepper, and candied orange peels.
Bottom line
We’re not trying to tell you that you need to have five or six bottles of vodka on hand at all times for mixing. That’s just not cost-conscious for most people. These are just the brands we enjoy. The key is finding the right vodka for you. That’s likely the expression you’re going to stick with and use for mixing every time you crave a vodka martini. When you find a bottle you like, you won’t want to use anything else.
