Classic vodka cocktails: The recipes you should have in your arsenal

Though sometimes overlooked by cocktail enthusiasts, vodka is an ever-popular spirit and one that’s a centerpiece in a number of classic vodka cocktails, including the Bloody Mary and the vodka martini. The smooth character and subtle flavors of vodka make it a great mixing ingredient, with a wide range of cocktails making use of it.

Want some more reasons to appreciate vodka? Let’s start with price point, as it tends to be one of the most inexpensive spirits out there. Next, let’s chat about its versatility. That mild flavor can do well with just about anything (yup, even a good vodka pasta sauce). Lastly, it’s a fun drink with lots of history and folklore. This is the stuff of ice bars, caviar chasers, and, in some cases, putting potatoes to work.

See, vodka drinks are fun and deserving of your affection. So cheers to vodka, and read on for classic vodka cocktails you can make at home with ease.

Bloody Mary

A good Bloody Mary can set your day off right. The complete breakfast of cocktails; it’s complex and engineered around vodka’s incredible ability to tie flavors neatly together.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 5 ounces tomato juice
• 5 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 3 dashes hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
• 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 lime wedges
• Lemon wedge
• Celery salt
• Black pepper
• Celery stalk for garnish

Method

1. In a shaker, squeeze lemon and one lime wedge over ice.
2. Add the other ingredients and shake well.
3. Pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with a celery stalk and a lime wedge.
4. For extra flavor, float a few extra dashes of hot sauce on top.

Vodka martini

They don’t come more classic than the martini. While there are countless versions, the most iconic is vodka-centric, like the one below. We suggest a great sipping vodka, such as OYO from Middle West Spirits. You can’t go wrong with a good vodka martini — just ask James Bond, the super spy who has become synonymous with the vodka martini over the decades (just be sure 007’s martini is shaken, not stirred).

Ingredients

• 3 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• Lemon peel

Method

1. Stir together with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
2. Garnish with a lemon twist.
3. To make it dirty, add a splash of olive brine and garnish with a green olive.

Screwdriver

Orange and vodka go together like Daniel Day-Lewis and Oscar nominations. This age-old recipe blends the two flavors perfectly for a classic summer-ready cocktail and even goes a step further by adding salt to the cocktail to help enhance the flavors. If you like the interplay of sweet and salty, add more of the latter (and play around with some tasty specialty salts for best results).

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 5 ounces orange juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce club soda

Method

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail glass and give it a slight stir.
2. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Moscow Mule

Is there a more refreshing cocktail than the Moscow Mule? Probably not. It’s a summer-beater cocktail, thanks to its perfect balance of spice and sweetness and its way of cleaning the palate. It even comes in a cold-to-the-touch copper mug that will help keep you cool on the hottest days (if you don’t have one, get one).

Ingredients

• 5 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces ginger beer
• 1/4 ounce lime juice
• 1 lime wheel

Method

1. Add crushed ice to a copper mug, followed by vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice.
2. Stir and garnish with a lime wheel.

Vodka gimlet

Sometimes, simple is best. Sure, you could have a gin gimlet, but we’re talking about vodka here. The addition of lime subtly alters the hue of this lovely cocktail, making it look and taste like a key lime pie crust. Be warned, these go down easy, so remember to pace yourself. If you want to impress people at your next cocktail party, tell them the gimlet originated in the 19th century as a way to preserve lime juice for British sailors who needed the citrus to prevent scurvy.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 tablespoons Rose’s lime juice
• Ice

Method

1. Shake and strain into a martini, coupe, or old-fashioned glass.

White Russian

Get your Lebowski on with the White Russian, a classic coffee cocktail that’s at once both an upper and downer. We like them after a meal as a boozy dessert, but the nature of this drink makes it agreeable any time of day. While the White Russian has been around since the middle of the 20th century, it saw an uptick in popularity after the release of the movie The Big Lebowski, where it was the favorite cocktail of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski.

Ingredients

• 5 parts vodka
• 2 parts coffee liqueur
• 3 parts cream

Method

1. In an Old Fashioned glass, pour vodka and coffee liqueur over a large cube or ball of ice.
2. Float cream on top and stir slowly.

Cosmopolitan

There was a time a few decades ago when the Cosmo was written off as a drink for those who don’t really like cocktails. Now, we know that is not the case, especially if you use fresh ingredients and a quality spirit. If you like the fruity kick, experiment a bit with juices like pomegranate or passion fruit.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
• 1/4 ounce lime juice
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• Lime peel or lime wedge (for garnish)

Method

1. Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
2. Garnish with a lime peel.

Black Russian

We like to think of the Black Russian as the black coffee version of its sibling cocktail, above. Spared the cream, it offers a little more bitterness and can be made all the more interesting with a float of something like Fernet. The Black Russian came into existence at about the same time as the White Russian. It was invented in Brussels, Belgium, to honor the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. It gets its name from the vodka and the blackness of the coffee liqueur.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 3/4 ounce coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 cup ice

Method

1. Combine vodka and coffee liqueur in an old-fashioned glass.
2. Add ice and stir well.

Long Island iced tea

While the canned RTD cocktail arena is turning out more of this classic cocktail, we still prefer mixing it up ourselves. With so many spirits at play, it’s best to get the ratios right, and tinkering at home will allow that. Once again, it’s the vodka that plays the role of hero and binds all the flavors together expertly.

Ingredients

• 2 cups ice
• 1 ounce vodka
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce white rum
• 1 ounce tequila blanco
• 1/2 ounce triple sec
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cola
• 2 lemon wedges

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Pour the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, and lemon juice into the shaker.
3. Cover and shake vigorously to combine and chill.
4. Pour the mixture, ice and all, into two glasses, and top off with the cola.
5. Garnish with lemon or lime wedges.

Sex on the Beach

Another drink once made a villain for its sweet, tourist-friendly demeanor, a Sex on the Beach can be something special. Keep fresh with just-squeezed juice, and, if the addition of the schnapps is too cloying, balance it out with a pinch of salt or some club soda.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce peach schnapps
• 2 oranges, juiced, plus 2 slices to garnish
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• Ice

Method

1. Fill two tall glasses with ice cubes.
2. Pour the vodka, peach schnapps, and fruit juices into a large jug and stir.
3. Divide the mixture between the two glasses and stir gently to combine.

Cape Codder

Sure, you can call this classic vodka cocktail a vodka and cranberry, but where’s the fun in that? This incredibly simple drink is named after Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which is known for its cranberry bogs. The Ocean Spray company (which is based on Cape Cod) came up with the drink in the 1940s, but it was called the “Red Devil” at the time. In the 1960s, the drink was renamed the Cape Codder, and this classic tart and refreshing cocktail has been stirring up visions of ocean-side fun ever since. This recipe is from Ocean Spray.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces chilled cranberry juice cocktail
• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

1. Pour the vodka, cranberry juice, and lemon juice into a tall glass filled with ice.
2. Stir and serve with a lime wedge.

Choosing a vodka for cocktails

Vodka is such a beloved and versatile spirit that you can use it in all these drinks and many, many more. But before you grab a bottle and start mixing with it, it’s worth taking some time to find the right vodka to use in your home bar. You’ll find vodka at a huge range of price points, from bottom-shelf options for under $15 to high-end exclusives that can run over $100. So, what is the right choice for making great cocktails?

Typically, you’ll want to opt for a midrange vodka if you’re planning on mixing it. Very cheap vodkas have nasty off-flavors and harsh profiles that make them unpleasant to drink, even with other ingredients mellowing them out in a cocktail. So, if you’re going to go to the effort of making a cocktail, don’t ruin it with the cheapest vodka at the store. On the other hand, there’s little point in using the fanciest of vodkas designed for fine sipping in a cocktail, as the subtleties and nuances will be lost in a mixed drink.

You’ll want a solidly reputable vodka brand such as Absolut or Tito’s for making many cocktails, though, if you’re feeling really fancy you can push the boat out with a higher-end option like Grey Goose. If you like vodka you may also want to experiment with different bases, such as comparing those vodkas made from potatoes to those made from corn to see if you have a preferred option.