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How to make a high-end Red Bull Vodka, according to a NYC craft cocktail bar

A little extra work makes an old dive bar ditty sing

By Mark Stock Oct 28, 2025 1:49 PM

Red Bull Vodka at Hello Hello. — Justin Sisson

Remember the Red Bull and Vodka? The drink of uppers and downers ran rampant back in the 90s and early aughts, when spiked energy drinks seemed to be the rage. While, the nostalgic cocktail circuit is bringing it back, this time in a more upscale form.

At Hello Hello in New York City, the drink is given some serious thought. The recipe is a bit more involved, but that’s precisely what takes it from somewhat-forgotten drink to reincarnated staple. It’s making a comeback, just like a good Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe.

Read on for more.

Red Bull Vodka

At Hello Hello, this drink is batched out and made as large format cocktail, 72 servings at a time. It’s then hit with some CO2 and served on draft. You might not get the same kind of fizziness at home, but you can get close.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Ketel One Vodka
1 ounce clarified cucumber/green apple juice*
1/2 ounce grapefruit acid**
1/4 ounce chamomile syrup***
3 1/2 ounces Red Bull
1/2 ounce Perrier
4 drops 20% saline

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*Clarified Cucumber/Green Apple Juice: Juice equal parts peeled cucumber and Granny Smith apples together and clarify them with pectic enzyme to separate the fruit from the pulp. Label and date.

**Grapefruit Acid: Mix 100 grams of grapefruit peels with 28 grams of ascorbic acid, 8 grams of citric acid, and 2 grams of succinic acid and let rest overnight. Add 500 grams of water and leave the peels inside to rest for another overnight steep. After that, strain the peels and label and date.

***Chamomile Syrup: Steeo 500 grams of hot water and 450 grams of white sugar with 10 grams of loose chamomile for 10 minutes, strain through a coffee filter and add sugar. Stir until fully dissolved. Chill before storing, label, and date.

Method:

Combine all ingredients except Perrier and saline in glass and stir.
Add Perrier and saline.

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since… Read Full Bio

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When many drinkers think about gin, they are likely to envision traditional London dry gin. That’s because, like the West Coast IPA when it comes to IPAs, the London dry gin is the standard for the spirit style.

While I love a nice glass of whiskey (or a whiskey-based cocktail), the summer months were made for the pine and botanical flavors of London dry gin. This juniper-forward version is also the perfect choice for cocktail enthusiasts (in drinks like the iconic G&T, Gin Gimlet, Negroni, and more) because of its piney, botanical flavor profile, which pairs perfectly with citrus and other summery flavors. Today, I’m going to take a deep dive into this popular gin variety.

Old Forester’s new bourbon is reaching char levels we can only dream about

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Old Forester, the Louisville, Kentucky brand that bills itself as America’s first bottled bourbon, just released the newest entry in its 117 Series: Triple Char Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky.

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Herradura is bringing back its 110-proof tequila, the strongest it’s ever made

Alcohol, Beverage, Tequila

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The tequila first appeared in 2012 as a small-batch experiment and developed a cult following among collectors before disappearing. The brand says the 2026 return comes after years of requests from drinkers hunting down old bottles.