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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

Tequila vs. vodka: Exploring the key differences between two popular spirits

Vodka

I’ve been writing about spirits for almost two decades. I’ve learned the ins and outs of every popular hard alcohol. But if you’re new to the spirits world, you might not know the differences between tequila and vodka. Tequila vs. vodka –this is especially true when both are unaged. In appearance alone, the two spirits look remarkably similar. When made with high-quality ingredients, distilled multiple times, and filtered a handful of times, both tequila and vodka are crystal clear. There aren’t any noticeable differences. The same could be said for a bottle of gin or a glass of tap water.

Once you take a whiff, the differences begin to reveal themselves. Unaged (or blanco) tequila carries aromas like vegetal sweetness, cooked agave, vanilla, and cracked black pepper. Vodka has different aromas based on its main ingredient (wheat, rye, corn, potatoes, or something else), but you can bet you find scents of neutral ethanol, minerality, vanilla, cracked black pepper, and even citrus peels.

The liquor gift guide for the man who has spirit in your life

Spirits

The holidays are some of our favorite times of the year. It is all about the parties and the get-togethers that bring everyone in your circle to the same place for celebration, no matter what your background is. That also means you have to spend significantly more time with people. And, if you are like me, most of these parties get a little too peopley for me, causing me to need a bit of liquid social lubricant. Whether you are like me, or you know someone like me, spirits are a great way to show someone in your life you care. So, here are our favorite gifts for the man in your life with spirit.

Tequila

Cazcanes’ new 108-proof extra añejo is about as strong as tequila legally gets

Bottle, Liquor, Tequila

There’s high-proof tequila, and then there’s tequila that’s up against the legal limit.

If you’re a fan of the latter, you’ll be thrilled with the new Extra Añejo No. 10 Tributo Edition from Los Angeles-based Cazcanes, a 108-proof, or 54% ABV, extra añejo celebrating 10 years since the brand’s first batch was distilled.