Vodka cocktails

Vodka is the most versatile base in the bar because it adds strength and texture without a dominant flavour of its own. This page lists cocktails built on vodka, from the Moscow Mule and the Cosmopolitan to the Bloody Mary, the Espresso Martini and the White Russian. Alongside the recipes you learn what separates one vodka from another and how to pick a bottle that suits mixing.

64 cocktails

What vodka is

Vodka is a neutral spirit distilled from grain, potatoes or other agricultural raw materials, then usually filtered and diluted to around 37.5 to 40 percent alcohol. In the European Union the minimum is 37.5 percent. Its traditional heartland covers Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Nordic and Baltic countries, but good vodka is made all over the world.

Does the brand matter

Vodka is designed to taste clean, yet there are real differences. Wheat vodkas tend to be soft and slightly sweet, rye vodkas spicier with a drier finish, potato vodkas rounder and creamier in texture. In a Bloody Mary or a fruity sour these differences disappear; in a Vodka Martini or a chilled neat serve they become noticeable.

Choosing a bottle for mixing

How vodka works in cocktails

Because it carries other flavours so cleanly, vodka is ideal for drinks built around fruit, coffee, tomato or ginger. Typical ratios follow the familiar templates: 50 ml vodka with 100 to 150 ml ginger beer and lime for a Mule, or 40 to 50 ml vodka with citrus and syrup for a sour. For stirred drinks, strong dilution helps, as vodka has little flavour to hide heat.