15 Exceptional Vodka Cocktails, From a Vesper to Martini Variations

Vodka might just be our favorite blank canvas for smoky, fruity, and caffeinated drinks.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on September 26, 2023

Vesper Cocktail — Photo:
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

Vodka has been America's most popular spirit since 1976 for a reason: It's incredibly versatile. Clear, colorless, odorless, and (relatively) flavorless, vodka pairs well with just about any flavor profile you can think of, making it an essential bottle to have on hand if you're entertaining at home. That neutrality also means that vodka takes well to infusions with ingredients like citrus fruits, herbs, and even jalapeño peppers. We've collected our favorite vodka cocktails by bartenders and chefs around the country, from a perfect frozen Espresso Martini, to a magical, miso-driven variation on everyone's favorite breakfast Bloody Mary. Feeling fancy? Try your hand at a strawberry Retropolitan, or make a smoky Lovesick Crocodile.

Stock your cabinet with one of the best vodkas, and start mixing up any of our best vodka cocktails.

01 of 16

Rocky Mountain Wizard

Rocky Mountain Wizard — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

The Rocky Mountain Wizard combines seemingly simple spirits into a complex cocktail that is rich and refreshing. It has a backbone of bitter citrus, which is highlighted by the garnish of a thick orange peel, and an herbal sweetness from the combination of yellow Chartreuse and white vermouth.

02 of 16

Lovesick Crocodile

The Lovesick Crocodile — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

The Lovesick Crocodile features Ancho Reyes, a liqueur made in Mexico from smoky sun-dried ancho chiles which are macerated in cane spirit. The result is a savory, slightly sweet liqueur which has a rich, earthy flavor and a hint of spice.

03 of 16

Frozen Salted Espresso Martinis

Frozen Salted Espresso Martini — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

If you're an Espresso Martini fan, you'll love this frosty take, topped with flaky salt for contrast.

04 of 16

Frozmopolitan

Frozmopolitan — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Cocktail savant Toby Cecchini is credited with inventing the internationally recognized version of the Cosmopolitan — a drink he codified while bartending at the Odeon. These days, as the owner of The Long Island bar in Brooklyn, he continues to come up with distinctive drinks that taste like instant classics, including this frozen Cosmopolitan that's great for a crowd. Fruity and citrusy, Cecchini's "froze-mopolitan" (a portmanteau of "Frozen" and "Cosmopolitan'') tastes so much like a delicious fruit punch that you might not notice there's alcohol in it.

05 of 16

Moscow Mule

Moscow Mule — Getty Images

A cool, refreshing vodka and ginger beer concoction served over ice and garnished with a wheel of lime, this popular vodka cocktail is synonymous with summer. Moscow Mules are traditionally served in copper mugs, which is how the cocktail was first presented when it was invented in the 1940s; you can order your own copper mugs, but a Moscow Mule is just as tasty sipped out of a Collins glass.

06 of 16

Sgroppino

Sgroppino Cocktail Recipe — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

This boozy afternoon treat is the easiest frozen drink you can make.

07 of 16

Dirty Shirley

Dirty Shirley — Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

Remember drinking Shirley Temples when you were a kid? The mocktail for children has made a comeback, albeit one suitable for adults only. A shot of vodka added to the mixture of ginger ale and grenadine gives it a slight edge, but the maraschino cherry on top keeps things whimsical.

08 of 16

Vesper Cocktail

Vesper Cocktail — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

Gin people and vodka people alike can agree on how delightful this cocktail is.

09 of 16

Screwdriver

Screwdriver Cocktail — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

If you've got vodka and freshly squeezed orange juice, you can make this simple brunch cocktail in minutes.

10 of 16

White Russian

White Russian — Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

While a White Russian can be made with milk or half-and-half, heavy cream adds unmatched flavor and texture to this simple cocktail.

11 of 16

Miso Mary Libertine

Miso Mary Libertine — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

An ode to Japanese ingredients, this Bloody Mary gets a satiating and savory punch from shiro dashi and white miso.

12 of 16

Honey Deuce

Grey Goose Honey Deuce

The signature cocktail of the U.S. Open, the Honey Deuce sensation started back in 2006, when Grey Goose partnered with expert mixologist Nick Mautone, a restaurant industry veteran of Union Square Hospitality and Gotham Bar & Grill, to craft a vodka cocktail for the event.

13 of 16

Mudslide

Mudslide — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Created in the 1970s at Grand Cayman's Wreck Bar at Rum Point, this potent blend of vodka, Kahlúa, and Baileys Original Irish Cream might taste like a milkshake, but it can't be ordered virgin because all you'd get is a cup of crushed ice! The trio of alcohol blends into a smooth and velvety cocktail just sweet and chocolaty enough without being cloying. A generous drizzle of chocolate syrup and a bright red maraschino cherry with a dusting of ground cinnamon top off each glass.

14 of 16

Carajillo

Decaf Carajillo — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This classic Mexican coffee cocktail is the ultimate after-dinner drink — especially if you make it a decaf.

15 of 16

MSG Martini

MSG Martini — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

For Bonnie's signature MSG martini, lead bartender Channing Centeno creates a solution of MSG (monosodium glutamate), which, like table salt, enhances the flavor of anything it is added to. In lieu of vermouth, Shaoxing wine, a sweet and sour Chinese rice wine made for both drinking and cooking, is used here, bringing complex, savoriness, acidity and subtle sweetness to the martini, while olive brine adds a briney, saline quality. Finally, a citrus- and juniper-forward gin like Botanist counters the salty and savory flavors of the other ingredients, bringing everything into balance.

16 of 16

The Retropolitan

The Retropolitan — Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

The Retropolitan is a strawberry-and-lime-flavored cocktail with bright fruit notes and enough acidity to keep it in balance. Its flavor is reminiscent of grown up fruit punch and you won’t want to put it down. Like many great cocktails, this recipe starts with Aperol, the sweet, citrusy Italian liqueur known best for its bright orange color and starring role in an Aperol Spritz.

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