Easy to make Vodka Cocktail Recipes

A smooth, clean, almost neutral spirit (but don’t mistake it for boring!), vodka is a staple liquor for any home bar. There are endless uses for vodka, from complicated cocktails to culinary creations. But today we’re discussing some of the easiest drink recipes you can make at home using vodka.

Before we dive in, let’s explore what vodka is made from. Vodka is a distilled liquor that can be made from a number of different base ingredients. While we most frequently associate vodka with potatoes, it can be successfully distilled from any of the following:

  • Corn
  • Soy
  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Potatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Whey
  • Cactus
  • Pears
  • Grapes
  • Barley
  • Any blend of the above

And more. Vodka is also usually distilled more times than other liquors. In most cases, it will be distilled at least three times, with many distilleries exceeding that. Some even distill up to ten times to ensure purity and quality!

Popular brands of vodka include Ketel One, Grey Goose, Ciroc, Chopin, Belvedere, and Tito’s. Each of the recipes below can be made with your favorite vodka. It’s especially important to use a high-quality vodka you love to drink when making spirit-forward cocktails like a vodka martini. Recipes with a lot of other ingredients, though (like a Bloody Mary), can be perfectly delicious with a mid-range vodka.

Here are nine of our favorite easy-to-make vodka cocktails!

Bloody Mary

Classic Bloody Mary Recipe

Makes 1 cocktail; can easily be scaled up to make multiple, even a pitchers’ worth

  • Good quality tomato juice
  • 2 oz. vodka of choice
  • 2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • Horseradish or hot sauce to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Nearly fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add two ounces of vodka, the Worcestershire sauce, and squeeze in the lemon wedge.
  2. Pour enough tomato juice to just about fill the glass, and add seasonings of choice.
  3. Stir with a bar spoon or stalk of celery to incorporate all ingredients. You can also tip the contents of the glass into a larger glass (called “rolling”) and then back into the original glass in order to combine. Either stirring or rolling works just fine.
  4. Garnish with any number of fun flavors, such as:
  • Pickled okra, green beans, or green tomatoes
  • Green olives
  • Lime and/or lemon wedges
  • Bacon strips
  • Poached or spiced shrimp
  • Mini grilled cheese sandwiches
  • Lobster claws
  • Even a whole roasted chicken!

The garnish possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

It doesn’t have to be National Bloody Mary Day to enjoy a classic Bloody Mary! This recipe can be enjoyed as a “cure’” for a hangover or at a brunch with friends. With enough garnishes, it could even replace snack time! Spice it up as much or as little as you like – the only rule with a Bloody Mary is that it must contain tomato juice and vodka. The rest is really up to you.

Vodka Tonic

Vodka Tonic Recipe

1 ½ oz. vodka

4 oz. tonic

Lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice.
  2. Add vodka and then top with tonic.
  3. Gently stir to chill and incorporate.
  4. Squeeze the citrus wedge into the drink before adding the squeezed wedge directly to the cocktail. Garnish with a fresh wedge if desired.

It really doesn’t get easier or more refreshing than this. It’s a bubbly, citrus-y, blink-and-you-might-miss-it drink that you can easily make stronger. Use high-quality tonic water and vodka for best results.

Cosmopolitan

Cosmo Recipe

1 ½ oz. vodka

¾ oz. Cointreau or orange liqueur

¾ oz. lime juice

½ oz. cranberry juice

Lime wheel garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add the vodka, orange liqueur, lime juice, and cranberry juice to an ice-filled shaker.
  2. Shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 10-15 seconds.
  3. Strain into a chilled martini glass using a Hawthorne strainer.
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Popularized by HBO’s Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan was the drink of choice for young professional women throughout the ‘90s and early aughts. The cranberry adds a little tartness to balance the Cointreau. This winning combination leaves you with a sweet-and-sour cocktail to please your inner Carrie.

tasty-cosmopolitan-cocktail

Gimlet

Gimlet Recipe

2 oz. vodka

¾ oz. lime juice

½ oz. simple syrup

Lime wheel garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add the vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
  2. Shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 10-15 seconds.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass using a Hawthorne strainer.
  4. Garnish with lime wheel.

Similar to a gin gimlet, the vodka gimlet is a clean, simple, no-fuss cocktail. It’s balanced but strong, so don’t be fooled by the pleasant sweet-tart combo of fresh lime juice and simple syrup.

Gimlet Cocktail Recipe

Greyhound

Greyhound Recipe

1 ½ oz. vodka

~3 oz. grapefruit juice

Lime wedge garnish

Instructions:

  1. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
  2. Add vodka and stir to chill.
  3. Top with grapefruit juice and stir to combine.
  4. Squeeze lime wedge over the surface and leave the squeezed wedge in the drink.

With the exception of the next cocktail on the list, it really doesn’t get simpler than this. For a fun twist, salt the rim of the rocks glass before constructing the cocktail. Now you have a Salty Dog, a puckeringly refreshing cocktail for a hot day.

Screwdriver

Screwdriver Recipe

1 ½ oz. vodka

~3 oz. orange juice

Orange slice garnish if desired

Instructions:

  1. Fill a rocks glass with ice and add vodka.
  2. Stir to chill.
  3. Top with orange juice and stir to combine.
  4. Garnish with an orange slice if desired.

Along with tomato juice, the screwdriver is enormously popular on American flights. This is likely due to its simplicity. Like a mimosa without the bubbles, a screwdriver is a slightly more serious cocktail to drink at brunch, but hey – we’re not judging! It’s also another one that you can easily adjust to be a little stronger when the occasion requires it.

Vodka Martini

Classic Vodka Martini Recipe

2 ½ oz. vodka

½ oz. dry vermouth

Ice

Lemon twist or olives for garnish

Classic dry Vodka Martini Cocktail

Instructions:

  1. Add vodka and dry vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice.
  2. Still until liquids are chilled thoroughly.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass using a Hawthorne strainer.
  4. Garnish with olives or lemon twist.

The iconic martini gets a little makeover by subbing vodka for its regular spirit, gin. When ordering at a bar, you have to specify that you want a vodka martini – a bartender will automatically reach for the gin otherwise.

Use this classic recipe as a starting point. You can add olive juice to make it a dirty vodka martini, or bump up the amount of vermouth to turn it into a wet (or extra wet, even) vodka martini.

Moscow Mule

Moscow Mule Recipe

2 oz. vodka

½ oz. lime juice

4 oz. ginger beer

Lime wedge and optional mint sprig garnish

Instructions:

  1. In a copper mug or a glass, add vodka and lime juice.
  2. Add ice.
  3. Pour ginger beer over the ice and gently stir, enough to incorporate ingredients.
  4. Garnish with lime wedge and mint sprig if desired.

Served in the iconic copper mug, the Moscow Mule is a snap to put together. And before you know it, everyone will want one! While ginger ale will work in a pinch, the spiciness of ginger beer sets this drink apart. Best of all: no shaker required! The drink is entirely assembled in its cute mug.

Lemon Drop

Lemon Drop Recipe

1 ½ oz. vodka

1 oz. lemon juice

½ oz. orange liqueur

½ oz. simple syrup

1 lemon wedge, notched

Sugar for the rim

Lemon twist garnish

Lemon Drop Cocktail Recipe

Instructions:

  1. Run the notched lemon wedge along the rim of a martini glass.
  2. Dip the edge of the rim into sugar.
  3. In an ice-filled shaker, add vodka, lemon juice, liqueur, and simple syrup.
  4. Shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, about 10-15 seconds.
  5. Strain into sugared martini glass using a Hawthorne strainer.
  6. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This last cocktail requires just a little more work, but we promise, it pays off! It’s like lemon candy in a glass, complete with crunchy sugar for a fun homage to a Lemonhead. Use lemon vodka to really ramp up that flavor. You can also make miniaturized versions as cute, citrusy shots to start any party off on the right note.

Whip up any of these vodka cocktail recipes in a flash! Which of these cocktails will you be making first?