There are many drinks that just make more sense when you get the opportunity to experience them in the land where they’re from. When it comes to vodka, this happened on one of my trips to Poland to judge a competition many years ago. In an ice bucket on our dinner table, was not a bottle of wine, but a very delicious local bottle of single estate vodka (no, sadly I cannot remember what brand it was).
The Poles will firmly and confidently tell you that’s where Vodka came from, and they may well be right too. It may also surprise you to learn that vodka was originally drunk with food.
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We sipped on the chilled vodka as we enjoyed a delicious lunch looking out over the center of Warsaw. Although I’d done plenty of vodka tastings, where of course you’re drinking vodka neat, that moment really gave me an appreciation for what vodka could be. Beyond an ingredient for a cocktail, or a base for a simple ‘spirit mixer’, it can be an ingredient to truly savor. Not an opinion commonly taken by most people outside Eastern Europe, where vodka is seen only as something you mix with. A way to give other ingredients an alcoholic content.
Why do I mention this story? Firstly because vodka had developed a bad reputation within the bartender community sometime around the 2010s. As the cocktail trend was going further and further towards the ‘craft’ of the cocktail. Forgotten classics were being resurrected from the pages of dusty old cocktail books, and homemade ingredients were becoming de rigueur for any self respecting cocktail bar. Meanwhile, many vodka brands were saying “hold my sparkler” as they looked to become THE status symbol in the club. “Look at me, I’m buying an expensive bottle of vodka”. This drove bottles to get ever taller, glitzy-er and outlandish. It seemed to be a competition about price, glamor and purity, over flavour. How many times distilled or filtered, became a status symbol.
Secondly this story is to remind you that sure, vodka’s character is light in comparison to some other spirits, but it’s NOT flavourless, and why would you want it to be flavourless anyway? Just because a marketing plan is to sell a status symbol and not the product, doesn’t mean all vodka is somehow bad.
The best way to truly appreciate the flavour and character of a vodka is in a controlled comparative tasting. As with all spirits, this allows you to truly see the differences between vodkas. There you can work out if you’re paying for a pretty bottle and clever marketing or actually a decent liquid. Along with how different raw ingredients that vodka is made from, can deliver a very different drinking experience. The spice of rye, softness of wheat and creaminess of potato.
Get Tasting
A comparative tasting can be an expensive game to play on your own, but great fun to do with your friends. Get everyone to bring what they think is the best vodka then do a blind tasting. Use small wine glasses (as you probably don’t have tasting glasses to hand) instead of shot glasses, as this will help you to taste the vodka and experience the full aroma on the nose.
After you’ve tasted the vodka neat, you can add water to further analyze it. If you drop the alcohol strength all the way down to 20% / 40 proof, the water will unlock all the flavours carried in the vodka’s alcohol,further helping you to pick your favourite. (EG if the vodka is 40% ABV / 80 proof, add an equal amount of water to reduce the strength to 20% / 40 proof)
As with any spirit, not only will tasting this way help you decide which vodka you think is the best, you may also end up with a few that you think suit different drinks. You may also be surprised by the brands you prefer! Either way, if it’s not good enough to sip neat, why would you ruin other ingredients by mixing with it?!
If you can’t organise a tasting right now, don’t worry, we have a great selection of delicious vodkas you can trust to use right here.
Most importantly, don’t be a vodka hater. Even if like a magpie, vodka sneaks into other spirit’s classic cocktails, especially gin, vodka does have a historic and important role in the story of the cocktail.
Indeed, credit where it’s due, it’s hard to imagine the cocktail world would be as advanced as it is today without the years of investment into the cocktail revolution by Absolut vodka. In fact, I was one of the experts the brand had traveling around cities teaching bartenders cocktail skills in the late 90s and early 00s. Fun days that we should all be grateful for now.
However you look at it, it’s hard to argue that vodka isn’t the most versatile spirit base for cocktails, and with that in mind here are some of our favourite recipes. A mixture of both Classics and our Candra Originals.
Enjoy!
01. Cosmopolitan
If you’re thinking of a famous vodka cocktail, it’s quite likely you’re thinking of the Cosmo. Made well, it’s a dry, crisp little number that’s vodka forward and delicious. Follow our guide and we’ll help you make a good one, they’re better than you remember.
02. Russian Spring Punch
The first of two entries on this list from the legendary London Bartender Dick Bradsell. If a Vodka Fizz met a Kir Royale in a bar, their love child would be the utterly delicious and dangerously drinkable Russian Spring Punch.
You can of course tweak the name depending where the vodka comes from, Polish Spring Punch, Swedish Spring Punch…you get the gist.
03. Porn Star Martini
Not a Martini in the true sense of the meaning, and it wasn’t written by a porn star either! However, what it is, is a deliciously bright and crisp passionfruit sour, served up with a bonus shot of sparkling wine on the side.
Made well with good ingredients it’s an iconic and delicious party drink that’ll put a smile on anyone’s face.
04. Fluffy Lemon Drop
A big claim here, but we think we took the Lemon Drop, and made it better. There are a number of different versions of this little citrusy cocktail, often it’s slung into a shot glass with lower quality ingredients and rimmed with sugar to make it an extra sweet experience.
We took the basic formula and gave it a little love, turning it into an outrageously tasty cocktail that’s perfectly balanced. A rich lemon meringue pie that’s pure class.
05. Espresso Martini
This is the second drink on this list from Dick Bradsell. It’s now his most famous creation, pushing the Bramble down into a rather distant second.
It’s a drink that has come in and out of popularity, but now it’s a behemoth of a cocktail, made and drunk by literally everyone, everywhere, at all times! Why? Because when it’s made well, it’s simply a great drink.
Secondly, it’s because it’s also one of those rare drinks that people tend to all drink together. “Shall we have Espresso Martinis?!” someone in the group excitedly shouts. The next thing you know, six are being ordered and the night kicks into high gear. By helping to create fun, collective memories have made it a true icon of the cocktail world.
06. Moscow Mule
Essentially a Vodka Buck. In other words, spirit, citrus and ginger beer or ginger ale all served over ice. You can apply this formula to all sorts of spirit and citrus combinations, but the Moscow Mule is probably the most famous. Just beating the Dark n Stormy to the top spot.
The recipe itself actually originates from LA, not Moscow, and if you want to stay true to the classic, you should also serve it in a copper tankard.
07. Watermelon Mule
This is our twist on the Moscow Mule above. Adding fresh watermelon juice to the recipe creates an even more refreshing version that’s a little less sweet and has a very pretty pink colour. Simple, pretty and delicious, it could be your new favourite serve for you and your friends to enjoy.
08. Bloody Mary
Is it even brunch without a Bloody Mary? This classic, savoury, spicy daytime reviver has got to be one of the most famous vodka cocktails out there.
It’s also a cocktail that’s passionately adjusted and tinkered with by its fans. Our Bloody Mary mix gives you the perfect base off which you can apply your own character too. Add more spice, stir in some horseradish, splash in a little dry sherry. Leave it as it is, or take it in any direction you fancy.
09. Sex on the Private Beach
Our take on the rather cringely named, ‘disco’ classic, Sex On The Beach. Rather than the long, sweet and flabby drink that the original was, this shorter, stiffer version hits with a drier finish and better balance.
As with any cocktail, the quality of your ingredients will have a major role in the final outcome of the drink, so don’t scrimp here. Fresh orange, a high quality liqueur and of course a decent vodka!
10. Caipiroska
OK, technically this is a vodka version of the Caipirinha, but it has its own name and it’s delicious, so it gets a place on the list.
Just make sure to take our advice (on the recipe page) about what sugar to use, you want to make sure it all gets dissolved into the drink to create a perfectly balanced cocktail.
11. White Russian
Dude, what a drink! Coffee, creamy, boozy. No fancy equipment required, just a glass, some cubed ice and quality ingredients. It’s pretty much as laid back as a cocktail can be.
A tasty alternative to your Espresso Martini ritual.
12. Vodka St. Clements
Dry, citrusy and refreshing. It’s close to being a riff on a Rickey thanks to its dry finish and lack of sugar.
The soba-cha soda delivers a malty, grainy finish which gives this otherwise light drink a longer than expected finish. Make sure your orange juice is rich and vibrant as it’s the only sweetness in the drink and needs to carry through the drink.
And finally…did someone say Martini…?
To many, the Vodka Martini is probably the most famous of the vodka cocktails. However, it’s originally a gin cocktail, and we’ve tried to keep this list pretty much to drinks that were made for vodka.
That being said, the Vodka Martini isn’t going anywhere and we have a huge selection for you to choose from, simply replace the gin with vodka in any of these delicious recipes.
As always, don’t forget to show us what you made by tagging us!
@Candra_Drinks #MakeBetterDrinks #CandraDrinks
