5 Easy-To-Make Cocktails For Vodka Lovers

Let’s just get this out of the way—I am not a vodka person. Never have been, never will be. Nothing against vodka drinkers, but I find it hard to get excited about a spirit that, for decades, took pride in being colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

Call me crazy, but I love a drink with flavor. Better yet, flavors. Which is why vodka is perfect for cocktails. You want something that’s sweet? Spicy? Sour? Savory? There’s a vodka recipe for you. You want all of those tastes at once? Make a Bloody Mary. (I’ll be having a Bloody Maria—made with tequila—but you do you.)

For those vodka lovers looking for new cocktail inspiration, here are four recipes from some of the most stellar spirits professionals in the business.

Easy Vodka Cocktail Recipes

MELONDRAMA

“Cantaloupe is an ingredient that I feel is very under-utilized in cocktail programs. Cantaloupe has natural properties that can alleviate stress and promote the body’s natural production of soothing hormones. This riff on a Moscow mule is perfect for when summer comes, in its delicious crushability as we are all shedding the stresses of the last year, and trying to focus on a brighter future together.” —Amanda Swanson, beverage director at Añejo Restaurant Group

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Crystal Head Onyx Agave Vodka

0.5 oz. agave nectar (or preferred sweetener)

0.75 oz. Fresh Lime juice

5 chunks Cantaloupe (approx. 1-inch cubes or 1.5 oz. cantaloupe juice)

6 mint leaves

Ginger beer (preferably Fever-Tree light ginger beer)

Method: In shaker tin, muddle cantaloupe and mint with agave nectar. Add lime juice, Crystal Head Onyx, and ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into Collins over fresh ice. Top with Ginger Beer. Note: If preferred, or for batching, blend cantaloupe in blender or Vitamix, and strain out pulp for cantaloupe juice, instead of muddling.

HAKU MARTINI

“The Haku Martini takes all the things you love about a classic Martini into something slightly more brilliant. The delicate, clean flavor from this vodka brings a crisper, more vibrant finish to the taste of a Martini. Martini drinkers know that one, maybe two will do the trick, so sip this one slowly and savor that sweet, round taste.” —Gardner Dunn, Senior Brand Ambassador, House of Suntory Japanese Spirits

Ingredients:

2.5 parts Suntory Haku vodka

0.25 part dry vermouth

Dash of orange bitters

Umeboshi (Japanese plum) or lemon peel garnish

Method: Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with Umeboshi, and/or a lemon peel.

LARRY LIMEADE

“The Larry Limeade is perfect as it is light and refreshing. More importantly, it harkens back to the day of someone on roller skates delivering a frosty beverage to your vehicle. As I’ve grown older, I’ve leaned into my middle name more, Lawrence or Larry, than I do the name Kyle. Some may say it makes me look like a curmudgeon or codger but I find it endearing. Oh, and Larry rhymes with cherry. It’s funny that way.”  —Kyle Nelson, beverage director at Middle West Spirits and Service Bar (Columbus, Ohio)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. OYO Character Vodka

0.5 oz. Cherry Heering

0.5 oz. fresh lime juice

0.5 oz. tart cherry juice

0.5 oz. simple syrup

0.25 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin. Fill the remainder of the tin with ice. Shake vigorously for fifteen seconds or until the outside of the shaker is chilled. Double strain into a large snifter filled with cobbled ice. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel and a Luxardo cherry.

LOVE THAT ABOUT YOU

“One of the most affirming things a friend of mine says is, ‘I love that about you!’ I was inspired to make a drink that makes me feel the same way. Floral, light, effervescent, and citrusy, this bubbly number hopefully takes you away to memories of being on a patio and is uplifting with each sip.” —Abe Vucekovich, general manager at The Violet Hour (Chicago, Illinois)

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Absolut Elyx 

0.75 oz. Ramazzotti Rosato

0.75 oz. lemon

0.75 oz. grapefruit

0.75 oz. lavender syrup

3 oz. sparkling wine 

Method: Add sparkling wine to the bottom of a footed pilsner. Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker, double strain into the glass. Express lemon and discard.

**Rich cane sugar syrup: In a small pot over medium heat, add 2 parts organic cane sugar (not refined white sugar, but the slightly more caramel one you can easily find in grocery stores) to 1 part filtered water, by either weight or volume. Stir gently until the crystals are fully dissolved, then remove from heat and let cool. Funnel into a clean bottle or jar, date it & keep refrigerated. Should last 1-2 months.