Food & Wine Food & Wine
6 Unbelievably Great Vodka Cocktails
  • Subscribe
  • Video
    • Mad Genius Tips
    • Cooking Videos
    • Ludo Lefebvre Cooking Videos
  • Recipes
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Comfort Food
    • Soups
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Seafood
    • Pasta & Noodle
    • Special Diets
    • Chefs
  • Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails
    • Champagne
    • Coffee
    • Beer
    • Tea
  • Travel
    • Restaurants
    • Wine Regions
  • Holidays
    • Mardi Gras
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
  • Kitchen & Home
    • Cooking Techniques
    • How To
    • Gift Guides
  • Shop
  • More
    • F&W Classic in Aspen
    • Events
    • Newsletters
    • Wine Club
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • VIDEO
    • Mad Genius Tips
    • Cooking Videos
    • Ludo Lefebvre Cooking Videos
  • RECIPES
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Comfort Food
    • Soups
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Seafood
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Special Diets
    • Chefs
  • DRINKS
    • Wine
    • Cocktails
    • Champagne
    • Coffee
    • Beer
    • Tea
  • TRAVEL
    • Restaurants
    • Wine Regions
    • Local Flavor
  • HOLIDAYS
    • Mardi Gras
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • Passover
    • Mother's Day
  • NEWS
  • KITCHEN & HOME
    • Cooking Techniques
    • How To
    • Gift Guides
  • SHOP
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Subscribe
    • Events
    • Give a Gift
    • Newsletters
    • Wine Club
  1. Home
  2. Drinks
  3. 6 Unbelievably Great Vodka Cocktails

6 Unbelievably Great Vodka Cocktails

Food & Wine

Vodka gets a bad rap.

Often masked by fruit juices meant to cover up the booze, the spirit is like the middle child of the alcohol industry.

Time to flip that script and give vodka a moment in the spotlight. No sugary concoctions, no overwhelming fruit juices, these cocktails will pull back the curtain and give the unnecessarily maligned spirit top billing.

This piece originally appeared on Liquor.com.

1 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

Ketel One Vodka Martini

There’s no better way to start off this list than with an old-fashioned vodka Martini. Yes, traditionally gin is the base spirit of this classic cocktail. But any episode of Mad Men, for example, shows that vodka works just as well (sometimes). Ketel One works wonderfully with dry vermouth but any vodka will do the trick and requires only two ingredients. It doesn’t get any more badass than this.

Get the recipe for the Ketel One Vodka Martini.

Advertisement
2 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

Black Gold

In the mood for a little kick—and absolutely nothing else? The Black Gold combines Karlsson’s Gold vodka with freshly cracked black pepper, served on the rocks. That’s it. Why aren’t you drinking this already?

Get the recipe for the Black Gold.

3 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

Dirty Martini

There’s nothing quite like a well-made Dirty Martini for the savory cocktail lover. Like most Martinis, these usually require gin. But if you love the salty taste of olives, vodka doesn’t compete with the flavor as much as the botanical elements of gin. The exact measurements for the perfect Dirty Martini will be a debate that will last forever. If you’re a novice, this recipe is a good place to start until you figure out what you love. Also, who doesn’t love a cocktail that comes with its own snack?

Get the recipe for the Dirty Martini.

Advertisement
4 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

The Gibson

The Dirty Martini isn’t the only way to go savory with your vodka. The Gibson takes the classic cocktail’s bare-bone ingredients and pairs them with a different garnish: olives. Don’t worry about your tear ducts. Neither the onions nor the cocktail will make you cry—unless they’re tears of joy, of course. And they may cure your ails: The creator of this drink believed onions prevented colds.  

Get the recipe for The Gibson.

Advertisement
5 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

The Ascot

Even liquors get lonely. In the Ascot, vodka gets a little help from cognac, making this drink a doubly boozy delight. Armed with two liquors and two vermouths, this cocktail is smooth and sophisticated, with sweetness from the cognac and sweet vermouth. There’s also dryness from––you guessed it––the dry vermouth and the vodka. A drink for the cocktail lover who wants it all.

Get the recipe for the The Ascot.

Advertisement
6 of 6 Courtesy of Liquor.com

Gotham

Inspired by the Manhattan, the Gotham cocktail combines vodka with quality ingredients for a cocktail guaranteed to impress. Cocchi Americano and Ramazzotti give this drink a richness that even a die-hard whiskey fan will enjoy.

Get the recipe for the Gotham.

You May Like

Read More

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Keeping you in the know on all the latest & greatest food and travel news, and other special offers.
Sign up

DELICIOUS DEAL

12 ISSUES FOR JUST $12
Subscribe & Save

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Keeping you in the know on all the latest & greatest food and travel news, and other special offers.
Sign up
Food & Wine
Holidays & Occasions
  • Chinese New Year
  • Super Bowl Recipes
  • Valentine's Day Recipes
  • Oscar Party Food
  • Mardi Gras Recipes
  • Memorial Day Recipes
  • Father's Day Recipes
  • Rosh Hashanah Recipes
  • Halloween Recipes
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Christmas Recipes
Popular Dishes
  • Sandwiches
  • Snacks
  • Bread Recipes
  • Grain Recipes
  • Bean Recipes
  • Quinoa Recipes
  • Chicken Breast Recipes
  • French Recipes
  • Mexican Recipes
Subscribe
  • Subscribe to Food & Wine
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Food & Wine Books
  • Get Food & Wine iPad Edition
  • Get F&W Mobile Apps
Clubs & Events
  • Food & Wine Connoisseur Club
  • Events
  • Best New Chefs
Contact
  • Customer Service
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Careers
  • Site Map
Meredith Corporation
  • Travel + Leisure
  • Departures
Food & Wine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. © 2018 Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. All rights reserved.
View Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Your California Privacy Rights. Ad Choices. Users of this site agree to be bound by the Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
foodandwine.com is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. | EU Data Subject Requests
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.