Vodka: Four Ways

Life is hard, so why make crafting a cocktail even harder? I’m a sucker for an easy drink. When I first began drinking, I was chasing shots with water, pickle juice and even once, milk. My roommates and I used any chaser we could get our hands on. We weren’t using yellow chartreuse, or rosemary, or egg whites. So I’ve developed a palette for the simple cocktail. I chose vodka for this post because it’s a spirit you can enjoy whether your balling out or balling on a budget. These recipes are very simple to make for when you just need a drink. They’re my go-to’s because the ingredients are always in our fridges and pantries.

The vodka I have on my bar solely depends on where my money’s at that month. If I’m looking for something on the cheaper end, but still a decent vodka, I always go for the Kirkland Signature American Vodka. It may not be grey goose, or even the grey goose dupe by Costco, but the bottle looks and feels like grey goose. That’s all that really matters right?

If you want to level up past the store brand, I’d go for Ketel One. It’s a no-frills, straight to the point, clean vodka. I may be bias, I grew up around this vodka, as it has always been my mom’s drink of choice. She drinks it on the rocks, like a straight up G. When I was in high school, I used to steal a sip or two out of the pantry that my mom hid it in. On my 21st birthday, my mom gifted me a bottle of Ketel One and I always wondered if she knew my old secret. I guess at this point, I’ll never know.

You can always spruce these up and make them extra fancy by adding any type of simple syrup or juice. These are just bare bone basic recipes I’ve compiled over the years. 

Vodka Crisp 

1 ½ oz preferred vodka 

1 bottle Topo Chico 

1 oz fresh lime juice 

*put reasonable amount of ice in a cup, add vodka and lime juice. Stir together with a bar spoon, about twenty times around. Top off with Topo Chico. Top with lime slice if you’d like to get cute. 

Vodka Honey Sour 

2 oz preferred vodka

2 oz fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey simple syrup

*put reasonable amount of ice in a shaker. Add vodka, lemon juice, honey and simple syrup. Shake drink twenty times, strain liquids over new ice in a new cup. Top with lemon peel and enjoy! 

Vodka Tropicali

2 oz preferred vodka 

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz cream of coconut (I use Coco Lopez)

1 lemon, squeezed of its juice 

*put reasonable amount of ice in a shaker. Add vodka, pineapple juice, cream of coconut and lemon juice. Shake twenty times, then strain liquid over new ice in a new cup. Top with a paper umbrella, and enjoy, brah. 

Vodka Lemon Drop 

1 ½ oz preferred vodka

1 oz fresh lemon juice 

1 can lemon La Croix 

*put reasonable amount of iced in a cup. Add in vodka and lemon juice, stir with a bar spoon, about twenty times. Top off with lemon La Croix. Add a lemon slice, or lemon peel on top for appeal.