Crowd-Pleasing Cocktails Where Vodka Is the Star

Kai Loebach spilled a bartending secret for creating a layered cocktail: The heaviest liquids always sink to the bottom, so if you’re using a thick liqueur, pour that in at the last minute after the other liquids have been mixed—then leave it alone. This drink could be made in bulk: It’s just one part simple syrup to two parts fruit juice, and roughly an ounce of spirits per serving.

The classic espresso martini is back in style across the West and we’ve got the ultimate recipe to make the cocktail at home. This recipe from Humboldt Distillery combines its organic vodka with Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur—which already has a bit of added sweetness—and fresh espresso for a caffeinated cocktail that doubles down on the booze. 

Date syrup adds intrigue to a conventional vodka and citrus base.

Stephani Smith, founder and creative director of Garnish Craft Cocktail Catering in Maui, turned to chamomile flowers to flavor this delicate cocktail. For a garnish, she created a tiny camellia look-alike from coiled pink grapefruit zest.

This cocktail is a boozy take on the beloved soda chanh muôi, the salted lemonade soda found at restaurants, bakeries, and street stalls throughout Vietnam. Salting and preserving the lemons takes three months, but that investment of time is worth it; once made, they’ll last indefinitely.

Disneyland Resort’s Oga’s Cantina has its own take on a vodka beverage. After a hard day saving the galaxy, relax with a sweet and creamy but potent drink.

The coffee connoisseurs at La Colombe have come up with their own variation of the popular espresso martini that combines cold brew concentrate with stone fruit and citrus flavors.

Ginger, lime juice, and sweet blackberry syrup give this traditional Moscow Mule a refreshingly fruity flair. Add an extra kick to this vodka-based cocktail with the addition of fresh mint and whole blackberries.

Karpouzi, the ultra-refreshing Greek watermelon salad, is reinterpreted as a cocktail spiked with warm-weather botanicals by way of fennel liquor and crème de violette.

This variation on a vodka martini from Tobin Shea, bar director at Vibiana in Los Angeles, gets its subtly sweet herbaceous quality from Benedictine liqueur.

With or without the vodka, this sweet-tart drink deserves a spot at brunch.

Tangy and sweet, this drink pairs well at a luau but is also good sipped solo.

It’s everything we love about dessert, only more portable and fun to hold in your hands. Recipe editor Amy Machnak, a former mixologist for Kuleto’s in San Francisco, whipped up this decadent hot white chocolate to serve on a chilly evening.