Cocktails

The 10 Best Vodka Cocktails

Vodka is an incredibly versatile spirit that is lovely in a wide range of cocktails. Our roundup shares the best vodka cocktails to try at home and serve at your next gathering.

By 

Meyme Nakash

 |  August 25, 2025

Vodka is an incredibly versatile spirit known for its smooth texture and ability to pair well with a wide range of mixers. The spirit is filtered several times before it’s bottled, a process that gives vodka a transparent appearance and neutral flavor and aroma. As a result, vodka is a common base spirit for cocktails. These drinks range from sweet to savory and are among the most popular drinks ordered at a bar, from the famed espresso martini to the classic Moscow Mule. Our selection of the best vodka cocktails uses top-shelf vodka brands, offering twists on traditional recipes and new ones you may have never tried before. Whether you’re on the hunt for new recipes or simply want to explore different vodka blends, these cocktails will take your at-home sipping experience to the next level. 

The 10 Best Vodka Cocktails

Chery

An espresso martini is a lush mix of vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso. In recent years, it has gained popularity because of its sweet and smooth quality, not to mention the extra kick of caffeine it provides. This elevated take on the classic drink from Chica & the Don, a Latin-inspired restaurant in New York City, incorporates cherry, adding a tangy element that brightens up its overall flavor profile. The name “Chery” is an homage to the restaurant owner’s nickname as a child, recalling how his mother would mix fresh cherry juice into her coffee. You can serve this versatile cocktail at brunch or as a delicious digestif after dinner. To make this cocktail, add all the ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cherry or an orange peel.

Ingredients

2 oz Haku Vodka
¼ oz Licor 43
¼ oz cherry syrup
1½ oz cold brew
1 dash chocolate bitters
Cherry or orange peel for garnish

The Luxury Martini 

Belvedere recently released a new small-batch vodka, Belvedere 10, using a thoughtful 10-step process. The blend’s smooth finish makes it wonderful for sipping neat and as a component for vodka-focused cocktails like the brand’s Luxury Martini. The addition of a pinch of salt and a drop of olive oil add a savory component to this vodka martini. To make this top-shelf concoction, add all the ingredients and an ice cube to a mixing glass. Stir the mixture for 15 seconds until the ice cube has diluted slightly, chilling the liquid. Strain into a chilled martini glass, removing the lemon zest from your drink. Garnish with an olive.

Ingredients

2 oz Belvedere 10
¼ oz dry vermouth (preferably Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc)
1 pinch salt
1 drop olive oil
Lemon zest

Honey Deuce

The official cocktail of the U.S. Open, the Honey Deuce is a sweet and slightly tart drink that’s perfect for sipping courtside — but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy one at home. If you’re hosting a watch party, this cocktail will impress your guests with its vibrant flavor profile and refreshing quality, and not to mention its striking appearance. Start by adding the vodka, raspberry liqueur, and lemonade to an ice-filled glass. Then, stir gently with a bar spoon and garnish with a skewer holding three honeydew balls (a nod to tennis balls), in true U.S. Open fashion.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz Grey Goose vodka
½ oz raspberry liqueur 
3 oz lemonade 
3 honeydew melon balls

Strawberry Fields

If you appreciate fruit-forward cocktails, Strawberry Fields is for you. Created by Center Bar in New York City, this drink is a burst of berry and citrus flavors offset by the earthiness of basil syrup. It is easy to make and wonderful for sipping by the pool or whenever you’re craving a refreshing cocktail. First, muddle the strawberries at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Then, add the liquid ingredients and ice. Shake and strain the mixture into a tall glass and garnish with a halved strawberry.

Ingredients

2 oz vodka
2-3 strawberries
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz basil syrup
½ oz cranberry juice
Halved strawberry for garnish

French Martini

British restauranteur Keith McNally, owner of New York City-based Parisian brasserie Balthazar, created the French martini in the 1980s, which quickly became a huge hit. This elegant drink consists of vodka, pineapple juice, and Chambord. Chambord is a liqueur made in the Loire Valley of France using raspberries, blackberries, and blackcurrants. It also contains Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey, and XO Cognac, which has rested in a cask for a minimum of six years — making this mixer wonderful in Cognac cocktails, too. It’s easy to make at home. First, add all the ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Then, shake vigorously until the mixture is combined and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry and blackberry. 

Ingredients

½ oz Chambord
1½ oz vodka
2 oz pineapple juice
Raspberry and blackberry for garnish

Broken Flowers

This delicate drink incorporates elderflower liqueur, known for its subtle sweetness and floral flavor. It recalls the rich botanicals in gin cocktails, making it lovely to enjoy during the springtime. The recipe is simple and requires few ingredients. To make Broken Flowers, just add Broken Shed Vodka and a splash of St Germain Elderflower Liqueur to a cocktail glass. Then, top it off with soda water and garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

Ingredients

3 oz Broken Shed Vodka
3 oz soda water
1 splash St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Cucumber ribbon for garnish 

Water Gibson

The Water Gibson from The Nomad Hotel in London is a sumptuous mix of vodka, gin, vermouth, and Miclo Poire Williams, a French spirit distilled from pears. The result is a drink with a remarkably complex flavor profile laden with delightful fruit and botanical nuances. First, add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and stir. Then, pour the liquid into a chilled cocktail glass and enjoy. 

Ingredients

1 oz Absolut Elyx Vodka
1 oz Boatyard Gin
¼ oz Miclo Poire Williams
½ oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
½ oz Old Raj Blue Gin
¾ oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
½ oz sweet Viognier              

Verdant Noon

Verdant Noon features cucumber juice, mint, and lemon juice for an overall smooth, refreshing cocktail. It is easy to whip up and makes a wonderful poolside or summer dinner party drink. First, you’ll need to mix the cucumber juice with simple syrup and two sprigs of mint in a mixing glass. This mixture must macerate for 24 hours before use, so be sure to prepare it the day before you plan on making this cocktail. Once 24 hours have passed, continue by removing the mint and combining this liquid with the vodka and lemon juice in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass with fresh ice. Top it off with more cucumber juice and garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

Ingredients

1½ oz Chopin Potato Vodka
1 oz cucumber juice, plus extra to serve
1 oz simple syrup
3 sprigs of mint
¾ oz lemon juice

The Perfect 100 Martini

This drink is Century Vodka’s rendition of a dry martini, which simply calls for vodka, dry vermouth, and ice. The Perfect 100 Martini retains these ingredients and elevates them with orange bitters. This infuses the drink with the sweet, bright aroma of orange peel and the subtle notes of cardamom and nutmeg on the palate, with a bitter finish. To make this refined drink, simply stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Then, strain and pour the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. 

Ingredients

3 oz Century Vodka
¾ oz dry vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Lemon twist for garnish 

Cosmopolitan

A Cosmopolitan, often referred to as just a “Cosmo,” is a tart cocktail known for its vibrant pink color. Popularized during the 1990s, it has since become an iconic vodka cocktail thanks to its many appearances on the TV series Sex and the City. To make this sweet but tangy drink, add all the ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail shaker with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Ingredients 

2 oz vodka
1 oz cranberry juice cocktail
¾ oz fresh lime juice
¾ oz triple sec
Orange twist for garnish

Belvedere Mule

A Moscow Mule is a fizzy cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer, and fresh lime. Ginger beer’s bold, spicy flavor lends itself well to the drink’s refreshing elements. Angostura bitters offset the ginger and lime flavors, yielding a well-balanced cocktail with layers of flavor. First, add all the ingredients except for the ginger beer to a cocktail shaker. Shake and fine-strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Top it off with ginger beer and garnish with a wedge of lime. 

Ingredients

1½ oz Belvedere Vodka
½ lime sliced into wedges
1 dash simple syrup
2 dash Angostura bitters
Ginger beer

Sorry, Not Sorry 

This cocktail from The Highlight Room features Sorel, a hibiscus flower liqueur, and Ume, a plum liqueur. Together, these flavors create a light, fruity cocktail that is sweet yet tart with citrus and rhubarb elements. To make the Sorry, Not Sorry, add all the ingredients to a wine glass that is filled halfway with ice. Stir with a bar spoon and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Ingredients

½ oz Sorel
½ Ume
¼ oz Belvedere Vodka
½ oz lemon
½ rhubarb pink peppercorn syrup
3 oz soda water

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