30 Easy Vodka Cocktail Recipes

September 26, 2019
Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin
Whether you're interested in a cocktail that is simple and easy or one that's a little more complex, let our favorite vodka cocktails be your favorites as well. 
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Cherry Berry Cocktail

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Cherry Berry Cocktail Recipe
This vodka cocktail is berry bliss. Garnish with a handful of your favorite berries skewered on a cocktail pick or straw.
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The Salty Dog

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
The Salty Dog Recipe
Say goodbye to screwdrivers, you've just found your new favorite brunch cocktail. It doesn't get much better than this perfect blend of vodka and grapefruit juice.

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The Fig & Olive Cocktail

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
The Fig & Olive Cocktail Recipe
If you want a refreshing, unique brunch cocktail, look no further than the Fig & Olive. Blood oranges are in season from December to May, but you may be able to find blood orange juice year-round in the organic produce section of your local grocer.
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Moscow Mule

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Moscow Mule Recipe
A classic cocktail made with vodka and ginger beer. A Moscow Mule is traditionally served in a copper mug, but you can also enjoy it in a highball glass filled with ice.

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Simple Screwdriver

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Simple Screwdriver Recipe
Vodka and orange juice– it doesn’t get much easier. Here's to everyone's favorite brunch cocktail!

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Southern Living Bloody Mary

Jennifer Causey
Southern Living Bloody Mary Recipe

While the South can’t lay claim to the Bloody Mary (even cocktail experts can’t agree on where or when it was first made), it’s such a fixture at weekend brunches and afternoon tailgates that it might as well have originated here. Like many Southern recipes, the cocktail appears simple, but it’s deceptively complex. Tomato juice and vodka are essential—from there, spices and seasonings vary as much as the person making the drink. We tested all sorts of add-ins (some traditional, some not so much) to make a spicy, pungent base that’s just right when mixed with your favorite vodka and served over ice in a sturdy glass. As for garnishes, some bars and restaurants are all about the showmanship, from steamed oysters to boiled shrimp, but we prefer a simpler approach with celery, pickled vegetables, and—to gild the lily—a bacon salt rim. Maybe the Bloody Mary is more Southern than we thought.

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Cranberry-Limeade Spritzer

Time Inc. Video Studios 
Cranberry-Limeade Spritzer Recipe

Sweet and tart meet vodka in this refreshing holiday cocktail. 

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Strawberry-Lime Rickey

Photo: Greg Dupree
Strawberry-Lime Rickey Recipe

If fresh strawberries aren’t quite at their peak in your market, go ahead and substitute thawed frozen berries. Muddling thoroughly is essential here: The more the berries break down, the more color and flavor they’ll release into the drink. If you’re not a gin fan, vodka or bourbon will work, but we like the subtle fragrance of juniper and other aromatics that gin introduces to the mix. Rickeys are often served alcohol free, and are every bit as refreshing, so omit the gin entirely, if you like.

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Rosé Sangria

Time Inc. Video Studio
Rosé Sangria Recipe

Perfect for any spring or summer gathering, this bubbly, refreshing rosé sangria is as easy to make as it is to sip. The fruity base of berry puree and vodka could easily be prepped ahead of time and chilled so that all that’s left to do is pour in your sparkling water and rosé right before serving. You could even prepare the sangria in single  portions for more of a custom cocktail feel, having a small amount of puree, vodka, and fresh fruit ready to go in glasses when guests arrive; then, simply top each off with bubbly as needed. To switch things up, you could also substitute fresh peaches and/or raspberries in place of the strawberries used to create the puree. Try freezing some of the fresh fruits you plan to include (such as grapes and berries) beforehand in order to keep the beverage cool. 

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Boozy Lavender Lemonade

Photo: Hayley Sugg
Boozy Lavender Lemonade Recipe

Refreshing lemonade gets a delightful floral twist with lavender-infused vodka. 

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Spicy Chile Vodka

Photo: Stephen Devries; Food Styling: Erin Merhar 
Spicy Chile Vodka Recipe

Spicy Chile Vodka image

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Big-Batch Bloody Marys

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Big-Batch Bloody Marys Recipe

Making bloody Marys for a big crowd doesn’t mean you have to spend your whole brunch or tailgate playing bartender for everyone. Our big-batch recipe makes enough for 10 people and frees you up to enjoy the party. Set out these Big-Batch Bloody Marys in a large punch bowl or glass dispenser with your choice of garnishes next to glasses and a bucket of ice and let everyone help themselves. Even better, you can make this cocktail ahead. You can prepare the mixture up to two days in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator; reserve the vodka and stir it in before serving.

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Cucumber-Lime-Lavender Spritzer

Jennifer Causey
Cucumber-Lime-Lavender Spritzer Recipe

This effervescent, nonalcoholic mocktail refresher offers the perfect balance of floral, tangy, and sweet flavors. If you’d like to turn it into a tipple, try adding a splash of gin or vodka. While we call for dried lavender, if you have access to fresh, steep a few sprigs of it in place of the dried herb—and garnish each drink with a fresh sprig, too, for a lovely, fragrant touch. You can make the syrup and cucumber-lime mixture up to a day ahead; stir in club soda just before serving.

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Bay Breeze

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Bay Breeze Recipe
Fruit juices and vodka are all you'll need for this beachy cocktail. Now all you need is a tropical island!

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Cherry-Basil Lemonade Spritzers

Jennifer Causey
Cherry-Basil Lemonade Spritzers Recipe

Instead of the fluorescent cocktail-cherry garnish, fresh cherries take center stage in this refreshing lemon-and-vodka sipper. Macerating the cherries in sugar helps to soften their thick skins and release their juices, which become gorgeously syrupy in the pan.

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Rocket Booster Cocktail

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Audrey Davis
Rocket Booster Cocktail Recipe

This slushy drink blends vodka with Campari and Tang to create a delicious balance of bitter and sweet in a single sip. So refreshing, it's just what you need to keep cool on sun-kissed, summer afternoons.

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Pomegranate Spritzer

Jennifer Causey
Pomegranate Spritzer Recipe

This is a wonderfully festive beverage to open a dinner party: Sweet-tart pomegranate juice is balanced by bitters and spiked with vodka and fizzy rosé. Find pomegranate arils in the refrigerated area of the supermarket produce section; they’ll save you at least 10 minutes because you won’t need to pull the arils from a whole pomegranate.

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This Green Bloody Mary Is a Green Juice You'll Actually Like

Photo by Caitlin Bensel
This Green Bloody Mary Is a Green Juice You'll Actually Like Recipe

It’s healthy, we swear

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Black Russian

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Black Russian Recipe
You're just a few simple steps away from this classic cocktail made with vodka and coffee liqueur.

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Lemon Drop Shot

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Lemon Drop Shot Recipe
These delicious shooters go down a little too easy, so make sure to pace yourself!

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Kamikaze Shots

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Kamikaze Shots Recipe
A combination of vodka, triple sec, and lime juice are guaranteed to get the party started. Pace yourself– these shooters are strong!
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Root Beer Float

Photo: Michael Kraus; Styling: Roscoe Betsill
Root Beer Float Recipe
This root beer float is for grown ups only! The secret here is root beer flavored vodka, which gives this dessert drink some great flavor.

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Basic Jello Shots

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Basic Jello Shots Recipe
You may be tempted to use straight vodka, but don't! By using flavored vodka instead of regular, you can create delicious flavors that actually make Jello Shots taste good! Imagine that.

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Citrus-Lemongrass Vodka

Photo: Stephen Devries; Food Styling: Erin Merhar 
Citrus-Lemongrass Vodka Recipe

Citrus-Lemongrass Vodka image

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Strawberry Hibiscus Cooler

Photo: Iain Bagwell
Strawberry Hibiscus Cooler Recipe

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

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Purple People Eater Boozy Ice Pops

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin
Purple People Eater Boozy Ice Pops Recipe

These purple pops are like a childhood popsicle, but way better. Blueberry is the predominant flavor here, but the Blue Curacao adds a bit of lemon and orange and there’s a nice hit of vodka. Use a food processor or a blender to mix the preserves and lemonade for a smooth blueberry syrup. 

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Skinny Strawberry Vodka Lemonade

Meredith Food Studios 
Skinny Strawberry Vodka Lemonade Recipe

Looking for a sweet cocktail without all the sugar? This low-carb drink is sweet and tangy with a subtle flavor of fresh strawberry. If strawberries aren’t your favorite, you could substitute any summer fruit here for a spiked light cocktail. 

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Sweet Tea-Vodka Slushee

Time Inc. Video Studio
Sweet Tea-Vodka Slushee Recipe

Say hello to the ultimate summer sipper. For this cooling, boozy concoction, we took the idea of a sweet tea and vodka on-the-rocks to the next level by blending it into a delightful adult slushee. The recipe here serves 2, but is easily multiplied to produce more cocktails for friends (you can’t sip on one of these beauties and not share). You can use store-bought sweet tea, or make your own so that you can better control the level of of sweetness. 

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Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Pops

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin
Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Pops Recipe

You’ve finally got an excuse to order those plastic ice pop sleeves from Amazon. These boozy ice pops are like a grown-up Dole Fruit and Juice bar and perfect for a hot summer night or your next backyard barbecue. 

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Salty Dog Slushes

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin
Salty Dog Slushes Recipe

The Salty Dog has no flaws, but turning it into a slush makes it the most wonderful and festive summertime cocktail ever. The bitterness, sweetness, salt, and booze come together to make a subtly sweet pink and frosty delight. You can even keep frozen grapefruit juice cubes in the freezer and whip a few drinks up to amaze friends (or yourself).  If you’d like to experiment, this would also make a mighty fine granita. 

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