The Amazing Versatility of Vanilla Vodka Cocktails

Vanilla vodka has become a beloved choice for enthusiasts who appreciate vodka beverages with a unique taste and a dependable quality. The introduction of flavored varieties marked the beginning of a new era for vodka cocktails in the 1980s. The excitement around these drinks has not diminished, and nowadays, cocktails made with vanilla vodka are consistently popular at bars, nightclubs, and dining establishments that offer a wide selection of drinks.

The vanilla flavor has always been a strong one, regularly used in desserts and for accents for food. In fact, vanilla is so powerful, it’s even advised to be put in paint to cancel out the typical chemical smell from a fresh can application on walls. However, for a cocktail, things are a bit more on the taste side versus smell.

Interestingly, vodka vanilla cocktails open up a portfolio of possibilities, many of them being the results of bartender creativity with flavored vodka matches to other ingredients as well. Here are some of the more popular choices available at discriminating bars with an extended inventory of supplies:

• The Vanilla Cardamom – A classic screwdriver vodka drink, this version is mixed with both a vanilla flavoring as well as cardamom, which zips up the taste of the screwdriver tremendously. The result is a drink that makes a plain vodka shot boring after the fact. Of course, it needs to be had with very fresh orange juice. Carton juice or similar just won’t have the same bang to the taste buds as one with freshly-squeezed juice.
• A Vanilla-Berry Flavored Summer Spritz – This cocktail choice is ideal for hot days and relaxing on a porch in the afternoon or cooling down in the evening with the sunset before the night kicks in with the darkness. With a packed assortment of berries exploding in the drink, the vanilla and fruit flavors aggressively complement each other in the drink, as well as being combined with club soda for a carbonated effect.
• The Vanilla Baileys Vodka Martini – As the name indicates, this drink is a mixture of creamy Baileys along with the strong presence of a vanilla-flavored vodka. It doesn’t need much else. The two alone are already a combination. However, the drink also adds almond liqueur into the mix as well. It’s definitely not a drink to mix with others.
• The Vodka Horchata, Vanilla Style – Not automatically a well-known choice in the U.S., horchata is a regular drink in Latin America. When the rice and cinnamon drink is combined with vanilla vodka, it produces a frothy, thick drink regularly enjoyed by sipping and chilled on ice.
• The Vanilla French Martini – The only difference between the regular French Martini and this drink is that the vodka chosen is vanilla-flavored right from the start. That said, the combination of additional raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice really gives this drink a circus of flavors in a martini glass.
• A Sunset Kiss – Matching the sweetness of cherry flavor and vanilla vodka, this one is definitely an explosion of taste in a drink. The specific tartness that comes from the cherry stands out against the vanilla vodka, but it also bounces off of the citrus effect of orange liqueur in the mix as well. A dulling effect is actually provided by the ice. The drink is shaken with a cooled down.

There are plenty of more choices, which only testifies to the versatility of vanilla vodka and how much it can be used for different drink creations. There’s never a dull moment, as the saying goes.