28 vodka cocktails

Check out the best vodkas to try, then explore the best UK gins, citrus gins and savoury gins.

Mix up cocktails in style with our picks of the best cocktail shakers to buy.

28 vodka cocktail recipes

Espresso martini

We love espresso martinis! One of the coolest cocktails around, this punchy little number blends hot espresso and vodka for ultimate effect.

Sex on the beach

Mix vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice to make everyone’s favourite cocktail.

Purple rain

To make this eye-catching cocktail, vodka is mixed with blue curaçao, lime juice, grenadine and lemonade, then garnished with a lime wedge.

Woo woo

Vodka is mixed with peach schnapps, cranberry juice and lime juice in this incredibly easy cocktail.

Beetroot vodka martini

A riff on a dirty vodka martini – this instead uses the juice from a jar of pickled beetroots, which gives a lovely pink colour and sweet, earthy balance.

Blue lagoon

Who can resist this retro blue drink? Make this eye-catching vodka cocktail at your next get-together.

French martini

Check out our French martini featuring a simple, fragrant blend of vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice. It’s a cocktail with all the vigour of the original but with a satisfying fruity twist.

Harvey wallbanger

A vibrant and classic brunch-worthy cocktail that's a great alternative to other orange juice based cocktails, like buck's fizz. It's easily scaled from 1-100.

PX espresso martini

Swap traditional coffee liqueur for festive pedro ximénez sherry in this classic cocktail – it adds lovely notes of raisins.

White russian

Vodka, coffee liqueur and cream is all it takes to make this smooth, classic cocktail. Serve in an old fashioned glass, to be really authentic.

Passion fruit martini

Add both sharpness and sweetness to your next martini with fresh passion fruit and lime juice. Vanilla vodka, if you have it, works well in this recipe.

Vesper martini

This martini recipe shakes vodka with gin and Lillet Blanc, a wine-based aperitif from France. Don't forget the twist of lemon for a refreshing citrus hit.

Cosmopolitan

Make like Carrie Bradshaw and fix yourself a cosmo this evening. You only need four ingredients, plus a little orange peel to garnish.

Seabreeze cocktail

You'll need cranberry vodka, two types of sherry and grapefruit juice for this refreshing cocktail from Manzi's seafood restaurant in Soho.

Baileys cocktail

For a vodka-based cocktail that’s as comforting as it is luxurious, try this Baileys recipe featuring coffee liqueur and double cream.

Black russian

Make this classic dark cocktail with vodka and coffee liqueur. Serve in an old fashioned glass with ice for an elegant after-dinner drink with a caffeine kick.

Blood orange sgroppino

Sweet and boozy, this twist on a traditional Venetian cocktail of lemon sorbet and prosecco uses blood oranges to give an extra boost of colour and flavour and vodka for a boozy hit.

Limoncello and thyme collins

Making your own limoncello is surprisingly easy. Take it, as a gift, to a BBQ, use it in ice lollies, or knock-up this easy twist on a collins.

Kombucha mule

Raw, fermented tea may not sound particularly appealing, but that’s exactly what kombucha is and it works really well in cocktails like this easy kombucha mule.

Bloody mary

Our recipe for this classic cocktail combines vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, port and sherry with a few dashes of Tabasco to turn up the heat. Garnish with a celery stick and some tomatoes and olives to serve.

Cocchi jasmine tea spritz

Delicate jasmine tea, sweet peach purée and bitter Cocchi Americano vermouth comes together with vodka and harmonises in this refreshing summery cocktail.

Vodka martinis with elderflower and lemon

Decorate this elegant cocktail with white elderflowers if you have an elder bush near you. This recipe serves one, but can easily be multiplied if you've got friends coming over.

Tomatini

Yes, this is a vodka and tomato cocktail but not as you know it. Far from the sometimes-soupy bloody mary, the tomatini is a fresh, zingy pick-me-up with a delicious savoury note that’s perfect for sunshine sipping any time of the day.

Blackberry vodka

What better way to make use of a glut of blackberries than to make blackberry vodka? You can experiment with different amounts of sugar but blackberries are quite tart so a little helps bring out the berry flavours.

Bitter orange and cardamom martinis

Martinis are one of our favourite mixed alcoholic drinks. We've added marmalade and lemon juice to this cocktail recipe for for an extra kick of flavour. Enjoy!

Vodka martini

Vodka is mixed with dry vermouth in this classic punchy cocktail, served with an optional smoked eel gilda garnish to elevate.

Summer berry fizz

Fruit and fizz makes for a fantastic summer entertaining cocktail. This is delicious if you make your own berry vodka but is still good if you buy ready-made.

Basil grapefruit cooler

If you are having a party it's good to have a recipe for an easy cocktail you can make in a jug for a crowd. This one has a base of vodka and chilled grapefruit juice then is finished with fresh basil leaves

Kiwi fruit collins

A fruity vodka-based cocktail invented by cocktail guru Douglas Ankrah that looks amazing with its green Christmas hue. Make sure you’ve got lots of crushed ice ready to go before you start making them