By Jennifer McKee
There’s never a bad time to enjoy our favorite spirit. Why not raise a glass and celebrate the return of autumn with a new cocktail recipe or a canned vodka cocktail? There’s something for every taste below.
Pumpkin Patch
(courtesy Crystal Head Vodka)
1.5 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
1 tsp. honey
0.75 oz. coffee liqueur
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
0.75 oz.. heavy cream (optional: substitute with any non-dairy alternative)
2-3 ginger snap cookies
Crumble the ginger snap cookies and place the crumbs on a plate. Rub the rim of a rocks glass with honey. Dip your glass in cookie crumbs to coat the rim. In a shaker, combine Crystal Head Vodka, coffee liqueur and pumpkin pie spice. Shake with ice. Place ice in a rocks glass and pour contents of shaker over ice and top with heavy cream, or a non-dairy alternative of your choice.
*Pumpkin pie spice: combine equal parts ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice and ground cloves.
The Foraged Martini
(courtesy Ketel One)
2 oz. Ketel One vodka
0.50 oz. dry vermouth
0.50 oz. thyme and tarragon-infused blanc vermouth (below)
5 drops peach bitters
3 drops green Chartreuse
1 drop truffle oil, for garnish
For the herb-infused blanc vermouth, pour 750 ml. of blanc vermouth over eight sprigs of fresh thyme and an equal-sized bunch of tarragon. Muddle gently and allow to macerate for 30 minutes. Be careful not to over-infuse, as these herbs can become overpowering.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Once combined, pour into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Top cocktail with one drop of truffle oil.
Sherry Rested Maple Old Fashioned
(courtesy Bently Heritage)
2 oz. Bently Heritage Source One Vodka Rested in Sherry Casks
1 bar spoon of maple syrup
3 dashes orange bitters
Garnish: orange twist
Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass or beaker with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Squeeze orange peel over glass to express oils, and place in drink.
The Overachiever Bloody Mary
(courtesy Seagram’s Vodka)
2 oz. Seagram’s 100 Proof Vodka
1.5 oz. tomato juice
0.5 oz. lemon juice
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Garlic salt
1 tsp. Carolina-style BBQ Sauce
0.5 oz. beef broth
Cracked black pepper
Rim a highball glass with garlic salt and smoked paprika. Combine all ingredients into a glass over ice, stir with a cocktail spoon. Garnish with skewered Linguica sausage, torched peppers, a cocktail onion, olive and pickled veggies.
NEFT Love Potion #9
(courtesy NEFT vodka)
1.75 oz NEFT ultra-premium vodka
0.75 oz egg white
0.5 oz hibiscus & rose syrup
0.25 Calvados Appellation
2 dashes rose water juice from 1⁄2 lemon
Dry shake all ingredients in shaker tin and then add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coup glass over dry ice and garnish with a hibiscus flower and a chip of dry ice.
Cutwater Habanero Vodka Honeydew
(courtesy Cutwater Vodka)
2 oz. Cutwater Habanero Vodka
0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
0.75 oz. honey syrup (2 parts honey, 1 part water)
2 honeydew melon balls
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the melon balls, add ice and shake until cold. Strain over fresh ice and garnish with a lime wheel and a melon ball.
Spanish 43
(courtesy OYO Vodka)
2 oz. OYO Barrel-Finished Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka
0.5 oz. Liqueur 43 (Citrus Vanilla Liquor)
A dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sparkling wine
Mix vodka, liquor and lemon juice in a mixing tin with ice. Pour over fresh ice in a Collins style rocks glass. Top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon wheel (or flamed peel for the more adventurous).
Matcha-Tini
(courtesy Tia Maria Matcha Cream Liqueur)
40 ml Tia Maria Matcha Cream Liqueur
40 ml vodka
Create your perfect green matcha rim on half of a coupe or martini glass. Pour Tia Maria Matcha and vodka into a cocktail shaker. Top up the shaker with ice. Shake the ingredients together. Pour in the contents of the shaker using a strainer and pour into the glass.
A New Crop of Canned Cocktails
Looking for something easy-peasy? NUTRL Vodka Seltzer, made by Anheuser-Busch, just hit the market in September 2021. The gluten-free beverage is made from just three ingredients: vodka, seltzer and real fruit juice, so it’s delicious and healthy alternative to drinks with added sugar. NUTRL is currently available in three flavors: watermelon, pineapple and raspberry.
Also gluten-free and 100 percent natural, VOSA is distilled six times and made with premium-quality vodka. Its vodka and soda flavors come in cranberry and lemon. It’s a great punch-up to any drink, and also tastes great on its own.
You can now have your Moscow mule by the can as well—the ready-to-drink cocktail is now available from Russian Standard. Just put it on ice—or pour it into your favorite copper mug—and enjoy the light and refreshing beverage with notes of fresh lime and a hint of mint.
