Top 5 Vodka Summer Cocktail Recipes That Will Leave You Breathless
Mick Jagger once said that “there is no absolutes in life, only vodka.” While all may not agree to this, but there is no escape from the fact that its crisp flavor is a natural match for rejuvenating summer cocktails.
1. Moscow Mule
Vodka happens to be the most significant single spirit when considering today’s back bars. However, it was a different story in the 1940s. It is said that in the year 1941, in a bid to promote the contemporary exotic Russian spirit, the (then proprietors of Smirnoff vodka) executives from Heublein joined hands with the proprietor of Cock and Bull Tavern in Hollywood for the purpose of creating this magical drink; made of ginger beer, vodka, and lemon juice and served on top of ice in copper mug. The Moscow Mule became a rage among the movie-going crowd in Los Angeles and also worldwide and successfully positioned itself among the most popular drinks in the history of liquor. Though its fame was short-lived, it introduced many drinkers to the enticing world of vodka.
Ingredients
- One lemon half
- Four to six ounces of chilled ginger beer
- Two ounces of vodka
Directions
Add fresh lemon juice into a copper mug or a Collins glass and drop the lemon shell. Fill the glass with ice and pour vodka. Add chilled ginger beer on top to taste.
2. (Grapefruit LaCroix with Vodka-Cucumber Cocktail) Pamplemousse Cooler
This drink has a subtle vegetal flavor because of the muddled cucumber and was crafted by Christopher Longoria (San Francisco) in the year 1760. It is characterized by a light sweet taste contributed by the elderflower liqueur. LaCroix is the fastest growing brand in the category of unsweetened sparkling waters and has an impeccable reputation of thirty-five years.
Ingredients
- Five slices of peeled cucumber, each measuring half an inch
- A quarter ounce of simple syrup
- Half an ounce of lime juice
- One and a quarter ounce of vodka
- One and a half ounce of sparkling water (LaCroix Pamplemousse)
- Half ounce of elderflower liqueur like Saint Germain
- Lime wedge and a cucumber slice for garnish
Directions
Add cucumber, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker and keep mixing until the cucumber is broken. Add elderflower liqueur and vodka and fill the shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for about fifteen seconds and until well-chilled. Pour sparkling water on top and fine-strain the mixture into a rocks glass pre-filled with ice. Garnish and serve the cocktail immediately.
Special Equipment
- Muddler
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Cocktail strainer and shaker
Additional Notes for Preparing Simple Syrup
Add a cup of sugar in one cup of water in a small pan and set the flame to medium. Keep stirring this mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved and let it be cool. The simple syrup can be preserved in the refrigerator for as much as five days if kept in a sealed container.
3. Fizzy Ginger Cocktail with Pickled Watermelon Rind
This somewhat spicy and crisp drink is made with dry vermouth, bubbly Prosecco, and ginger-infused vodka. What complements the cocktail is the garnish, i.e., watermelon rind suspended in a spicy-sweet brine flavored with clove, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns.
Ingredients
Pickled watermelon rind
- One small watermelon, weighing around four pounds
- A cup of granulated sugar
- One and a half cup of apple cider vinegar
- A cup of water
- A cinnamon stick measuring four-inch and broken in half
- Four tablespoonfuls of kosher salt
- A teaspoonful of whole black peppercorns
- A half teaspoonful of red chili pepper flakes
- A bay leaf
- A teaspoonful of whole coriander seeds
- A pair of whole cloves
Ginger-Infused Vodka
- Two cups of vodka
- A cup of peeled ginger root and chopped half-an-inch thick
Each Cocktail
- One and a half ounce of ginger-infused vodka
- Three ounces of chilled Prosecco
- A quarter ounce of dry vermouth like Dolin
4. Pickled Watermelon Rind
De-skin the external green layer of a watermelon with the help of a peeler and throw it away. Slice the rind into one-inch cubes and set aside the pink flesh for future use. Add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cloves, chili pepper flakes and coriander seeds in a medium-shaped pan and boil. Add the watermelon rind and keep boiling for another ten minutes while stirring infrequently. Remove from flame and put a heatproof plate above the rind for keeping it submerged and let the mixture rise to the room temperature. After it has cooled down totally, transfer the entire mixture in an air-tight container, and keep it inside the refrigerator for a minimum of two days and a maximum of a fortnight.
Ginger-Infused Vodka
Mix ginger and vodka in an air-tight container. Put it in a dark and cool place for five days, or as per one’s desired level of spiciness, though not more than a fortnight. Strain the mixture into one air-tight container and preserve it at room temperature and as long as six months.
Each Cocktail
Blend vermouth and ginger-infused vodka in the mixing glass and fill two-thirds of it with ice. Keep stirring until it becomes well-chilled and for about twenty seconds. Strain the mixture into a coupe or one small wine glass. Pour Prosecco on top of it and place the pickled watermelon rind for garnish.
5. Great Gatsby
This drink can be traced back to Matt Gilpin from the Highlands Bar and Grill, and it is indeed a cocktail with a light-bodied profile.
Ingredients
- One ounce of vodka
- Two and a half ounce of grapefruit juice
- One ounce of Lillet Blanc
Directions
Fill the mixing glass halfway with some ice. Add Lillet Blanc, vodka, and grapefruit juice and keep stirring until it becomes cold. Strain the mixture into a glass pre-filled with ice and place orange slice for garnish.
Special Equipment
Cocktail strainer and mixing glass