Complex multicomponent cocktails can only be mixed by an experienced bartender. At home, it is better to prepare simpler drinks, for example, popular cocktails with vodka. This strong drink goes well with syrups, fruit and vegetable juices, cream, and various types of alcohol.
Vodka as a component for a cocktail: features and benefits
High-quality vodka is an excellent component for a cocktail. It is colorless and odorless, has a high strength, and goes well with classic components for complex alcoholic beverages. Bartenders offer a versatile cocktail formula: combining 1 part syrup or liqueur with 2 parts sour juice and 7 parts vodka. Given this ratio, you can make dozens of different cocktails for every taste.
You need high-quality alcohol for cooking. It is advisable to cool it before mixing, this procedure helps to improve the taste of even not too expensive vodka. The proportions of the components can be changed to taste, creating original variations of familiar recipes.
Simple and light vodka cocktails: step by step preparation
The most popular choice is the Screwdriver blend, which combines vodka and orange juice. You can use freshly squeezed fresh juice or juice from a bag. An important condition is good cooling of the components. The proportions of vodka and juice can be changed to taste. The "screwdriver" is served in old-fashioned flat-bottomed glasses or whiskey glasses. The finished drink is supplemented with several ice cubes and a straw.
Another popular cocktail is Bloody Mary. It is based on vodka and high-quality tomato juice. The Tabasco sauce and lemon juice add piquancy; you can decorate the cocktail with celery.
As an aperitif, it is worth serving a long drink "Vodka Sprite". The ingredients are readily available - sparkling sprite (150 ml), vodka (50 ml) and lime. Fill a tall thin-walled glass with ice cubes, pour in well-chilled vodka and add a sprite to it. Stir with a bar spoon and garnish with thin lime slices.
The spectacular Cape Coder long drink is prepared with vodka and cranberry juice. The mixture looks spectacular in photos and videos, great for summer parties. Replacing ordinary cranberry vodka will help to add an original taste nuance. Pour ice into a highball glass, pour 50 ml of vodka and 150 ml of berry juice. Stir, garnish with fresh or candied cranberries. A mandatory addition is a straw.
Those who love spicy bittersweet cocktails will surely like the honey-citrus IQ. Despite the complex taste, it is very easy to prepare the drink. In a tall glass filled with ice cubes, pour 50 ml of vodka, 20 ml of honey syrup and 150 ml of freshly squeezed or packaged grapefruit juice. Decorate the glass with thin orange slices. A sugar rim will be a good decor. Grease the edges of the glass with protein and dip in a saucer with fine sugar.
For connoisseurs of simple and strong drinks, a mixture of vodka and martini is suitable. This cocktail belongs to the category of short drinks and is drunk in one gulp as an aperitif. You will need bartender skills to prepare a drink. Ice is poured into the mixing glass, stirred until frost appears on the walls. The melted water must be drained, add 75 ml of vodka and 15 ml of dry vermouth. Stir the cocktail with a bar spoon and pour into a well chilled martini glass. The final touch is the green olive, which needs to be lowered to the bottom of the glass. There is another option called "Dirty Martini" in this case, not only olive is added to the glass, but also a little extra virgin olive oil.
Complex cocktails: step-by-step mixing
Having mastered simple drinks, it is worth starting to create more sophisticated mixtures of several components. An original version for connoisseurs of exotic is a cocktail called "Trans-Siberian Express". It can be served in highballs installed in cup holders.
Put a thin slice of fresh ginger root in a tall glass, add 2 tsp. sea buckthorn jam and muddle slightly. Pour in crushed ice, pour in 50 ml of vodka and freshly squeezed orange juice. Stir the mixture with a bar spoon, add more ice if desired. Decorate the glass with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a thin circle of orange.
The Black Russian cocktail, which is popular in bars, can be prepared at home. Vodka is complemented by coffee liqueur, the strength of the drinks is softened by sugar syrup and cream. There are a lot of calories in the cocktail, it is better to drink it as a digestif.
In an old-fashioned thick-walled glass with ice, mix 50 ml of vodka and 30 ml of coffee liqueur. Whisk 40 ml of heavy cream with 3 ml of sugar syrup in a shaker. Pour alcohol into a chilled glass without ice, add whipped cream. Sprinkle the cocktail with cocoa powder and serve with a straw. If desired, ice can be added to a ready-made cocktail, but professional bartenders assure that it will make the taste less bright.
For special occasions, the New Year or Northern Lights cocktail is perfect. The tasty mixture can quickly lead to intoxication, so drinking the cocktail on an empty stomach is not recommended. In a shaker mix 50 ml of vodka and freshly squeezed lemon juice with 1 tbsp. l. sugar syrup. You can also use granulated sugar. Pour the mixture into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Pour in 100 ml of sweet or semi-sweet champagne, stir with a bar spoon. Decorate the glass with a curl of lemon zest, serve with a cocktail straw
