What do you think when you read the word summer? We also asked this question to our team and the most common answers are also the most classic: the sun, the pool, the beach, but especially the heat... and when the temperature reaches its highest levels there is nothing better than a refreshing cocktail.
There are many cocktails that are good for the summer, but right now we will focus on summer cocktails with Vodka , ideal for lovers of this distillate which has no season.
Vodka is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, is usually consumed as a digestive or as a refresher and is one of the most important alcoholic bases of mixology because its quality of neutral distillate allows it to take on the character of what is mixed with - amplifying the taste. Not surprisingly, the word "vodka" is, in various Slavic languages, the diminutive of the term "water", presumably dictated by its crystalline appearance and clean and light taste. These characteristics make it a unique distillate, ductile and suitable for a thousand preparations: from aperitif cocktails to the most refined after dinner.
Here are the 8 cocktails with vodka, selected by NIO Cocktails, perfect for an aperitif to fight the heat
After work, admiring the first lights of the sunset, lying on a bed to listen to the waves of the sea or on the terrace to see the stars... No matter where you are, you’ll always have a good reason to enjoy a great cocktail.
Among the quenchingcocktails with vodka "dry" cocktails are certainly not to be missed, where dry means the dominant taste of the cocktail, as opposed to those with a sweeter aroma. But the NIO Cocktails team wants to satisfy every palate, so we have also included a series of cocktails based on vodka and fruit,, where the sweetness of blueberry syrup, strawberry puree and lime acidity blend perfectly with the taste of vodka. All relatively simple cocktails, made with a few ingredients and a direct taste, fresh and strong.
Let’s start with our selection ofsummer cocktails with vodka, among those present in the NIO Cocktails menu and the great classics that you can prepare at home - we like to reiterate it: we prefer to create always perfect cocktails, without perishable ingredients and chemical preservatives. That’s why some must-haves, although such, are not part of our Cocktail Revolution.
1. Espresso Martini
The unexpected wave of energy and flavor that turns aperitifs and afterdinner:Espresso Martini is a great classic vodka-based of the 80s whose recipe, reinterpreted by Patrick Pistolesi, turned the summer because incredibly fresh, tasty, energizing. Originally created by English bartenderDick Bradsell for a famous model (maybe Kate Moss, maybe Naomi Campbell: the truth has never been known) in search of a real energetic "shock", is the dream cocktail of all coffee lovers in all its declination.
The Espresso Martini recipe by NIO Cocktails comprehend:
- the Family Made Vodka Ketel One
- and the Fair coffee liqueur
2. Garden of Russia
Let’s start with a fresh and unusual version of Vodka Sour, by Patrick Pistolesi. The main ingredients of this fragrant cocktail are the flowers of elder, magic plant that blooms between March and April. The landscape in which we are catapulted at the first sip is not a typical panorama of the infamous Russian winter, but the exact moment when - after months of snow - Moscow is colored thanks to the short and intense spring flowering. Its freshness, cool as a walk in a Russian garden, makes this cocktail made of vodka and elderberry flowers perfect for spring and summer (but not only), to accompany your aperitifs and your first lunches in the open air.
Our recipe of Garden of Russia prevede:
- Vodka Ketel One (non sono riportati i dosaggi)
- Elderberry liquor Bols
- Organic Citric Acid
- Liquid Sugar
3. Vodka Sour
A refreshing mix, apparently very simple, but that hides pitfalls in its preparation. Sours are based on a very simple balance: a sweet part (usually sugar syrup), a more bitter part given by lime or lemon juice and of course a distillate that gives character to the mix. Included among the summer cocktails par excellence, Vodka Sour is perfect for those looking for a light and freschcocktail with vodka and lime
The recipe of Vodka Sour byNIO Cocktails comprehends:
- Family Made Vodka Ketel One
- Citric Acid
- Liquid sugar
With NIO Cocktails you can have it at home, already perfectly mixed. Don’t worry about anything other than ice.
4. Cosmopolitan
A contemporary classic made with Family Made Vodka Ketel One, Cointreau’s sweet-spicy orange, cranberry and lime, to add aromatic thickness. Many attribute its creation to Cheryl Cook in the 1980s. The Queen of the Martini in South Beach, Florida, wanted to give her touch to this drink, so that women would like it. Later consecrated by the American TV series Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan owes its fame not only to its new color, but also to the glass in which it is served, the Martini cup. Born to satisfy the female genre, it is now one of the most popular vodka cocktails in the world.
Our recipe of Cosmopolitan:
- Family Made Vodka Ketel One
- Cointreau
- Cranberry syrup
- Organic citric Acid
Decorate the glass with a slice of lemon and enjoy it in small sips.
5. Moscow Mule
It is a cocktail of Vodka and ginger, which has become the icon of the summer. To discover its origins, we have to go back in time, until 1941. That year, John G. Martin and Jack Morgan, two businesswomen, decided to combine Smirnoff vodka - at the time not appreciated by the Americans - and ginger beer, leading to the birth of the famous Moscow Mule.
Regarding the name, there are several theories: the first suggests that the lime recipe "kicks" like a mule in the throat of customers. The second refers to the mule engraved on the copper glasses, used to serve the cocktail. Its success is due to the ingredient that characterizes its taste, as well as the basic ingredient of ginger beer: ginger. With all its freshness, we can consider it a timeless cocktail.
The ingredients of Moscow Mule are not many and it’s ready to taste in a few time:
- Vodka
- 1 lime slice
- Ginger Beer
- Lime juice
6. Caipiroska
A fruity and delicate cocktail, as well as the ideal accompaniment for an aperitif or a summer evening with friends. The Caipiroska is nothing but the Russian variant of the Caipirinha, famous Brazilian cocktail made of cachaça, an alcoholic drink very similar to rum, obtained from the distillation of sugar cane. The ingredients and the preparation of these two cocktails are almost similar, what changes is the alcoholic base. In Caipiroska, in fact, vodka is used. Being a cocktail with vodka and fruits, it can be prepared in numerous way, depending on the fruit you prefer.
Preparing the Caipiroska is very simple, you need a few ingredients and a little dexterity:
- Vodka
- Lime
- Strawberries
- Brown Sugar
- Crushed ice
Prepare the cocktail right in the glass, in this case, better if an old fashioned one, and enjoy a great classic cocktail aperitif.
7. Long Island Ice Tea
To please everyone, we decided to include in this selection a drink with a strong and decisive character, for those who love the most robust flavors. Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to introduce Mr Long Island. Originally from the 70s and served for the first time in a small town on the island of Long Island - in the State of New York, the Long Island is a an Ice Tea Vodka cocktail , so called because of the appearance of the cocktail. In fact, the correct mixing of the ingredients and the final top of cola determine the color of the cocktail, which is very similar to that of ice tea.
The original recipe of Long Island Ice Tea comprehends:
- Vodka
- White Rum
- Triple sec
- Tequila
- Gin
- Lemon Juice
- Sugar syrup
- Cola
Once you have learned how to prepare this cocktail, you can try its many variations: for example, the Long Beach Tea, where the cola is replaced with blueberry juice. If you want to make a Miami Iced Tea, you have to add, in addition to cranberry juice, peach schnapps. Finally, if you prefer an even more alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea, we suggest adding 1.5 cl of bourbon to the original recipe, to create a further variant, known as Texas Tea.
8. Vodka Tonic
Last but not least, his Majesty Vodka Tonic. It’s a refreshing and fresh vodka cocktail with its bitter, dry and sour taste that makes it perfect for fighting the suffocating summer days. When you don’t know what to choose, Vodka Tonic is one of the few certainties in life: he is always there and is ready to "comfort you", especially when the day has been long and tiring. Legend has it that the balance between vodka and tonic water depends on the stress level of the day.
Therecipe of Vodka Tonic is very simple:
- Vodka
- Tonic
- Lemon slice
- Ice cube
The clssy touch is given by the lemon, a slice to garnish the glass and a slice squeezed inside the cocktail, to give it a citrus note. Fill a tumbler with ice and add vodka and tonic. Voilà, it’s ready. It’s simple, right?
If you do not know how to prepare a cocktail, NO PANIC: NIO Cocktails is ready to come to your rescue. Do you want to make a good impression with friends? Do not run the risk of missing the dosages, visit the rest of the site and choose the summer cocktails with vodka in the catalog of NIO Cocktails. You prepare the ice, NIO will take care of the rest.
Build your box with Vodka Cocktails by NIO and... Cheers!