Liqueurs That Fabulously Pair With Vodka And Its Many Cocktails
For any occasion or event, vodka stands to be the liquor for all seasons. With its neutral taste and smell, it can be used to create multitudes of drinks. Its versatility helps it to pair with diverse palates and can accompany foods of various flavour profiles. You can make a two-ingredient drink or an elaborately concocted cocktail out of vodka. You just need to know how to balance the taste of the drink.
Vodka and liqueur go together famously. Below is a list of liqueurs that pair with vodka as well as with cocktails made with them. Let's go on a delicious ride.
Coffee Liqueur
A perfect combination of coffee and alcohol, this drink provides a boost of caffeine. It is filled with flavours of espresso and roasted chocolate. Sometimes it may even have a few herbal notes and a bit of sweetness. It is famously known for being used to make classic cocktails Black Russian and White Russian.
Black Russian
Ingredients
50 ml vodka
25 ml coffee liqueur
Ice
1 maraschino cherry
Method
Combine the vodka and the coffee liqueur into a tumbler filled with ice and stir gently for 30 seconds to one minute. Top it with cherry. Serve immediately. serving.
White Russian
Ingredients
60 ml vodka
2 tbsp coffee liqueur
1 tbsp cream
Method
Muddle together the ingredients. Grab a tumbler and add ice to it. Pour the drink on top of the ice.
You make other cocktails such as Espresso Martini where cold espresso is used as one of the ingredients, or Pumpkin Spice Lebowski where pumpkin pie spice is the ingredient that adds the key flavour.
Ginger Liqueur
An out-of-the-ordinary kind of liqueur, it has helped create many distinct and flavourful cocktails. Ginger liquor is pleasantly spicy. It is delectable when served alone and when used to add strong characteristic to the cocktail. It goes well not only with a liquor like vodka but also with creams and desserts. Below are a few cocktails that use vodka and Ginger Liqueur.
Ginger Cosmo
Ingredients
45 ml vodka
15 ml ginger liqueur
10 ml ginger syrup
30 ml sweetened cranberry juice
15 ml lime juice
2 drops ginger bitters
Method
Take a shaker and add the ingredients and ice and shake them. Strain the drink into a glass for serving.
Ginger Martini
Ingredients
37ml vodka,
37ml ginger liqueur
Squeeze of lemon juice
Lemon twist
Method
Add all ingredients except the lemon twist in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain the drink into a glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Orange Liqueur
Orange liqueur is called the 'unsung hero' of all classic cocktails. This sweet, orange-flavoured, clear liqueur infuses a citrus punch to the drink. It also has characteristics of spice, smokiness and earthiness that other spirits have. Below are a few cocktails that use this liqueur and vodka.
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
45 ml lemon vodka
15 ml triple sec
30 ml cranberry juice
10 ml lime juice
Ice
Orange zest
Method
Shake all the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. For the garnish, use 3 cm round piece of orange zest 10 cm above the drink. Carefully wave it over a flame. Bend the outer edge of the zest towards the flame. This helps in releasing the oils. Following this, add the zest into the drink.
Classic Margarita
Ingredients
Ice
50 ml tequila reposado
25 ml lime juice
20 ml triple sec
For the garnish
Salt
2 lime wedges
Method
Get your tumbler ready before making the drink. Scatter a few teaspoons of salt on the surface of a small plate. Rub each of the lime wedges along the rim of the tumbler and then dip it into the salt. Make sure the entire rim is covered. Now add ice, tequila, lime juice and triple sec in a shaker. Jiggle it until the surface feels cold. Strain the drink into the tumbler over fresh ice. Serve with a wedge of lime.
