Vodka Cocktail
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 24.6% ABV ∙
The Vodka Cocktail is a shaken vodka sour brightened with cherry liqueur, fresh lemon, and a dash of aromatic bitters, served up in a coupe. Tart lemon meets sweet cherry over a clean vodka backbone, with a faint bitters spice on the finish — a poised, sippable pre-dinner or party drink.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Vodka 60 mlCherry liqueur 25 mlLemon juice 15 mlAbbott's bitters 2 dashesSaline solution 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Shake hard with cubed ice for about 12 seconds — the fresh lemon needs aeration and a good chill to open up.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe to keep pulp and ice shards out of a clean, up serve.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not bottled; the drink is short on sweetener, so bright acidity carries it.
- Balance the cherry liqueur against the lemon by tasting before straining — adjust a few drops if it skews too tart or too sweet.
History
The Vodka Cocktail is a modern vodka sour with no documented creator or origin date; it pairs vodka with cherry liqueur, lemon juice, and aromatic bitters. Its base spirit reflects vodka's mid-20th-century rise — from a spirit traditionally drunk neat in Eastern Europe to a mainstay cocktail base in the West, a shift driven largely by post-war marketing — rather than any origin story of its own.
FAQ
What is a Vodka Cocktail made of?
This Vodka Cocktail combines vodka, cherry liqueur, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, with a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters. It is shaken and strained into a coupe, then garnished with a maraschino cherry. The cherry liqueur supplies the sweetness, so no separate sugar syrup is needed.
Is a Vodka Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Shaken. Because it contains fresh lemon juice, the drink is shaken hard with ice to chill, dilute, and aerate it, then strained into a coupe. Stirring is reserved for all-spirit drinks; anything with citrus is shaken.
What glass is a Vodka Cocktail served in?
A coupe glass, served up without ice, and finished with a maraschino cherry. Chilling the coupe beforehand keeps the drink cold longer, since there is no ice in the glass to maintain the temperature.
What is the most classic vodka cocktail?
The Martini and the Moscow Mule are among the most classic vodka cocktails, alongside the Bloody Mary and the Cosmopolitan. This lemon-and-cherry Vodka Cocktail sits in the vodka sour family, where vodka is balanced by citrus and a sweet liqueur rather than mixers.
What is an easy vodka cocktail to make at home?
For a simple build, a Moscow Mule or a vodka soda takes just vodka and a mixer over ice. This shaken Vodka Cocktail is only slightly more involved: vodka, cherry liqueur, and lemon juice shaken with bitters and strained into a coupe.
