The spirit that has the ability to make any beverage alcoholic. Whether it be from Poland, Russia or even Washington State, vodka is one of the most imbibed liquors out there. Easy to make, devoid of substantial flavors (unless imparted on purpose), it keeps new distilleries afloat while they work on whiskey, lends itself well to mixing and infusions, and has kept many a college girl tipsy for all four years.

If you are a straight-up-martini-shaken-not-stirred type, well…. the following recipes might not be for you. Sure, there are an infinite number of cocktails out there that you can make with vodka, but we are partial to the classics (and prefer gin martini’s with vermouth, thank you).

However you choose to celebrate today, please drink quality vodka. We are of the mind that bad vodka is one of the worst hangover inducing products out there, slightly behind pink (not rosé) champagne and anything labeled “schnapps”. We are just looking out for you.

Want more history on vodka? Look here, under vodka of course.

Moscow Mule
A happy accident of surplus Cock’n Bull ginger beer and Smirnoff vodka by a couple of guys in L.A. in the ’40′s.

1 ½ oz vodka
¾ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
Ginger Beer

Build in copper mug (or whatever glass you wish). Top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wheel.

Cosmopolitan
Sure, it’s been beaten to death by soccer-moms-gone-wild and Sex and the City, but this is actually a great cocktail when made properly. Origins are fuzzy, just like Auntie will be after a few of these.

1 ½ oz vodka
¾ oz triple sec
2 oz cranberry juice
juice of half a lime

Shake over ice in shaker, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

South Side
Created in the early 1920′s to cover up the bad taste of bootleg gin by the South Side Mob in Chicago. We suppose it could be used to cover up bad vodka too….

1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
2 mint sprigs
1 ½ oz vodka (rum or gin can also be used)

Gently muddle the mint with the sugar and the lemon juice, shake everything with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

vodka