Today’s continuing cocktail renaissance, a phrase that has been used ad infinitum but still captures the zeitgeist, is an ever-evolving creature, particularly with regard to perceptions about vodka.
The golden age of the cocktail, lasting from the mid-1800s to early 1900s, was notably vodka-less. Spirits were bold and flavorful, whether spicy rye whiskey or juniper-forward gin. When the modern cocktail revolution began, bartenders looked to the pre-Prohibition cocktails of the golden age and turned up their noses at vodka since it was not used in the classic cocktail canon. Now, mixologists are rediscovering vodka’s merits.
Indeed, Cheech Kinsway, the director of Operations at the Market Bar in Dublin, Ohio, believes that “bartenders feel more equipped to use vodka when mixing as a versatile tool, a blank slate to carry more untouched flavors, and less as a shameful crutch for lack of creativity.”
Until the 1940s, vodka was unheard of in the United States. In fact, it was primarily relegated to its countries of origin, such as Russia, Poland, and Sweden, or exported from those countries to parts of Europe. In those countries, it was sipped straight – putting it in a cocktail was unheard of.
In the States, that all changed in 1934 when Rudolph Kunett bought the rights to, and the distillation techniques used for Smirnov (later spelled Smirnoff) vodka and opened a distillery on United States soil. In 1939, the Heublein company bought Kunett’s flailing enterprise, emphasizing vodka’s lack of flavor, smell, and color. It was a nondescript base, adding an alcoholic boost without any alcoholic flavor. Hello, three-martini lunch. By the 1940s, the Moscow Mule, a simple blend of vodka, ginger ale, and lime, was invented. With its eye-catching copper mug and mild flavor, it quickly became America’s boozy sweetheart.
While the vodkas that followed Smirnoff echoed the flavorless profile, the ones of recent decades have changed that perception and, in turn, how vodka is used.
Executive Mixologist Kevin Goodman of Hard Truth Distilling Co. in Nashville thinks that much of the bar industry’s avoidance of vodka changed because “the focus shifted from historical authenticity to a more culinary approach, emphasizing fresh ingredients, balanced flavors, and creative techniques.” Goodman sees the spirit as “an ideal canvas—it’s an excellent carrier of flavors … without competing with them, fortifying a drink without overshadowing its other components.”
He finds this particularly true with some of the sweet vodka drinks popularized in the 1980s and 1990s, such as the Lemon Drop, Cosmopolitan, and the ubiquitous Espresso Martini, which are defined by the non-spirit flavors, not the base spirit.
At Bar Bota in the Four Seasons Hotel Osaka, Bar Manager Andrei Marcu thinks that vodka’s current appeal has happened because “the industry grew up." "We’re not in that rebellious phase anymore, we’ve moved past the ‘vodka is boring’ narrative," he says. "Also, producers have stepped up. There are more vodkas on the market now with real texture, terroir, or craft behind them.”
Guests too play a role in the way vodka is perceived. Bartender Nicholas George DiCristina at Morgan Manufacturing in Chicago sees vodka’s new place as a natural development. “As we all grow, [our] taste buds change with time and soon we expand our world and enjoy the variety of products this world has to offer one cocktail and/or meal at a time,” he says.
Vodka can absolutely play a role in that journey when used in inventive and delicious ways.
Guests have also influenced the way bartenders approach their craft. Kinsway sees a shift in drinking habits whether it is mindful drinking or low-ABV preferences. Bartenders “had to get creative about how to serve spirits,” she says, “in a wider variety of ways to appease a wider variety of guests.”
Shavinraj Gopinath, beverage manager the Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort in Turkey has seen this trend as well, noting that “we are living in a world where people want to drink but are more calorie conscious.” He mentions that a drink called the Skinny Bitch, for all intents a vodka soda, has “become so common now for people who wanna be so-called drinking healthily.”
Because of the inherent differences between brands, the ways that bartenders can use vodka are far more varied and creative than ever before. Kinsway views these differences as key to how you choose and use your spirit. “Some have more minerality, or are crisper, or more peppery, or sweeter, especially depending on what they are made out of,” she notes. As an example, Kinsway explains that were she to make a “a sweeter, fruitier drink”, she would avoid a sweet vodka, such as one made from apples.
Just like Kinsway considers the vodka’s base, Marcu looks for similar nuances. “Wheat-based vodkas tend to be a little rounder,” he explains, “potato ones can have more body, and rice-based vodkas often have a softness that’s really elegant. Mouthfeel is where you see the biggest difference.”
At Bar Bota, Marcu often employs local vodkas, such as those that are shochu or rice-based, because of their unique profile and “sense of place.” For him, these Japanese styles, so different from American or European brands, are “subtle, but not simple. they add a kind of soft structure to drinks, and they pair beautifully with delicate ingredients.”
Depending on the vodka’s profile, Marcu uses terms like “sharp and linear” or “silky and plush.” The vodka's characteristics can vastly change “how a drink lands on the palate” in his opinion. He uses fuller-textured vodkas for stirred drinks and “cleaner” styles for drinks that are “bright and long.” Kinsway agrees with Marcu’s observation that the choice of vodka affects the drink’s success, noting that “subtle differences build cohesion and flavor harmonies in your final cocktail that are noticed.”
From a practical perspective, DiCristina views vodka as “an original base spirit.” He’s correct in this assumption because, even with subtle variations, vodka is far more neutral than other spirits. DiCristina has noticed that “no one enjoys plain old vodka these days, especially the younger generations.” His solution is to make sure that the spirit he uses is “spruced up or infused with something botanical or sweet.”
Goodman follows a similar philosophy, employing vodka “either to emphasize other ingredients or to remain subtly in the background.” With his Cold Brew Coffee Martini, he looks for a vodka that will “fortify the drink without overpowering the cold brew, so we look for one that has a smooth, silky mouthfeel.” With his dry vodka martini, “where every nuance is on display,” he chooses the vodka with care as a low-quality, unremarkable vodka would destroy the entire point of the cocktail.
When people first became enamored with vodka, it was because of its neutrality. This was seen in a pejorative light for decades, especially when the early craft cocktail movement vehemently eschewed vodka as it wasn’t used in any of the classic recipes. Today, bartenders have left behind that preciousness and reverence of what defines a successful drink, more eager to play with flavors than imitate the past. Likewise, in the wake of the craft spirits movement, modern vodkas fight this neutral image by emphasizing the distinguishing characteristics that come from grain choice, water source, distillation choices, and filtering techniques.
As with other spirits, different vodkas now complement different drinks, whether used as a basic ingredient or infused with other flavors. Vodka has become a workhorse because of its malleability. Marcu sums up this shift in perception succinctly, saying, “We’re no longer trying to prove a point, we’re just trying to make great drinks, and vodka can absolutely have a place in that. It’s less about showing off what vodka isn’t, and more about appreciating what it is—clean, precise, and sometimes exactly what a drink needs.”
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