10 Vodka Cocktails Around The World You Need To Try, According To The Pros

There are plenty of things that bring us together as a community of humans, whether it be books, music, or movies. And for those of us who like to partake in a tipple, cocktails are undoubtedly a part of the list, too. There's something romantic about cocktail culture on a global scale — while you're sipping on your favorite cocktail, someone thousands of miles away in another country could be sipping on that exact same drink. When talking about spirited global connections, vodka tends to have the biggest global calling. Why vodka, you ask? As a neutral spirit that does its best work when supported by other ingredients, vodka can be enhanced by any number of flavors, regardless of where they come from.

We spoke to several vodka experts: Claire Mallett of Catch One LA, Mark Simmonds of Broken Shed Vodka, Jennifer Jackson of Thompson Hotels, Ross Hensley of Aspen Vodka, and Sean Kenyon of Blue Collar Cocktails, to get their insight on the vodka cocktails that are loved and often ordered around the world. Plus, these are drinks that, if you haven't tried them already, you simply must. Near and far, cocktail enthusiasts and creators may draw inspiration from any number of flavors and cultures, but they can agree on one thing: Vodka is a blank canvas on which they can be creative and inventive with ingredients, creating cocktails that defy expectations, as well as borders.

The classic gimlet cocktail, made traditionally with four parts gin and one part sweetened lime juice, is rich in English history to be sure, but in the most simplest of terms, it's a way to show off a good base spirit. If you're working with a really good gin, your gimlet is guaranteed to be a show-stopper. So why not swap out the gin with a really good vodka instead and show it the same love?

Mark Simmonds, master distiller for Broken Shed Vodka, has seen the gimlet grow in popularity around the world, but with vodka instead of gin. "With vodka finding a new appreciation, as people begin to appreciate the subtle richness of good premium vodkas, it's on point to pimp out the ol' school gin to a vodka gimlet." Simmonds sees this as a way to appreciate good vodka in a sophisticated fashion, and with so many vodkas made in countries around the world, it's no surprise that it's become such a global favorite.

Most people know the kamikaze as a shooter; made with vodka, lime juice, and orange liqueur, it's a sweet and sour shot best enjoyed with a group of friends and followed up with a loud "Woo!" afterward. However, if you were to remove the reputation from this drink, it's actually a fairly straightforward sour cocktail and not so different from a margarita, only with vodka instead of tequila. 

Invented on an American naval base in Japan during World War II, this cocktail has gained global popularity not just in shooter form but as a proper cocktail any time of year. For maximum enjoyment, Mark Simmonds suggests building it like a martini, with the vodka being the primary spirit, the orange liqueur acting like the vermouth, and the lime juice as an extra squeeze of sour to taste at the end.

Vodka may be a big deal in the U.S. now as we all lovingly sip on our vodka martinis and question how we could have lived before this, but according to Claire Mallett, beverage director at Catch One, it took about two decades for vodka to gain any traction in America after its initial introduction in the 1930s. It was James Bond and his "shaken, not stirred" martinis that made Americans notice this spirit, but all over Europe, primarily in Russia and Poland, vodka had always been the spirit of choice and continues to be so today. "We are currently living in the time of the martini," said Mallett. "Enjoyed for its simplicity on the palate and the ease of play in cocktails, the only thing vodka asks for is to be chilled."

And so, the dirty martini is the perfect representation of this European simplicity. A glass rinse of dry vermouth, followed by 3 ounces of vodka and ½ ounce of olive juice, and you've got a cocktail that shows off the best that a quality vodka has to offer. To really achieve that ideal temperature of ice cold, Mallett recommends shaking the martini until ice chips appear on the top of the drink when it's strained into the glass.

Named for the Festival of Dogs in India, the Kukur Tihar cocktail is a beautiful representation of the flavors of India and the entire South Asia region, which is why Claire Mallett is such a fan of this Indian-inspired tipple. Made with vodka, olive juice, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit soda, the cocktail is inspired by a Greyhound and a Salty Dog, with the addition of Indian spice by way of cardamom bitters for added flavor and flair. 

As cocktail lovers become more adventurous with the flavors and textures in their drinks, the Kukur Tihar is a great example of how palates are expanding on a global scale, letting bold, aromatic flavors and spices stand front and center. In this cocktail, a neutral spirit like vodka is the perfect base spirit, allowing the savory and sour flavors in the drink to shine. One sip, and you're immediately transported to the busy streets of Mumbai, the aromas of citrus and savory herbs filling the air.

While the espresso martini continues to hold down the fort when it comes to tried and true classics in and around the United States, it is, according to Claire Mallett, Australia's "self-confessed favorite cocktail." This love for the coffee-centric cocktail should come as no surprise, as Melbourne is known for its impressive, some may even call it magic, coffee culture — you could spend an entire weekend touring the city simply by going to one coffee house after another if you were so inclined. 

While the espresso martini originated in the late 1980s in London, the Aussie version injects its most popular coffee liqueur, Mt. Black Coffee Liqueur, to make this a truly local representation of a global favorite. Additionally, the Aussie version swaps out the simple syrup entirely by using vanilla vodka and coconut rum for a silkier, rounder sweetness, and using real espresso in addition to the coffee liqueur for a deeper, richer coffee flavor.

The Scottish have gotten so many things right: the Scotch egg, haggis (it's not for everyone, but it's certainly for this savory-loving writer), and Scotch whisky in general. According to Claire Mallett, with the absence of vermouth in the U.K. during World War II, the British Isles used Scotch instead of vermouth when making martinis, and the swap never really went out of style, resulting in the Scottish Pete's martini. A strong, peaty Scotch (Mallett recommends Laphroaig for this one) is used as a floater after vodka and olive juice have been shaken and strained into a martini glass, adding in just the right amount of complexity and depth that usually comes from the vermouth, without overpowering the vodka. 

Not only is this a popular cocktail among martini drinkers across the pond, but it has managed to attract those strictly Scotch drinkers as well with that peaty Scotch floater. Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary and a spear of olives, blue cheese-stuffed ones if you've got them.

The cosmopolitan is undoubtedly a classic cocktail in and around the U.S. What started as a marketing campaign in the 1960s to try and increase sales of Ocean Spray cranberry juice, according to Jennifer Jackson, beverage enterprise manager at Thompson Restaurants, the cocktail made with vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, hit all the right notes in the glass to become an absolute hit around the country. Dale DeGroff, aka "King of the Cocktail," also made the drink wildly popular at the Rainbow Room, an iconic New York City cocktail institution.

But what about its popularity outside the U.S.? That, friends, is due to none other than the show "Sex and the City." The show itself gained global traction once it was made available to stream in other countries via Netflix and HBO Max. As the cocktail of choice for one Carrie Bradshaw, the cosmopolitan's popularity picked up as the drink of a beautiful, successful journalist in New York City partying and living life with her beautiful, successful friends (I could argue for days about the believability of a journalist with a weekly column in a local paper living in a junior one bedroom on the Upper East Side, but I digress). No matter where in the world you are, and even if it's not on the regular cocktail menu, any bartender worth their weight in olives will be able to mix up a cosmopolitan for you, no questions asked.

Any dedicated weekend brunch devotee will tell you that a brunch isn't complete without an accompanying cocktail, and more often than not, that cocktail is a bloody mary. Iterations abound, but the classic bloody mary recipe uses vodka as the base spirit and then a spicy, savory tomato juice concoction with a celery stalk and olive garnish. While you'll be hard-pressed to find a brunch menu in the U.S. without a bloody mary as the star of the brunch cocktail list, this drink actually originated in Paris at Harry's New York Bar, and was first mixed up by one Fernand Petiot. 

According to Ross Hensley, global brand ambassador for Aspen Vodka, it gained fame when Petiot moved to New York City and put the drink on the menu at the St. Regis King Cole Bar. As a result of putting local versions of the bloody mary on St. Regis cocktail menus worldwide, the cocktail has extended its reach beyond the confines of America and into the hearts of brunch-goers around the globe.

The vesper martini is a real best-of-both-worlds cocktail situation: Three parts gin with one part vodka and ½ part of Lillet Blanc or dry vermouth, and you've got an impressive melange of flavors happening all in one glass. 

According to Ross Hensley, the global popularity of the vesper martini is a result of none other than the very smooth, very thirsty James Bond 007, who ordered the drink in the movie "Casino Royale." The only difference between Bond's order and the one we all sip on today is Bond's was made with Kina Lillet, which is no longer in production. The British spy and his iconic cocktail order remain globally known to this day, which explains the popularity of the vesper in cocktail bars around the world.

The martini as a singular cocktail is not only a perfect creation; it's also what so many other cocktail recipes are inspired by. While the traditional version uses gin as the base spirit, there's no reason vodka can't be swapped in instead, as long as it's a high-quality one. And since Europe is so well-known for its vodkas, it's no surprise the vodka martini is such a popular cocktail around the globe. "In the past 20 years of the cocktail renaissance, we have looked for more complexity in our cocktails, sought out unique flavors and nuance," said Sean Kenyon, bartender and proprietor at Blue Collar Cocktails. "The vodkatini has re-surged, but in a new and (I believe) better way; we are using vodkas with flavor and backbone."

Despite where the martini may have originally come from, its simplicity makes it a drink that can be easily translated to any country, any language, and most importantly, any cocktail menu. No matter what city or country you happen to be in, if the bar you're at carries vodka, there will almost certainly be people drinking vodka martinis there.