Cocktails with vodka – a clear thing on a hot summer night
You’ve had to wait a long time for this, but finally it’s warm enough to sit outside in the evening. And it will certainly get a little hotter in the next few days, so that summer parties can start again. Of course, this requires the right catering. Find out which drinks are particularly suitable for beach and balcony parties and what role vodka cocktails play here:
Myths and facts about the effect of alcohol in cocktails
What could be better than listening to hot summer music and enjoying cool cocktails on balmy nights? But many fear that this pleasure has unpleasant side effects – because they know: The higher the mercury in the thermometer climbs, the stronger the effect of the alcohol in the cocktails and the worse the possible consequences.
In principle, such forethought on the part of your guests is correct. In hot summer weather, body cells lose more fluid. As a result, drinks containing alcohol have a faster and stronger effect than in the cooler months of the year. After drinking a single rum or gin cocktail, your party-goers may already feel as drunk as if they had already emptied two or three long drink glasses.
Furthermore..
In addition, the lack of liquid causes thirst. This may go unnoticed at first – but at the latest when beautifully garnished long drink glasses with ice cubes tempt you, it becomes overwhelming. Many people drink too quickly in the hot summer air because the cooling effect is so pleasant. In the process, they unintentionally consume more alcohol than the cocktails would suggest.
Prevent the effect of alcohol in cocktails
You can counteract all this with various measures. The first thing to do in a hot summer-night mood is to quench your guests’ thirst. In addition to the usual soft drinks, salads, fruit and non-alcoholic cocktails will also keep them hydrated.
On this occasion, make sure not to fill the long drink glasses with too much ice. The body instinctively reacts to sudden cooling from within by producing heat. This can make your guests sweat even more – and as you know by now, this kind of water loss is the greatest danger when drinking alcohol in the summer.
Attention:
The cocktails you prepare afterwards should not be too strong – because with spirits, too, the dose makes the poison. Every additional centilitre in the glass increases the ethanol content of the drink – and thus its basic effect. In addition to the QUANTITY of alcohol, however, the alcohol ART also determines the possible consequences of mixed drinks.
Selected alcohol makes cocktails more digestible
Whether you add vodka, rum or liqueur to your cocktails is not just a question of taste or recipe – it’s also a question of responsibility. Yes, you read that right! If you want to spare your guests a “mind-blowing” effect in a hot summer mood, you should not only have non-alcoholic cocktails on offer – but also pay attention to the spirits your “tipsy” cocktails contain.
With vodka you are on the safe side in this respect – because it combines a number of properties that make it far superior to other spirits. You’ll soon find out what these are and how they make vodka cocktails the perfect catering for summer parties. We also list some recipes and give you tips on how you can vary conventional drinks to great effect.
What makes vodka so valuable for cocktails
What distinguishes vodka from many other spirits is already revealed by its appearance: When you fill it into cocktail or long drink glasses, it is crystal clear. This suggests a high degree of purity, but is nothing unusual – because other spirits can also be colourless. White rum, fruit brandies or classic gin are also invisible in cocktails, so this characteristic alone makes no difference.
Unlike the alcoholic beverages mentioned, however, vodka has hardly any flavour of its own. While sugar cane, juniper or fruit spirits always bring a certain nuance to cocktails, vodka forms a largely neutral ingredient. It owes this fact to a very special filtration: the use of activated carbon, which dissolves almost all fusel oils and aromas from the distillate.
Cocktails with vodka guarantee flawless taste
This makes vodka an excellent “pair runner” and a popular alcohol for cocktails. Compared to other spirits, it is pleasantly restrained and can therefore be used universally. You can add it to almost any drink without disturbing its basic taste experience.Perfect if you offer non-alcoholic cocktails and want to give your guests the opportunity to “pimp” them as they wish. The addition of a single or double vodka turns refreshing fruit juice mixes into tasty party creations that stand comparison with “real” drinks.
Vodka
But vodka also demonstrates amazing adaptability as a scheduled ingredient in cocktails. It comes into its own in sweet-tasting creations just as well as in savoury drinks – and remains wonderfully relaxed in both cases. Compared to gin – which tends to take the lead in cocktails – vodka adapts to any basic recipe and at best enhances the drink’s own flavour; but never dominates.
Vodka instead of rum, whisky or gin: cocktails to switch to
This property makes vodka a popular swap partner. It can replace almost any alcohol in cocktails. If you change the spirits in a drink recipe, you not only get new variations of traditional mixed drinks, but also more compatible cocktails – because the vodka distillate is based on a minimum of ingredients.Unlike many representatives of gin – which are cocktails made from up to 20 or more botanicals – vodka consists of only ONE carbohydrate-rich base ingredient. Usually a single type of grain or potato is used; mixtures like those used in the preparation and perfuming of gin are uncommon in vodka production.
However..
… this does not mean that there are only “single-variety” products! Like gin, vodkas can also be cocktails made from different raw materials because flavouring agents are added to them. So when shopping, pay close attention to what is written on the label. Additives in vodka are perfectly permissible, but must be explicitly mentioned.
Shopping tips for cocktails with vodka
It’s best to go for branded products, because you can be sure that the production follows strict guidelines. The price is also a good indication, because conspicuously cheap cocktail vodka is often made from inferior raw materials. Molasses is usually used – a by-product or intermediate product of rum production, i.e. the alcohol you are trying to avoid by offering vodka-based cocktails.
In addition, of course, you need everything that makes sophisticated creations out of the mere spirit; in other words: various fillers and matching garnishes. On the other hand, you should avoid other types of alcohol, because it is precisely the simplicity of vodka that you want to use as the organiser of hot summer parties.
Quick vodka cocktails with guaranteed freshness kick
Nowhere does it come into its own as well as in the absolute classic among vodka cocktails, the good old Moscow Mule. Traditionally, it is served in a copper cup, but highball or long drink glasses also work. They are filled with lime quarters, ice cubes and one part vodka and three parts ginger beer or ginger ale. Green cucumber slices are often added, so that the Moscow Mule is somewhat reminiscent of Hendrick’s Gin cocktails.
Vodka is also suitable as the basic spirit for a long drink. You can use almost anything else that goes into the glasses of your guests. In combination with 2 or 4 cl vodka, creations such as:
Your creation:
– Screwdriver
– One Vodka Lemon
– Vodka Tonic
– Vodka Cola
as well as various combinations with juice. To make such vodka cocktails particularly refreshing, we recommend tart varieties such as
– naturally cloudy, slightly sweetened apple
– Cranberry
– Sour cherry
– Blackcurrant
Even savoury tomato juice is a great partner for vodka – as it makes cocktails commonly known as Bloody Mary.
How you can avoid the hangover?
As alcohol tastes very good in the evening, and people like to drink one or two cocktails too many, the hangover after a cocktail party is usually pre-programmed. We therefore recommend that you drink plenty of still water before going to bed to keep your headache and nausea under control the next day. If you also want to have a good day after partying and enjoy the “day after” or even need to be extra fit, you should rely on our one:47 products. We are not an anti-hangover remedy, and we would like to emphasise that here, but we support you and your body during and after the party with the most important ingredients so that your body feels fitter and nothing stands in the way of a night of drinking.
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