Cape Cod

Also called a Cape Codder — a name that I never use because I think it sounds stupid.

2 Vodka
3 Cranberry juice blend

Mess with the ratio to suit your ingredients. In my case, the cranberry juice totally overpowered the vodka, resulting in a not-very-good Cape Cod.

Madras

2 Vodka
1.5 Orange juice
1.5 Cranberry juice blend

I like this one; it suits the cranberry juice I use — a blend of 100% fruit juice that has a pretty grape-y flavor — quite well. And it lacks the strong acidity of a Screwdriver.

Lemon Drop

2 vodka
1 lemon juice
1/2 simple syrup

Shake and pour into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass.

Pretty tasty and tart. I have another recipe that recommends triple sec. I’ll have to give that one a try later.

Martini (vodka)

With gin week closed, let’s kick off vodka week with a vodka martini.

2.5 vodka
1/2 dry vermouth

Same ratio as the gin martini. To make up for the vodka’s more neutral flavor, I added some orange oil to the glass (just twist a fresh orange peel & rub it on the glass). And I added a couple dashes of orange bitters. It adds a nice touch that a pure vodka martini would lack.

Martini

Closing out gin week is the drink that probably should have kicked-off gin week. Oh well.

2.5 gin
1/2 vermouth

No garnish for me, thanks. I always found the olives to be a bit odd, and I didn’t have a lemon handy.

This drink taught me why I didn’t like the Bronx Cocktail. It wasn’t because the Bronx was “gin-y”, it was because the Bronx was “vermouth-y”. When the ratio of gin to vermouth is more strongly in gin’s flavor, like it is in a dry martini, the taste is fine.