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10 Best Flavoured Vodka For Summer Cocktails
ELLE’s expert pick of the best flavoured vodka for the (hopefully) long, hot summer ahead.
Flavoured vodka is having a moment. Forget the skittle-infused experimentation of your university days, this time around all the big names are getting in on the act — Ciroc, Absolut, Belevdere — as well as smaller artisan producers from here in the UK.
This category’s new-found popularity (alongside the rise of rum) is linked to the recent decline in gin sales, with whispers that that particular boom is set to burst. But if you ask us, we reckon there’s a place for both on your bar cart, and with so many new flavours launching, we wanted an expert eye on it.
Does flavoured vodka taste good?
Take an excellent pure vodka, infuse it with top quality ingredients — we’ve seen fruit, coffee beans, and even salt! — and yes, you’re on track to having an excellent-tasting flavoured vodka. So if you have a go-to brand you already know and love, it's worth seeing what new flavours they've been experimenting with.
Versatile enough for a wealth of summer-ready serves, many are also delicious simply sipped neat, or over ice. The new wave of flavours are refined, utilising real (sometimes organic) fruit for a subtle, decidedly grown-up beverage du jour.
How we test flavoured vodka
Our panel of WSET-certified experts and consumers sipped 16 different flavoured vodkas neat, then diluted it with water to soften the alcohol and bring out the core flavours. They were looking for bright, bold aromas, a range of complex but balanced flavours, a satisfying mouthfeel, and a pleasingly smooth finish.
To make things easier, having taste tested every bottle in our round-up, we’ve also provided the perfect way to drink each one, so you don’t waste a drop.
With exclusive flavours and limited-edition bottles, read on for our edit of the best flavoured vodkas worth celebrating.
Ciroc Summer Citrus Vodka
Ciroc's sunset-hued bottle is reason enough to nab a spot on our drinks trolly this summer. However, delve deeper and you’ll find notes of sweet citrus and zingy lime — ensuring it tastes every bit as good as it looks.
Hailing from Cognac, this premium French vodka is distilled no less than five times, which goes some way to explain its super-smooth nature. A must-have for aperitivo hour.
Key specifications
How to drink: Replacing Cointreau in a margarita
Origin: Cognac, France
70cl, 35% ABV
Building on the superbly smooth Ketel One vodka base, the brand has created the only vodka you’ll need for the classic martini with a twist.
It contains lemon and lime essence, which reminded the panel of Italian limoncello and sherbet lemons combined. Beautifully balanced, with a subtle honey sweetness, it’s a must-have for martini aficionados.
Key specifications
How to drink: Martini with a twist (which replaces the olive with a twist of lemon peel).
Origin: Schiedam, Holland
70cl, 40% ABV
Whether sitting on Murray Mound or watching Serena’s swing on the TV, this strawberry-flavoured vodka is Wimbledon personified.
Need another reason to try it? The eco-friendly distillery utilises waste whey (leftover from its cheese production) and wonky fruit (which is why it tastes so natural). A perfect excuse to indulge all summer long if you ask us.
Key specifications
How to drink: Add a splash of soda water and garnish with fresh strawberries and mint
Origin: Dorset, England
70cl, 37.5% ABV
Belvedere Organic Infusions Blackberry & Lemongrass Vodka
If you’ve already signed up to an organic fruit and veg box scheme, now you can apply the same high standards to your spirits selection. This premium Polish vodka is infused with blackberry and lemongrass, imparting a restrained, grown-up hint of flavour to its spicy base spirit.
At 40% ABV, testers found the alcohol punchy, but smooth, and thought ginger ale would bring out the fruitiness.
Key specifications
How to drink: Pair with tonic, sparkling water or light ginger ale
Origin: Zyrardów, Poland
70cl, 40% ABV
Absolut Watermelon Vodka
Nothing says summer like the crunch of sun-kissed watermelon. Made without added sugar, Absolut has created a fresh-tasting, naturally sweet spirit that needs little more than soda water for a summer-ready serve.
Testers found the alcohol smooth, and thought the flavour was prominent without overpowering, making it a fun choice for cocktails.
Key specifications
How to drink: Keep it refreshing with soda water and fresh lime.
Origin: Auhs, Sweden
70cl, 40% ABV
Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass
For those looking for a lower strength alcohol option, the new Grey Goose Essences range might appeal. The fruit-infused vodka is lower in alcohol than the brand’s signature spirit (at 30% vs the regular 40% ABV) but not lacking in flavour.
Our testers tried the strawberry and lemongrass version, which smelt fresh, zesty and pleasingly bitter. It’s billed as the vodka for gin fans, and we also think it will appeal to rosé drinkers too — try garnishing with slices of fresh strawberries and a twist of lemon.
Key specifications
How to drink: This versatile spirit works well with lemonade, tonic or soda, plus fresh garnishes.
Origin: Cognac, France
70cl, 30% ABV
Isle of Wight Distillery Mermaid Salt Vodka
Remember mermaid pink gin? Well, the Isle of Wight distillery is at it again, this time turning their hand to vodka.
Like its juniper counterpart, there’s a definite saline edge from the salty back note, which makes it a strong contender for serious cocktails such as a dirty martini. Testers loved the creamy sweetness and found it beautifully balanced. And, like the original, the bottle itself is a beaut too.
Key specifications
How to drink: Dirty martini
Origin: Isle of Wight, England
70cl, 40% ABV
There are few flavours as quintessentially British as rhubarb. Edwards stays true to its roots by adding pressed juice from Yorkshire’s ‘Rhubarb Triangle’ to its locally grown potato vodka.
The result is a syrupy sweet spirit with a sharp edge and intriguing marzipan note. Perfect with tonic, this is one fool-proof 'cocktail' we foresee us making on repeat.
Key specifications
How to drink: With tonic and plenty of ice
Origin: Lincolnshire, England
70cl, 40% ABV
Portobello Road Toasted Coffee Bean Vodka
Ever wondered what would happen if you added real Columbian coffee beans to your vodka? Well, thankfully, this London-based distillery has done it for us, and out came a complex spirit packed with notes of vanilla and chocolate.
Your espresso martini never tasted so good. The panel praised this spirits complexity, saying it was as smooth as can be. Chin, chin.
Key specifications
How to drink: Streamline your espresso martini
Origin: London, England
70cl, 40% ABV
Two Birds Salted Caramel Vodka
Entertaining? Skip dessert and serve ice cold glasses of this seductive spirit instead. Delicious notes of butterscotch and cream make it a refined replacement for sticky toffee pudding on a hot summer’s eve. Alternatively, our panel also thought a drizzle would elevate vanilla ice cream.
A fine addition to Two Birds’ portfolio of experimental gin, rum, absinthe and vodka.
Key specifications
How to drink: In place of, or alongside dessert.
Origin: Leicestershire, England
70cl, 37.5% ABV
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
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