This refreshing Vodka and Dr Pepper recipe is a quick and easy 4-ingredient cocktail.
The simple mixed drink recipe features affordable ingredients like vodka, Dr Pepper soda pop, fresh lime and cherry.
We love serving Dr Pepper and Vodka in the summer at our cottage dock in Muskoka or on a patio in Toronto. On a hot day it’s a truly tasty drink!
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Easy Vodka and Dr Pepper Cocktail Recipe
Dr Pepper, is a popular carbonated soft drink.
It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served in 1885. Early advertisements for the soft drink made medical claims, stating that it “aids digestion and restores vim, vigor, and vitality.”
To test his new drink, Alderton offered it to local store owner Wade Morrison, who enjoyed its unique taste. Patrons at Morrison’s soda fountain soon learned of Alderton’s new drink and began ordering a “Waco”. Alderton gave the formula to Morrison, who named it Dr. Pepper.
Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904, and is now also sold all over the world. Variants include Diet Dr Pepper and, beginning in the 2000s, a line of additional flavours like Cherry Vanilla, Cream Soda, Vanilla Float, and Cherry Chocolate.
As with Coca-Cola, the formula for Dr Pepper is a trade secret, and allegedly the recipe is kept as two halves in safe deposit boxes in two separate Dallas banks. A persistent rumor since the 1930s is that the drink contains prune juice, but the official Dr Pepper website refutes this.
Dr Pepper predominantly tastes like cherries with an undertone of exotic spices like vanilla and cinnamon. It has a spicy aftertaste.
Looking to make a quick drink to bring to a potluck, cottage or camping trip? Grab a few cans or bottles of Dr Pepper and stir the soda with your favourite vodka to enjoy a refreshing cocktail.
Best Selling Vodka
In the 90’s vodka was all the rage, as martini bars sprung up in cocktail-loving North American cities like Toronto and New York.
Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains.
Here are some of the world’s best selling vodka brands and our local small batch favourites:
- Grey Goose: the world’s top selling premium vodka has been produced in France since the 1990s.
- Belvedere: is a close second for world’s favourite premium vodka brand. The Polish rye vodka is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw.
- Stolichnaya: also known as Stoli, is produced in Riga, Latvia. The brand produces a wide variety of flavoured vodkas, perfect for seasonal cocktail parties.
- Titos: began as a small-batch vodka brand distilled in Texas. Today, it’s recognized as the best selling vodka in America. Titos is made from corn, making it a gluten-free friendly spirit.
- Ketel One: is a Dutch premium vodka brand with a flavour palette offering hints of honey and citrus.
- Absolut: is an iconic Swedish distiller and was the top selling vodka brand globally for decades. The brand offers a colourful collection of flavoured vodka bottles.
- Smirnoff: this Russian brand was founded in Moscow and today sells 39 different vodka flavours.
- Iceberg Vodka: the top selling vodka in Canada is made from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland.
- Dillon’s Distillery: This Beamsville, Ontario producer makes 2 small batch vodkas near Niagara.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a casual Vodka and Dr Pepper cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
Vodka and Dr Pepper Recipe Ingredients
Our simple Dr Pepper and Vodka drink is easy to make in under 2 minutes!
- Vodka: we suggest using Absolut, Smirnoff or Grey Goose.
- Dr Pepper: use regular Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper or your favourite flavoured Dr Pepper product.
- Lime: garnish the cocktail glass with a lime wheel, slice or wedge.
- Maraschino Cherry: slide a cherry through a cocktail pick to decorate the rim of the glass.
Join Dobbernationloves founder Andrew Dobson in the kitchen by signing up for a fun virtual cooking class! Classes begin with a cocktail that you can sip while preparing 2-3 recipes that are curated around a unique culinary theme. Check out our current Cooking Class Schedule!
Vodka and Dr Pepper Recipe Tips
This simple vodka cocktail recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 2 minutes!
We love serving Vodka and Dr Pepper in the summer at the cottage or on a camping trip. It’s also an easy drink to prepare at potlucks, house parties and barbecues.
Our Dr Pepper and Vodka recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug.
The ideal ratio is 2 to 1. If you like a boozier drink feel free to add additional vodka or reduce the amount of soda pop in each glass.
Serve the drink in your prettiest glassware with whole ice cubes or crushed ice.
You May Also Enjoy These Gin and Vodka Recipes…
- Vodka Blood Orange Cocktail Drink
- Mint Lime Vodka Mojito Cocktail
- Mint Chocolate After Eight Cocktail
- How To Make A Smirnoff Rocket
- Sparkling Gin and Lemonade Cocktail
- Negroni Spritz Cocktail
- Clarified Gin and Milk Punch Cocktail
- Italian Prosecco and Gin Cocktail
- Raspberry Gin Fizz Chambord Cocktail
- Sour Lemon Blueberry Gin Cocktail
- Mango Gin Collins Cocktail
- Lavender Gin Cocktail Lemonade Fizz
- Healthy Gin Cucumber Juice Cilantro Cocktail
- Malfy Grapefruit Gin & Rosemary Cocktail
- St Germain Elderflower Gin and Tonic
How To Make An Easy Vodka and Dr Pepper Drink
Vodka and Dr Pepper
Equipment
- Collins Cocktail Glass
- Shot Glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- 4 oz Dr Pepper
- 1 Maraschino Cherry
- 1 Lime Wheel
Instructions
- Fill collins class with ice. Add vodka and top with Dr Pepper.
- Garnish with a skewer featuring maraschino cherry and lime wheel.
Nutrition
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