This refreshing Vodka Madras recipe is a quick and easy 4-ingredient cocktail.
The simple vodka mixed drink is perfect for fans of fruity boozy beverages. It features premium vodka, cranberry juice, freshly squeezed orange juice and a lime wheel garnish.
We suggest preparing this Vodka Madras recipe at brunch or as a day drink on a hot summer day. During the holiday season garnished with cranberries and a sprig of rosemary it’s perfect for Christmas cocktail parties!
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What Is A Vodka Madras?
The Madras cocktail is a refreshing, fruity highball mixed drink. It’s an easy vodka cocktail that utilizes a muddling of fruit juices making it a great option to celebrate any occasion.
The Vodka Madras is a spin on popular cocktails like the Cape Codder, a simple cocktail featuring cranberry juice and vodka, and the cosmo, a martini-style cocktail of vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry and lime juice.
While still a popular drink, it is not ordered nearly as much as it was in the 80’s when it was a go-to drink among the ladies.
It is rumored to be named after brightly coloured Madras Plaid fabric, which originated in Madras, India (present day Chennai).
The vodka cocktails fruitiness makes it the perfect sipper for brunch or daytime drinking on a hot day.
Vodka Madras Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
Our Vodka Madras cocktail recipe is easy to make in under 5 minutes!
- Vodka: we suggest using a premium vodka such as Absolut, Smirnoff or Grey Goose.
- Cranberry Juice: use your favourite sweetened cranberry cocktail beverage.
- Orange Juice: only use freshly squeezed orange juice. You really can taste the difference!
- Lime Wheel: garnish the rim of the glass with a slice of lime.
- Fresh Cranberries: decorate the glass with a cocktail pick skewered with fresh cranberries.
Madras Cocktail Recipe Tips
This refreshing Vodka Madras recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes!
We love serving the classic Madras Cocktail in the summer on a hot day as the muddling of fruit juices is really refreshing. Since it uses freshly squeezed orange juice it also makes for an excellent brunch beverage.
During the holiday season add a sprig of rosemary to the glass for a simple yet eye catching Christmas cocktail.
If you find the drink to be too tart or sweet for your taste, feel free to add a splash of sparkling water.
Our Vodka Madras 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.
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 Vodka Madras 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.
You May Also Enjoy These Vodka Recipes…
- Negroski Vodka Negroni Cocktail Drink Recipe
- Pineapple Vodka Martini Cocktail
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- Lemon Drop Martini Limoncello Cocktail
- Vodka Blood Orange Cocktail Drink
- White Russian Amarula Cocktail
- Easy Vodka and Coke Cocktail
- Easy Vodka and Dr Pepper Cocktail
- Smirnoff Vodka Pink Lemonade Cocktail
- 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
How To Make A Homemade Vodka Madras Cocktail
Vodka Madras Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Shot Glass
- Highball Glass
- Cocktail spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Vodka
- 3 oz Cranberry Juice
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- Lime Wheel garnish
- Cranberry Skewer garnish
Instructions
- Pour the ingredients into a highball or Collins glass filled with ice.
- Stir with a cocktail spoon.
- Garnish with a lime wheel and cranberry skewer.
Nutrition
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