Vodka has been popular since it was invented in Eastern Europe in the middle ages. This liquor was widely used as a medicine in 14th century Europe, usually as an antiseptic and anesthetic, before people started drinking it. Vodka is made from water and fermented organic matter such as potatoes, molasses or grains. Vodka is lower in sugar content than other types of alcohol, making it a low-calorie alcohol.
Vodka was not the ingredient used in the original martini. Up until the 1960s, gin was the alcohol of choice for martinis. Then the James Bond movies came along, during which Bond drinks many martinis mixed with vodka rather than gin, and suddenly vodka martinis became popular. Although there are many variations, classic vodka martinis are made by mixing vodka, vermouth and ice in a shaker and shaking it until the alcohol is thoroughly mixed. The drink is then served in a martini glass and garnished with an olive.
Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary is a cocktail made with vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and salt. The drink was reportedly invented sometime between the 1920s and 1930s but its origins are widely disputed. The cocktail is attributed to many different people who supposedly named the drink after many different women, including Mary Tudor who earned the nickname “Bloody Mary” due to the number of protestants she had killed during her reign as Queen of England in the 16th century. Regardless of when or how it was invented, the drink became quite popular by 1955 after it was featured in a national magazine advertisement. Although the cocktail can be enjoyed anytime, it is one of the few cocktails typically consumed at breakfast or brunch. The drink is often garnished with a stick of celery.
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitans have been nicknamed the “Stealth Martini” because it looks harmless but is quite strong. The drink is made by mixing vodka with cointreau or triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice. Cosmopolitans are served in a martini glass and garnished with a wedge of lime. Sometimes the rim of the glass is moistened with a wedge of lime and dipped in sugar. The origins of the drink is unknown but it is widely speculated that it was invented by bartenders in the 1970s.
Screwdriver
Screwdrivers are the simplest of all the vodka drinks because it only contains two ingredients: vodka and orange juice. The drink can be served straight up or on the rocks in a highball glass. The origin of the drink is also widely speculated but one story suggests that the drink was invented in Texas by oil rig workers who mixed the drink with screwdrivers they carried in their tool belts.
White Russian and Black Russian
White Russian is a sweet cocktail made of vodka, Kahlua and milk or cream while a Black Russian is made from vodka and coffee liqueur. Black Russians were first invented in the late 1940s and White Russians were invented shortly after simply by adding cream or milk to the drink recipe. Neither drink was invented in Russia and is only given the name because vodka is the main ingredient. The drink is typically served in a glass over ice.
Sources:
White Russian, Esquire
Sally Ann Berk, The Martini Book
Andrew F. Smith, The Oxford Companion to Food and Drink
Dale DeGroff, The Essential Cocktail
Sharon Tyler Herbst, The Ultimate Guide to Pitcher Drinks
