Creating a Masterpiece, One Cocktail at a Time

I first tried Van Gogh Vodka in Orlando, where it was prominently featured on the Disney World signature cocktail menu. The Acai-Blueberry, Coconut, Wild Appel and Vanilla flavors were main ingredients in several cocktails at the Polynesian Tambu Lounge and Rix Lounge at Coronado Springs.

Van Gogh boasts the world’s largest line of flavored vodkas, all hand crafted in small batches using natural ingredients for their infusions. I was drawn to the brand because of the Coconut and Mojito Mint varieties, flavors rarely seen in today’s already packed flavored vodka market. This family owned business has been passed down from father to son in Schiedam, Holland. Master Distiller Tim Vos and his team are constantly working on developing new, innovative flavors, all sold in bottles designed by George Miller and inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s impressionism.

Here’s a large sampling of my recipes. Several require muddling fresh fruits and would be great summer cocktails. The last two are variations on sangria and would be better for fall.

I know that naming cocktails after Van Gogh’s masterpieces when using this brand is probably a little cliché, but I couldn’t resist. Click on the drink name to see the work that inspired it.

Starry Night
Naming a Van Gogh Vodka drink “Starry Night” is definitely something that's been overdone. Mine uses Van Gogh’s classic vodka in a simple blueberry martini.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Classic 80-proof Vodka
8-10 medium blueberries
2 oz fresh lemon juice

Muddle blueberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, and lemon juice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a few blueberries on a cocktail skewer.

Strolling on the Beach
The extremely cold people in this painting probably wish they were drinking coconut vodka with strawberry and lime.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Coconut Vodka
2 medium strawberries, sliced
2 oz fresh lime juice

Muddle strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka and lime juice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry slice.

Fourteenth of July Celebration in Paris
1 ½ oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka
8-10 raspberries
¾ oz Grand Marnier
4 oz ginger ale

Muddle raspberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, and Grand Marnier. Shake and strain into a highball glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a pair of fresh raspberries.

Flying Fox
1 ½ oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
¾ oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur (Original)
1 ¾ apple cider

Combine vodka, chocolate liqueur, and cider in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh apple slice dipped in caramel.

The Lying Cow
1 ½ oz Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka
¾ oz Kahlua French Vanilla Liqueur
4 oz milk

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add vodka, Kahlua, and milk. Speed shake, add a straw and serve.

Green Parrot
This is a Dirty Apple Mojito Royale, my combination of three different mojito variations, but with vodka instead of rum. Perfect for any time of year.

1 ½ oz Mojito Mint Vodka
¾ oz apple liqueur
Champagne to fill
Dash of brown sugar

Combine vodka, brown sugar, and apple liqueur in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top off with champagne. Consider first rimming the cocktail glass with brown sugar, if desired.

Poet’s Garden
The flavor combination was also partly inspired by this Still Life with Grapes, Pears and Lemons.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka
¾ oz Poire William
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Sparkling wine to fill

Build ingredients in a champagne flute. Drop in a pair slice for garnish.

Pink Peach Tree
This is basically a melon Bellini without the puree.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Melon Vodka
¾ DeKuyper Peachtree
Sparkling rosé to fill

Build ingredients in a champagne flute. Garnish with a peach slice.

White Orchard
This is a white sangria. The color will actually be much darker with the addition of the liqueurs.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Black Cherry Vodka
½ oz apricot liqueur
½ oz plum wine
½ oz amaretto
4 oz white wine

Build ingredients in a white wine glass over ice. Add some maraschino cherries and small plum slices. Stir and serve with a swizzle straw.

Red Vineyard
Apple pumpkin sangria? Yes, please. Think this year’s Thanksgiving punch.

1 ½ oz Van Gogh Wild Appel Vodka
¾ oz pumpkin simple syrup*
½ oz fresh orange juice
½ oz fresh lemon juice
4 oz dry red wine (Bordeaux, for example)

Build ingredients in a large red wine glass over ice. Add an orange and lemon wheel and stir.

*Recipe for Pumpkin Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
2 cinnamon sticks

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil. When sugar has dissolved, add pumpkin puree and cinnamon sticks. Let simmer for five minutes, remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.