Vodka cocktails return refreshed

The neutral spirit is predicted to make a comeback with spritzers and boozy cold brews

- Jahnabee Borah

Last month, the award platform 30 Best Bars released a brand survey, What India Is Drinking 2023, that predicted vodka would make a comeback. Although this spirit didn't go anywhere, it had been eclipsed over the past decade by the buzz around gin, followed by the rise of agave-based drinks like tequila. For a bartender, however, the neutral, flavourless, colourless vodka is like a pair of denims: a versatile must-have.

Go through a bar menu and it will always have two-three drinks with vodka, and perhaps double the number for gin drinks, along with some classic cocktails. Vodka's popularity, which began to recede as craft cocktails took wing in India, took a back seat to gin after 2017, when Greater Than gin launched and people started making G&Ts at home. It was a pivotal moment for gin.