Name: Tangerine Creamsicle
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp freshly squeezed tangerine juice (approx. the juice of 1 tangerine; 1 tbsp simple syrup; 1 oz vanilla vodka; 2 oz club soda; fresh tangerine wedge for garnish ((optional))

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A vanilla vodka recipe flavored with fresh squeezed juice

It all started one rare Friday night when I wasn’t in the mood for wine. I rummaged through the cupboards and found an unopened bottle of vanilla vodka. What would blend with it? I don’t happen to have a vanilla vodka recipe up my sleeve. But, because we have a Soda Stream, we always have bubbly water in the house. Some variation on vodka and soda can always work, right?

What can you make with vanilla vodka?

But the thought of straight vanilla vodka with soda sounded like an amateur mistake at best. What if I layered it with fresh fruit juice? Why, then I’d practically have a health drink! (This is what I told myself, anyway.) A little bit of squeezing, mixing and sipping later, I had a cocktail layered with aphrodisiac ingredients. As for the taste? Remember those popsicles with the cream-filled center? It tasted exactly like one of those. Yes, I managed to create an adult version of a Creamsicle.

A cocktail made with fresh tangerine juice

I’ve dubbed this vanilla vodka recipe the Tangerine Creamsicle. The only difference between this and the original popsicle, besides the fact that mine is spiked with liquor, is that the drink has better balance. It’s not too sweet, nor overwhelmed by either tartness nor the vanilla flavor.

It’s one I’ve made many times since that first experiment and I think I like it more and more with each drink. The tart freshness of tangerine offsets what is often a heavy-handed vanilla note of vanilla vodka. The trick is that you absolutely have to use fresh tangerine juice in this drink

Not only does fresh juice offer vitamins, Yes, this cocktail has vitamins–keep telling yourself that–but it gives the drink a zing you can’t get from bottled juice. And unfortunately, orange juice does not work as a substitute in this vanilla vodka cocktail. It doesn’t give the drink the same sour spark that tangerine brings. It’s got to be tangerine. And the Tangerine Creamsicle must be made with vanilla vodka, if for no other reason than the fact that the mere scent of vanilla is an aphrodisiac to men. And don’t forget that fresh citrus is on our list of the 10 Best Foods for Women.

Cheers!