Spirits

Vanilla Vodka

Vanilla vodka is a flavoured vodka: vodka given a predominant vanilla flavour, which GB law also allows to be sweetened and coloured, as long as its strength is 37.5% ABV or higher. Most sit at about 37.5 to 38%, and the sugar differs from brand to brand. It is the vanilla in our Pornstar Martini and Spicy Fifty, carrying the aroma without a pod to steep.

Quick Facts

ABV37.5% ABVFlavoured vodka must be at least 37.5%; most vanilla bottlings sit at about 37.5 to 38%.

Legal categorySpiritFlavoured vodka must be at least 37.5%; below that it is a spirit drink

OriginModern flavoured-vodka category

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

Cool, dark and sealed. No fridge needed.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Often distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.

The ingredient

About Vanilla Vodka

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

VanillaCustardClean Spirit

Tasting Notes

Vanilla on the nose over a clean vodka base; dry to lightly sweet depending on the brand.

A flavoured vodka, which the law lets be sweet

Plain vodka is barred from carrying a predominant flavour. Flavoured vodka is defined separately: vodka with a predominant flavour other than its raw material, at 37.5% ABV or more, which may also be sweetened, blended, matured or coloured, and may be sold under the flavour's name with the word vodka. Vanilla vodka is one of these, so its sugar and the character of its vanilla vary by maker.

Three ways to put vanilla in a drink

The bottle is one route. The others are a dash of vanilla extract in plain vodka, or a house vanilla syrup steeped with a split pod. The table compares them.

Vanilla vodka against the other ways to add vanilla

Vanilla vodka

Strength: 37.5% or more
Sugar: None to sweet, by brand
Keeps: Years, sealed
In a Pornstar Martini: The recipe as written

Vodka with vanilla extract

Strength: About 40%
Sugar: None
Keeps: As the vodka
In a Pornstar Martini: Same strength, drier; keep the syrup

House vanilla syrup

Strength: 0%
Sugar: 1:1 by weight
Keeps: One week, refrigerated
In a Pornstar Martini: Adds vanilla and sugar, not alcohol

Option	Strength	Sugar	Keeps	In a Pornstar Martini
Vanilla vodka	37.5% or more	None to sweet, by brand	Years, sealed	The recipe as written
Vodka with vanilla extract	About 40%	None	As the vodka	Same strength, drier; keep the syrup
House vanilla syrup	0%	1:1 by weight	One week, refrigerated	Adds vanilla and sugar, not alcohol

Two drinks, both with a second sweetener

The Pornstar Martini pours 50ml with passion fruit and 10ml of vanilla syrup, so a sweet vanilla vodka doubles up. The Spicy Fifty sets 50ml against lime, elderflower and honey syrup, with chilli for heat; there the vodka's vanilla rounds the burn. In both, taste the vodka first and adjust the syrup rather than the spirit. Neither drink needs the vodka itself to be sweet: the syrups are there to balance the citrus and fruit, and a dry vanilla vodka lets you set the sugar yourself.

Using it

Using Vanilla Vodka

Usage

50ml in each of our two recipes that use it, the Pornstar Martini and the Spicy Fifty. Both also carry a sweetener, 10ml of vanilla syrup in one and 10ml of honey syrup in the other, so taste a new bottle and trim that if the drink runs sweet.

Pro Tip

When the vanilla in a Pornstar Martini reads as custard rather than spice, the vodka is doing too much. Trim 5ml from the vanilla syrup first, and only then think about the vodka; the two vanillas stack.

Top Tips

Taste it neat before building with it. Some vanilla vodkas are close to dry, others noticeably sweet, and the recipe's syrup was set for a middling one.
Check the strength. At 37.5% or more it is flavoured vodka; under that a vanilla spirit falls into the general spirit drink class and is often sweeter.
No vanilla vodka? Add vanilla extract to plain vodka, a drop or two at a time, for the aroma; supply the sweetness separately.
A fridge adds nothing; a dark cupboard keeps an opened bottle in good order for a long time.

Possible Substitutions

Vodka: With a drop of vanilla extract: the aroma rebuilt, the body thinner

Production Method

Vodka given a predominant vanilla flavour, natural or otherwise; the law also allows it to be sweetened, blended, matured or coloured.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is vanilla vodka?

Vodka with a predominant vanilla flavour. In GB law that makes it a flavoured vodka, a separate category, which may be sweetened, coloured or blended as well as flavoured, provided it reaches 37.5% ABV. It may be sold as vanilla vodka.

Is vanilla vodka sweet?

It can be. The law allows flavoured vodka to be sweetened and sets no limit, so sugar varies by brand: some taste close to dry with a vanilla nose, others of custard. That variation is the reason our recipe lines say to taste it before setting the syrup.

How strong is vanilla vodka?

Flavoured vodka has a 37.5% ABV minimum, and most vanilla bottlings sit at about 37.5 to 38%. Our recipes assume 37.5%. Lower-strength vanilla spirits exist, but they are spirit drinks or liqueurs and are usually sweeter.

What can I use instead of vanilla vodka?

Plain vodka seasoned with vanilla extract, a drop at a time until you can smell it. That gives the aroma at the same strength without any sugar; add a little vanilla syrup if the drink needs sweetness. Vanilla syrup alone brings sugar and flavour but no alcohol, so it cannot replace the vodka measure.

What cocktails use vanilla vodka?

Two of ours. The Pornstar Martini shakes 50ml with passion fruit in two forms, liqueur and purée, plus vanilla syrup, and comes with 50ml of Champagne. The Spicy Fifty shakes 50ml with lime, elderflower cordial and honey syrup, with chilli slices for heat.

Is vanilla vodka a liqueur?

No. A liqueur cannot carry less than 100g of sugar a litre, and the law puts flavoured vodka in a separate category with a 37.5% floor, where a liqueur needs only 15%. Vanilla liqueurs exist, but they are sweeter and weaker and make a different drink.

From the Guides

When a vanilla spirit can be called vodka When vodka becomes flavoured vodka

Make something

Made with Vanilla Vodka

Featured In These Cocktails

Pornstar Martini Spicy Fifty

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 12 October 2026

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