Fruit Flavors

• Vodka's unobtrusive flavor mixes well with fruit juices. Mix orange juice and vodka to create a screwdriver, or vodka and grapefruit juice to create a Greyhound. A Greyhound with salt encrusting the rim of the glass is a Salty Dog. Garnish the drinks with a slice of the appropriate fruit. Vodka and cranberry juice, topped up with club soda and a squeeze of lime, create a Cape Codder.

  The proportion of vodka to juice in these drinks varies; you can mix one part vodka with anywhere between two and four parts juice, depending on your taste.

Bar Classics

• Some of the most timeless vodka drinks are also the simplest. Vodka mixed with ginger beer and a squeeze of lime juice creates a Moscow Mule; mix one part of vodka with two to three parts ginger beer, then serve this fiery combination over ice in a tall glass. For a drink with less kick, a vodka tonic -- 2 ounces of vodka with 3 to 5 ounces of tonic water and a lime wedge** -- is as easy as it is classic.

Hot Vodka Drinks

• Most of the classic vodka drinks are icy and refreshing, but vodka can also play a role in warming beverages ideal for a winter evening. Hot water and honey with lemon, spices and vodka -- known as krupnik in Russia -- is not only a warming drink but a traditional remedy for sore throats. For a simpler hot vodka drink, just add a slug of vodka to a mug of green tea for a cozy -- and potent -- comfort drink.

Easy Infusions

• One of the reasons vodka is so versatile is that it's easy to add new flavors to its simple base. Create fruit-infused vodka by soaking 2 cups of chopped fruit in 2 to 3 cups of vodka in a canning jar; let the fruit soak for three to five days, shaking the jar gently at regular intervals. Strain the fruit out and bottle the vodka; you'll now have a unique flavored vodka that can act as a mixer or be a drink in its own right.