Vodka cocktails have a reputation problem. Most vodka is a neutral solvent designed to disappear behind the mixer, so most vodka cocktails are engineered around the mixer instead of around the vodka. Oasis Vodka is a different animal. Distilled from California Medjool dates instead of grain, it's softer, slightly floral, and has enough character to lead a cocktail instead of hiding behind it.
These six recipes are built around what Oasis actually does well — showing off the fruit and floral notes rather than mixing them into oblivion.
1. The Oasis Martini
The purest expression. 2.5 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, dash of orange bitters. Stir over ice for 30 seconds, strain into a coupe, garnish with a lemon twist. The date character reads as almost-honey against the vermouth. A traditional wheat vodka gives you a Martini that tastes like ice water; this gives you a Martini that tastes like something.
2. Oasis Rose
2 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz simple syrup, 3 dashes rose water, splash of soda. Build in a highball over ice. Rose water and dates are cousins in the Middle Eastern pantry — pairing them here produces something like a Turkish delight cocktail. Extraordinary on a hot afternoon.
3. Date Palm Espresso Martini
2 oz Oasis Vodka, 1 oz espresso, 0.5 oz coffee liqueur, 0.25 oz date syrup. Shake hard over ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with three coffee beans. The date syrup rounds out the espresso and takes the drink into caramel-and-fig territory. Better than a standard espresso martini by a full grade.
4. Oasis Mule
2 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 4 oz good ginger beer (Fever-Tree or Q). Build in a copper mug over crushed ice, garnish with lime and mint. The dates play especially well with ginger — Middle Eastern kitchens have been putting the two together for centuries. Skip the sweeteners; the vodka already brings enough.
5. Lavender Lush
2 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz lavender simple syrup, 0.25 oz elderflower liqueur, egg white. Dry shake, then shake with ice, strain into a coupe. Garnish with a dried lavender bud. The lavender and elderflower amplify the floral notes in the vodka. This is on our tasting room menu; it's one of our top-three most-ordered cocktails.
6. The Bloody Palm
A better Bloody Mary. 1.5 oz Oasis Vodka, 4 oz good tomato juice, 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice, 3 dashes Worcestershire, 2 dashes Tabasco, pinch of celery salt, cracked pepper. Build in a Collins glass over ice, garnish with celery, olive, and lemon. The vodka's inherent sweetness cuts against the tomato acid better than a neutral vodka does — no need to add sugar.
Where to buy
Oasis Vodka ships within California and is available at the distillery. Come taste it in the flight on a tour before deciding which cocktail is yours.