Vodka became a global spirit through the movies. Before Dr. No in 1962, most Americans didn't drink it. James Bond ordered it shaken instead of stirred, and by 1975 vodka had passed gin as America's most-consumed white spirit. Six decades later, the film-vodka relationship is still alive — which is a good excuse to build a movie night around Oasis Vodka, a hometown California spirit made in Hollywood proper.
Five film-and-cocktail pairings, all built around Oasis. Screen one this weekend.
1. The Big Lebowski (1998): The White Russian
The Dude drinks nine of them on-screen. The recipe: 2 oz Oasis Vodka, 1 oz Kahlúa, 1 oz heavy cream. Build in a rocks glass over ice, stir gently. The date-based softness of Oasis pairs with the coffee liqueur in a way that a neutral grain vodka doesn't — more like a caramel latte with a spine. The Dude would approve.
2. Dr. No (1962): The Vesper Martini
Bond's own recipe, from Casino Royale: 3 oz gin, 1 oz vodka, 0.5 oz Lillet Blanc, lemon peel, shaken. We substitute Oasis for the vodka and Nopalera Gin for the gin — a Hollywood Distillery Vesper. Shake with ice (per the film — the classic Martini bartenders will argue) and strain into a coupe. Wide, elegant, and exactly what a 1962 Bond film should taste like.
3. Mad Men era (1960s TV setting): The Vodka Gimlet
Sinatra's drink, Betty Draper's drink. 2 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a lime wheel. Cold, tart, easy. Watch anything from the era — The Apartment, North by Northwest, any Frank Capra film — and pour this.
4. A Fish Called Wanda (1988): The Moscow Mule
Wanda drinks Moscow Mules. So did Hollywood — the drink was actually invented in a Los Angeles Hollywood bar in 1941, on Sunset Boulevard about two miles from where our distillery now stands. 2 oz Oasis Vodka, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 4 oz ginger beer. Copper mug, crushed ice, mint and lime garnish. See our full Moscow Mule recipe for the origin story.
5. The Breakfast Club (1985): The Bloody Mary
Not for the kids, obviously — for the adults watching after. 1.5 oz Oasis Vodka, 4 oz good tomato juice, 0.25 oz fresh lemon, 3 dashes Worcestershire, 2 dashes Tabasco, celery salt, cracked pepper. Build in a Collins glass, garnish with celery, olive, lemon. The date-based vodka works especially well here — the inherent softness of the spirit cuts against the tomato acid without needing added sugar. A Sunday-morning Bloody that doesn't taste like a punishment.
A movie-night tasting flight
For a proper Hollywood movie night, batch-mix one of each of the above into small glasses and taste them side by side while the film plays. The date character shifts across the five cocktails in interesting ways — more caramel in the White Russian, more floral in the Vesper, more spicy in the Mule.
To go deeper: book a tour at the distillery. Our tasting room hosts occasional movie-pairing nights in the winter — dates on the Instagram.