Paid Post

I Tried Making 4 Cocktails With Ingredients I Found In My Fridge

A little creativity was the secret ingedient.

by
Smirnoff Canada
by Smirnoff Canada

Brand Publisher

,
May Ning
by May Ning

BuzzFeed Staff

Hey! My name is May, and a fun fact about me is that I used to bartend back in university.

May Ning/BuzzFeed

It's been a while since I was behind the bar, so I decided to conduct a little experiment and see if I could still put together a tasty cocktail using only what I already had on hand.

After scanning the contents of my fridge, I was able to put together four pretty tasty cocktails, if I do say so myself. With a little bit of inspiration and a bottle of neutral liquor (I used Smirnoff Vodka No. 21), you can make some fun drinks at home too.

t\he four drinks may created in a tray
May Ning/BuzzFeed

I also grabbed some stuff from my pantry and garden. Let me show you what I made! 

I'm calling the first drink I made the Vodka Lemon Mojito. I used:

bottle of smirnoff with lemons, cucumbers, mint, and lemon soda
May Ning/BuzzFeed

1 ounce of Smirnoff Vodka No. 21

Half a lemon

A mini cucumber

Some mint from my garden

Half a can of lemon soda 

I mixed the lemon soda and vodka in a glass with ice and then added in some thin lemon and cucumber slices, and a sprig of mint.

This drink tastes like what rubbing aloe vera on after a day under the sun feels like — revitalizing, cool, and sooo refreshing.

may holding the lemon and mint drink in front of a plant
May Ning/BuzzFeed

Make it yourself: Smack the mint leaves before adding to help release some of those fresh aromatics.

This would also be mighty tasty if you wanted to blend it into a slushie.

Score: 9/10 — So nice. But, next time, I might swap the lemon soda for regular soda water, since it was a liiiittle too tart.

Next, I saw some savoury things in my fridge and immediately thought of a Canadian classic — the Caesar! I put my own twist on it though, since I didn't have all the ingredients. Here's what I used:

pickles, olives, green beans, clamato, montreal steak spice and vodka
May Ning/BuzzFeed

1.5 ounces of Smirnoff Vodka No. 21

A cup of clamato juice

A dash of hot sauce

An olive, a pickled bean, and a pickle for garnish

I put all of the liquid ingredients together in a shaker with some ice and mixed it up and pouring it into a Mason jar. Then, to be fancy, I put my garnishes on a toothpick and displayed it all pretty.

Here's the result! It was tangy, spicy, and flavourful.

May holding the caesar she made
May Ning/BuzzFeed

A classic Caesar calls for Worcester sauce, a celery stalk, and celery salt rimmer, but I didn't have those things. I mixed Montreal steak spice with some onion and garlic powder for the rimmer instead.

Make it yourself: Pour a little bit of pickle juice or olive brine in your drink for some extra flavour. 

Score: 8/10 — The steak spice was a great substitute for celery salt but next time I'd blend it first since the one I used was a little chunky.

Next up, I thought a Chocolate Espresso Martini would be the *perfect* drink for a little boost of energy. These are the ingredients:

a shot of espresso, a shaker, brown sugar, coffee beans, chocolate, and vodka
May Ning/BuzzFeed

1 ounce of Smirnoff Vodka No. 21

1 espresso shot

1 teaspoon of sugar

Coffee beans for garnish

I mixed the brown sugar and chocolate into the espresso while it was still hot until they dissolved. Then I poured the shot into a shaker full of ice with the vodka and shook it vigorously. I strained out just the drink in a martini glass and garnished with a few coffee beans for that authentic look.

This was so good, I could drink five of them. The brown sugar and chocolate added a touch of sweetness to cut the bitterness of the espresso.

may holding the espresso martini
May Ning/BuzzFeed

Make it yourself: If you don't have an espresso machine, it would be just as good with store-bought cold brew. A splash of coffee liqueur or Irish cream would also be phenomenal if you have some.

Score: 10/10 — I love coffee, so keeping it simple on the ingredients helped the flavour shine.

Lastly, I made an adult version of one of my favourite childhood treats — the Orange Creamsicle. Here's what I used:

whipped cream, orange juice, orange, half and half, vodka
May Ning/BuzzFeed

1.5 ounces of Smirnoff Vodka No. 21

1 cup of orange juice

A splash of half and half

Whipped cream

Orange slices for garnish

I threw the vodka, orange juice, half and half, and whipped cream with lots of ice in a blender and garnished with a slice of orange.

Not only was it one of the easiest to make, it was also my favourite of the bunch. It was a perfect balance of creamy and rich with the citrusy tang from the orange.

May Ning/BuzzFeed, May Ning

I always have a bottle of orange juice in my fridge and while a good ol' screwdriver never hurt anybody, I wanted to mix it up (literally).

Make it yourself: Use whatever milk or plant-based milk you have, it doesn't have to be half and half. Throw in some triple sec or vanilla ice cream to really take this recipe to the next level.

Score: 10/10 — this was nostalgic with a twist, if you try one recipe from my list, it should be this one.

I had so much fun trying out different drinks and was surprised at what I was able to make with what I already had. Now, I challenge YOU to try at home with Smirnoff Vodka No.21, which is created for cocktails.