- Cocktails
- Vodka Cocktails
By
Updated on 09/30/24
Tested by
Sean Michael Johnson
Tested bySean Michael Johnson
Sean is an award-winning bartender with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the head bartender at the two-Michelin-star restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther, crafting cocktail menus that have caught international attention. To date, he has made over 1 million cocktails, and counting.
Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
137 ratings
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The orange creamsicle is a liquid version of the popular frozen treat, complete with a creamy orange flavor. You can enjoy it as a sweet cocktail or martini, a boozy float, a blended drink, or a tempting shot. However you pour it, they all have three things in common: vodka, orange (either juice or soda), and cream (cream, ice cream, or cream liqueur). All three ways to make it are sure to be delicious.
How Strong Is the Creamsicle Cocktails?
In general, the orange creamsicle is a rather gentle cocktail. With the softer foundation from a 70-proof flavored vodka, the original creamsicle shakes up to about 15 percent ABV (30 proof). That's a bit stronger than a glass of wine. You can lower thealcohol contentby pouring more nonalcoholic mixers (cream, juice, or soda) in any variation.
This recipe is a great use for vanilla vodka, which was the only sweet vodka available when the drink first became a big hit. Today, there are a number of alternatives, and whipped cream vodka is a perfect fit for the creamsicle.
Tips for Making Creamsicle Recipe
- Fresh orange juice - Use eitherfresh-squeezed orange juiceor pulp-free bottled juice for the best drink. One orange will yield enough juice for two or three creamsicles.
- Choose your milk - Half-and-half is not as thick as cream or as light as milk, though either makes a good substitute in this cocktail. (One made with milk would technically be called a dreamsicle.) For dairy-free alternatives, try vanilla-flavored soy or almond milk.
What you'll Need To Make This Creamsicle Cocktail Recipe
“Talented bartenders in the early 2000’s could bend flavored vodkas to their will and make delicious concoctions. This is one such concoction.If you are a fan of an Orange Creamsicle this cocktail does the trick.The recipe is balanced and allows the ingredients to play their parts.”—Sean Michael Johnson
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces vanilla or whipped cream vodka
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 ounce half-and-half
1 ounce orange juice
Orange slice, for garnish
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour 1 1/2 ounces vanilla or whipped cream vodka, 1/2 ounce triple sec, 1 ounce half-and-half, and 1 ounce orange juice.
Shake well.
Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with an orange slice and serve.
Feeling Adventurous? Try This:
- Add toppings - Strain the orange creamsicle into a cocktail glass. If you like, top it with a little whipped cream.
- No Triple sec, no problem - Triple sec is not essential, though it is a nice sweetener. Skip it if you don't have it or switch to an orange-flavored vodka.
- Make it tall - Add more orange juice and half-and-half (2 to 3 ounces each) to make a taller drink. Serve it on the rocks in a collins glass.
- Make it frozne - Enjoy a frozen creamsicle: Blend the recipe's vodka, triple sec, and orange juice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or orange sherbet. Add a few ice cubes to give it more of a frozen margarita consistency; use 1 cup of ice when using half-and-half instead of ice cream.
- Make it fizzy - Make a simple orange creamsicle: Pour 1 1/2 ounces each of vodka and cream liqueur (e.g., Irish cream or RumChata) in a tall glass filled with ice. Top it off with orange soda.
- Add ice cream - Transform this cocktail into a creamsicle float: Pour 1 1/2 ounces of vodka and 1/2 ounce of triple sec into a chilled glass. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and top it with orange soda.
- Make it a shot - To make an orange creamsicle shot, simply strain the original recipe into two shot glasses.
- Make a pudding shot - For a creamsicle pudding shot: Use 1/4 cup orange vodka, 3/4 cup RumChata, 1 cup milk, and 1 box of vanilla pudding.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
189 | Calories |
3g | Fat |
12g | Carbs |
1g | Protein |
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Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 1 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 189 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 3g | 4% |
Saturated Fat 2g | 11% |
Cholesterol 11mg | 4% |
Sodium 19mg | 1% |
Total Carbohydrate 12g | 5% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 2% |
Total Sugars 11g | |
Protein 1g | |
Vitamin C 26mg | 129% |
Calcium 43mg | 3% |
Iron 0mg | 1% |
Potassium 131mg | 3% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
- orange
- cocktail
- american
- birthdays
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