Creative Culinary

Food and Cocktail Recipes l Denver, CO

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beans and Lentils
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Cookies, Brownies and Bars
    • Meat and Fish
      • Beef
      • Chicken and Turkey
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Fish, Seafood
    • Pasta, Potatoes, Rice & Grains
    • Pizza
    • Pressure Cooker Favorites
    • Salads, Dressings, Marinades, Sauces
    • Sandwiches
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Friday Cocktails
    • Cocktail News
    • Bourbon
    • Champagne, Prosecco, Cava
    • Cognac
    • Gin
    • Liqueurs
    • Mocktails
    • Rum
    • Scotch
    • Tequila
    • Vodka
  • About
    • Tips for High Altitude Baking
    • Ingredient Substitutions
    • Food Blogs in Colorado
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beans and Lentils
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Cookies, Brownies and Bars
    • Meat and Fish
      • Beef
      • Chicken and Turkey
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Fish, Seafood
    • Pasta, Potatoes, Rice & Grains
    • Pizza
    • Pressure Cooker Favorites
    • Salads, Dressings, Marinades, Sauces
    • Sandwiches
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Friday Cocktails
    • Cocktail News
    • Bourbon
    • Champagne, Prosecco, Cava
    • Cognac
    • Gin
    • Liqueurs
    • Mocktails
    • Rum
    • Scotch
    • Tequila
    • Vodka
  • About
    • Tips for High Altitude Baking
    • Ingredient Substitutions
    • Food Blogs in Colorado
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
  • Contact
 
You are here: Home / Friday Cocktails / Vodka / Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail

Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail

February 28, 2020 5 Comments

Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail Garnished with a Slice of Fresh Pineapple and a Sprig of Mint
Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktails with Fresh Pineapple and Island Flowers in the Background
Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktails with Copper Shaker and Island Tropical Flowers in Yellow and Pink

 A magical blend of vodka, vanilla, pineapple, orange liqueur, and Amaretto make this Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail the perfect escape summer or winter.

Two Glasses of Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail with Garnish

 You can never tell where I’ll get my cocktail inspiration; there are days when it’s easiest to follow someone else recipe, others when I’m in the mood to play with ingredients and then days like the day I decided to make this Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail.

Deverick, a local friend I know on Facebook was on vacation onboard a Princess Cruise when he asked me if I had ever had a Vanilla Sky Cocktail and he posted a photo. This girl on a cruise? No, no way. No matter that I live in landlocked Colorado, I have honed my fear of sharks enough that I would never trust a sea voyage of any kind. But a cocktail? Sure!

The photo made it easy to replicate as it included a recipe on a placemat where he had taken his photo…but I learned quickly enough that others had already devised their own recipe from the same vacation concoction too so it was easy enough to make…except for a few things which I took the liberty to change.

Photo of Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail on a Princess Cruise

What steps did I take to make this cocktail my own?

  1. Ingredients called for Vanilla Vodka. Nope…the ONLY flavored vodka I like is a Lemon Vodka from a company called Deep Eddy; otherwise I stick to plain vodkas and have plenty of ways to flavor them myself. I simply added vanilla bean paste but if that’s not in your pantry, simply substitute with an equal amount of vanilla extract.
  2. Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose water or orange flower water. It has a pronounced almond taste but also a very short shelf life in the fridge so I chose not to source it and instead substituted Amaretto almond liqueur and a small amount of orange flower water which I keep on hand.
  3. I used Orange Liqueur in lieu of Orange Curaçao. They are basically interchangeable with any good version including real essence of orange from orange peels combined with alcohol and sugar. Watch out for cheap orange triple sec; it’s often simply orange flavored sugar water and not an ingredient I recommend. Grand Marnier is made with brandy and not a substitution I would consider for this cocktail.

 A bottle of Bedlam Vodka used in the Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail

I chose to include Bedlam Vodka for this cocktail from North Carolina’s Graybeard Distillery in Durham, North Carolina. I’ve had it on hand a couple of weeks waiting for the right moment and the right recipe. That moment arrived not just with Deverick’s post but with the birth of my first grandchild, Eli On February 8th.

It might seem circuitous to include a North Carolina brand with a Caribbean cocktail but I thought not. I spent ten lovely years in the Raleigh Durham area where both of my own children were born. My oldest daughter Emily gravitated back there a couple of years ago and she not only softened her ‘I never want to get married’ stance but lo and behold she and her hubs also decided they wanted a baby!

What better cocktail to celebrate with than one made from a distillery in her home state? And this is some vodka too. Distilled from rice, it is incredibly smooth and the company is rightfully proud of that lack of a ‘burn’ so often associated with vodka.

I found it the perfect compliment to my fruit forward yet still light cocktail. Honestly…I sat in the middle of a blizzard, put on some island music and dreamed of warmer times…try it; you might find comfort in that too!

Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktails Garnished with Pineapple Wedges and Mint

My neighbor Amy was called into action to help me drink these. She deferred at first, telling me she was off alcohol for awhile, pre-summer clothing and all. She asked what was in it and after I shared the ingredients she took a sip. That was a mistake; she said it was so good it gave her goosebumps and she gladly obliged me. I did feed her too…no tipsy moments here!

This cocktail recipe is so cool and refreshing with both sweet and tangy vibes. There is a story behind the Vanilla Sky cocktail that features the dueling flavors of vanilla and pineapple. While pineapples are international symbols of hospitality, according to myth, vanilla was created in the after of a forbidden love affair between a mortal and a goddess.

So there is a combination of  both hospitality and forbidden; much I have always attributed to Tahiti through the works of James Michener; it does seem the perfect marriage! Put your feet up, pretend you’re on a warm beach and enjoy your own Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail…cheers!

PIN IT! ‘Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail’

Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktails with Copper Shaker and Island Tropical Flowers in Yellow and Pink

Yield: 2 Cocktails

Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail

Two Glasses of Tahiti Vanilla Sky Vodka Cocktail with Garnish

A delicious blend of pineapple, lime, orange and almond for beautiful island cocktail.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 oz vodka
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • .5 oz agave syrup
  • 1.5 oz fresh pineapple juice
  • 1.5 oz lime juice
  • .75 oz Amaretto (or other almond liqueur)
  • .25 oz orange flower water
  • .5 oz orange curacao or orange liqueur
  • Pineapple slices and mint for garnish

Instructions

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Combine all ingredients except garnish in a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly until ice cold.
  3. Divide cocktail between two glasses filled with ice.
  4. Garnish with pineapple and mint.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 4gSugar: 52gProtein: 2g

The nutritional information is computer-generated and only an estimate.

© Creative Culinary

This post is sponsored by Bedlam Vodka but all commentary is my own.


« Chocolate Chip Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Stout Brownies with Irish Cream Frosting »

Comments

  1. club penguin says

    May 14, 2020 at 10:26 pm

    Great for a summer and winter cocktail.
    Reply
  2. Sabrina says

    March 19, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    looking for some new (at least to me), fun cocktail recipes, found this, thank you!
    Reply
    • Barb says

      March 20, 2020 at 11:13 am

      I've got about 300 cocktail recipes on this site...enjoy! :)
      Reply
  3. John / Kitchen Riffs says

    February 28, 2020 at 10:43 am

    We like cruising -- in fact recently returned from one. Anyway, this looks like a lovely drink -- good flavors in it, and looks good. Winner! :-)
    Reply
    • Barb says

      February 29, 2020 at 1:47 am

      I want to go on one of those River Cruises, either Alaska or somewhere in Europe I think I would love that. I honestly have this absolutely unrealistic out of control fear of sharks. I can't help but imagine the Titanic in an ocean filled with them. Like I said unrealistic! I lived in North Carolina for 10 years and went to the beach a couple of times each summer but I didn't go in very far. Maybe because my move to North Carolina coincided with the movie Jaws? 🙂
      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

SUBSCRIBE and NEVER MISS A RECIPE!


Recipes by Category

Recipes by Month

Amazon Disclosure

Creative Culinary is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com .

About Me

I’m Barbara Kiebel, the cook, photographer, author, and everyday eater at Creative Culinary. I hope you enjoy the recipes I prepare for family and friends and appreciate every one of you that come visit my virtual home! Read More…

About – Privacy Policy – Terms of Use – Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 Creative Culinary

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
MENU
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beans and Lentils
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Cookies, Brownies and Bars
    • Meat and Fish
      • Beef
      • Chicken and Turkey
      • Lamb
      • Pork
      • Fish, Seafood
    • Pasta, Potatoes, Rice & Grains
    • Pizza
    • Pressure Cooker Favorites
    • Salads, Dressings, Marinades, Sauces
    • Sandwiches
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Friday Cocktails
    • Cocktail News
    • Bourbon
    • Champagne, Prosecco, Cava
    • Cognac
    • Gin
    • Liqueurs
    • Mocktails
    • Rum
    • Scotch
    • Tequila
    • Vodka
  • About
    • Tips for High Altitude Baking
    • Ingredient Substitutions
    • Food Blogs in Colorado
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
  • Contact