Popular Smirnoff Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

In terms of flavor trends in the food and beverage space, tamarind has been a big one for 2021. Publications like Nutritional Outlook credit this to the pandemic, saying, since frequent travelers weren't able to get out of their homes much in 2020, they wanted more globally-inspired flavors. "The rising popularity of Asia-inspired flavors like yuzu, calamansi, and tamarind in [consumer packaged goods] products speaks to this [trend]," said Holly McHugh, marketing associate for Imbibe, in a Nutritional Outlook article.

But while tamarind is all well and good in things like chutneys and sauces, it needs to stay out of our vodka. Even to diehard tamarind fans, the combination of tamarind and spirits just doesn't work. As one reviewer said of Smirnoff's spicy tamarind vodka, "A surprising punch of sweet and sour sauce hits right away, quickly followed by a hot cayenne note. The sharp tanginess is overwhelming, as is the fieriness — but the combination of the two makes for an experience that is just plain weird. Both mouth-puckering and pungent, I could only manage a few sips before I had to call it a night."

Honestly, the whole Sours series seems to be a limited-time gimmick on Smirnoff's part and, yet, it's not. You can still buy the green apple, watermelon, and berry lemon variants in stores as of summer 2021; only the sour fruit punch flavor fell off somewhere between the 2014 launch and today. 

The watermelon variety is slightly better than the green apple, but it's still sure to make you pucker up. In fact, that sour pucker was all part of Smirnoff's marketing plan for the flavors. The brand encouraged drinkers to take photos of their friends' puckered faces after taking shots of the stuff and then post them on social media, saying, "Sours is the next big thing in shot rituals. It's unique because it creates a true, memorable moment — toasting with new and old friends and capturing the sour face that follows."

We're not sure it was ever next big thing, but we're going to take a big pass.

Now, you may find yourself asking, as you scratch your head as you stand in the vodka aisle at the liquor store, perusing all the many Smirnoff bottles, "What exactly is the difference between Smirnoff's green apple and Smirnoff's Sours green apple?" And that's a great question.

The Smirnoff green apple is just slightly smoother than the Smirnoff Sours green apple — smooth enough that you can enjoy it alone with soda, rather than resorting to chilled shots only. However, that smoothness isn't great enough to redeem the flavor very much, which is why it only ranks just above Smirnoff's Sours series.

Honestly, if you want to go with a green apple-inspired alcoholic beverage from Smirnoff, you'd be best off going with Smirnoff Ice green apple, the carbonated malt beverage that's blatantly a sugary, fruity, sour alcoholic beverage, rather than a flavored vodka pretending it's better than it is.

If you take a gander at all of Smirnoff's flavors, you'll notice that the brand has capitalized on just about every fruity and tropical flavor out there, including coconut. Unfortunately, some of those flavors just don't work well with vodka. Coconut, for example, goes best with rum. As one reviewer notes, "Clear, unlike UV's milky white oddity, Smirnoff again shows that when it comes to coconut, the natural companion is rum, not vodka. There's something about these two that just doesn't seem to play well together: The coconut just can't be sweetened enough to cut through the vodka's harshness."

Vodka is naturally harsh and somewhat astringent, but for those who like vodka, that's a good thing. Trying to cover that up, or even trying to make that harshness play well with something light, like coconut, is just a giant fail that proves Smirnoff is trying too hard, in some instances, to expand its ever-growing list of flavors.

Smirnoff's raspberry flavor has been a staple on the Smirnoff lineup for years. It reliably tastes the way raspberry-flavored things are supposed to taste and is a pretty decent addition to mixed drinks — or even just an ice-cold Coca-Cola. You can even take shots of the raspberry-flavored vodka and, while it might not be the best option, it's still do-able and even do-able when the vodka is at room temperature. However, if you're going to drink your Smirnoff straight, you can certainly do better, which is why this raspberry-flavored vodka sits where it does on our list of worst to best Smirnoff flavors.

Reviewers report using the raspberry flavor as an alternative to the pink lemonade Smirnoff when it's not available, including as a mixer with Mountain Dew or orange soda, or even in sangria. It's also a favorite for making Jell-O shots.

Infused with natural cherry flavor, Smirnoff cherry vodka is yet another one of the brand's middle-of-the-road fruit flavors. It ranks higher than some of its fruity competitors, though, thanks to its overall versatile appeal. Most drinkers aren't going to mind a bit of cherry flavor in their mixed beverage, and the cherry flavor itself doesn't taste as "fake" as, say, Smirnoff's grape option. As for your mixing options, reviewers recommend just about any soda and some even use the vodka as an alternative to wine, when serving non-wine drinking friends. One notes, "If you're having a girls' night and your girls don't drink wine (like mine) then just grab you a bottle of this and any soda you like and be ready to relax, unwind, and enjoy a great time with your girls!"

Total Wine also recommends using the vodka in a berry Sspritzer cocktail, mixing an ounce of the cherry vodka with two ounces of club soda, three ounces of cranberry juice, and a garnish of fresh blueberries.

On the sweet side, Smirnoff watermelon, while not as popular as some of the other fruity flavors on this list for drinking straight and/or in shot form, receives rave reviews as a mixer. Unsurprisingly, reviewers seem to love Smirnoff watermelon for use in their watermelon-based slush cocktails. In fact, if you're looking for the right vodka to use in your vodka-spiked watermelon, look no further.

Never made a spiked watermelon before? While the process does take a while (over 12 hours), it's a pretty easy one and well worth the time if you want to impress your guests at your next summer party. All you need is a watermelon and a bottle of vodka (in this case, Smirnoff watermelon). You core out a hole in the center of the watermelon, slide your upside-down bottle of vodka inside, and then let it all rest for a few hours, until the vodka seeps into the watermelon. Then, you can remove the vodka, put the watermelon in the fridge to chill, and slice and dice when you're ready to chow down on your boozy snack.

While Smirnoff root beer float may not be something you'd want to drink on its own, at least not on a regular basis, it does get points for being the perfect addition to an actual root beer float (or just root beer ... or really quite a few different sodas). Creamy, slightly sweet, with that classic root beer spice and vanilla kick, this is a vodka that'll make you feel a little bit nostalgic, but in a good way. And reviewers agree, saying it's not overly strong, the flavored vodka is a great fit for parties, and that it's pretty smooth and not too vodka-y. 

However, this is a Smirnoff flavor that some shoppers report not being able to find in every single geographic location. But, for those craving a delicious alcoholic root beer float, Smirnoff does have you covered with other suitable flavors to add straight to your root beer, for a similar root beer float taste with a kick of vodka. Some other adult root beer float add-ins include Smirnoff's less-popular whipped cream flavor, as well as Smirnoff vanilla.

Very few people are sitting around just eating cranberries and, similarly, very few people are just sitting around sipping straight cranberry vodka, but Smirnoff still has dedicated one of its flavors to this under-appreciated berry. Thankfully, the actual cocktail that's a cranberry vodka (aka Cape Cod) is pretty popular, making this vodka flavor a perfect fit for mixing with cranberry juice and a splash of lime, or with a lemon-lime soda. 

Reviewers also like this flavor when used to make cocktails like Cosmopolitans or when mixed with ginger ale or mineral water. However, some do complain that, while crisp, it's not the smoothest vodka on this list, and you definitely can still feel that familiar vodka burn. For some, that'll be a plus, as the cranberry doesn't overwhelm the vodka, but for those who want their flavored vodka to taste just like the flavor and nothing else, this option might be underwhelming.

As far as Smirnoff's fruity flavors go, Smirnoff blueberry is pretty mild, so you could feasibly drink it straight, on crushed ice, or as a shot. However, it also works well with a lot of different mixers. It's a little sweet, but not overly so, and it doesn't taste at all artificial. The blueberry flavor blends well with the natural flavor of the alcohol, too, so it's not as if the two flavor profiles are warring for your attention.

According to reviewers, favorite mixers include pineapple juice, cranberry juice, lemonade, lemon-lime soda, and even Red Bull. Reviewers report that the blueberry flavor is definitely suitable for summertime. Just be careful — reviewers also note that, because Smirnoff blueberry is so smooth, it masks the taste of the vodka pretty well, meaning you might be drinking a little more than you initially planned. As always, when sampling any of Smirnoff's flavors, it's important to keep an eye on just how much you're sampling.

You're probably wondering why this Smirnoff flavor ranks so highly on our list. It's partially because, when it comes to making dessert cocktails, there are few flavors that are so often used as peppermint. However, few consumers are regularly making dessert cocktails at home, so when they do need a peppermint vodka or other peppermint-flavored spirit, they likely don't want to spend a ton of money. Thankfully, when it comes to Smirnoff's peppermint offering, the brand provides a great quality product, but also an agreeable price that isn't going to require basically overspending for a spirit that you only use every once in a while. 

Beyond this, in terms of vodka flavors, if you're going to go with a particularly strong one, peppermint is probably the flavor you want to choose; the sharp taste of the peppermint mixes well with the equally sharp taste of Smirnoff vodka, in a way that some other flavors (like tamarind) just can't do.

Smirnoff lime does an excellent job of infusing a vodka with a lot of flavor, but without straight up slapping you in the face with that flavor. This flavor works well both by itself or with a mixer, and even simple mixers won't be overpowered. Any cocktail or mixed drink that's normally garnished with a lime or that includes lime juice? You can probably just add a splash of this on top. Think a vodka soda with lime or a Cape Cod.

Reviewers like this one all on its own, too, saying, "Perfect amount of lime flavor. Excellent for Bloody Mary or on the rocks. The lime flavor tastes like fresh limes, not imitation!" and "It's tart, not too sweet, but still smooth enough to sip. Absolutely will buy again!"

Sadly, Smirnoff did release an even better version of Smirnoff lime, in 2019, that also included ginger, making it a perfect addition to a ginger beer for a makeshift Moscow Mule, but that flavor has since been discontinued.

Sure, it's not a flavor, but it is the best Smirnoff vodka you're going to find, hands down. Smirnoff No. 21 vodka, according to the brand, is the world's top vodka. Triple distilled and filtered 10 times over, it's the OG of mainstream vodka. Sure, new drinkers may not find it very palatable due to the lack of flavor, and, yes, it might not be as smooth as other, more expensive vodkas on the liquor store shelf, but for a middle-grade, inexpensive, unflavored vodka, Smirnoff No. 21 ticks all the right boxes. 

Overall, experienced drinkers will appreciate the lack of flavor, as it essentially makes the vodka a do-it-all blank canvas on which you can create the cocktail of your dreams — or, you can simply drink it straight and not wince every time you catch a note of that odd fake flavor (or even, god forbid, a pucker-worthy sour tang).