Skinny Bitch

Also known as a Vodka Soda, Vodka Highball or Vodka Seltzer, the Skinny Bitch is a classic three-ingredient drink made with vodka, soda water, and fresh lime juice.

The rich and smooth character of vodka blends perfectly with the tart, zesty yet slightly sweet fresh lime juice and the fresh, crisp, mineral quality of the soda water. The final result? A drink that’s as straightforward as it is perfect.

The Skinny Bitch is essentially a Vodka Soda, but the use of the name Skinny Bitch came about in the 2000s. In fact, that’s when this drink skyrocketed, when diet culture and the obsession with low-cal diets were all the rage in the media. Its name originated from its perceived lower calorie count compared to most other cocktails.

But you’re right if you’re thinking that Vodka Soda has been around long before the 2000s. Michael Bergström, Drinks Expert from Bartenders’ Choice Awards, explains:

While the practice of diluting alcohol with water has been around for centuries, carbonation has a more recent history of about 250 years. Interestingly, carbonated water was discovered by accident in the 1770s when a bowl of water was mistakenly left above a beer vat at a brewery.

In 1783, a young entrepreneur established a renowned soft drink company, and one of his early successes was Bottled Soda Water. Towards the end of the 19th century, a Washington lobbyist introduced the trend of mixing Bourbon with soda water and fresh lime. This drink, known as the Bourbon Rickey, quickly gained popularity, leading to various personalized versions using other spirits. Among them, the Gin Rickey emerged as a crowd favorite.

Fast forward to the 1970s and Vodka began to rival whisky in US sales and Vodka Highballs with Soda Water were introduced to the world.

Keep things cool
For a perfect Skinny Bitch, coldness is a crucial element. Ensure that the Glass, Soda Water, and Vodka are all adequately chilled before pouring. This way, your carbonation will play the long game. A warm mixer is the ultimate ice-melting villain, and nobody wants to sip on a flat, lukewarm drink. Nobody.

Ice First, Spirit Second, Mixer Last
When making a Skinny Bitch, after adding the Ice Cubes into your Glass, always pour in the Vodka and then your mixer (in this case, Soda Water). As a rule, you should mix liquids according to their specific gravity—start with the heaviest ingredients and finish with the lightest. So, in this case, you want to add the Vodka first, then the mixer, otherwise you’ll end up with an unbalanced and very boozy-tasting drink.

Lots of Lime
“One of the keys to this drink is to get a lot of Fresh Lime Juice in there,” shares Rico. And we agree – Fresh Lime Juice really adds an edge and complexity to the drink.

Juice Fresh Only!
Continuing from the point above, always squeeze Fresh Lime Juice. Only use bottled Lime Juice as the last resort. It’s simply not going to taste as good. If you want your drink to taste refreshing and for all those flavors to really come out, then you have to use Fresh Lime Juice.

Choose carefully  
With only three ingredients, there’s no hiding. It’s all about the quality of your ingredients so choose your favorites; if you have a favorite brand of Soda Water, use that. If you have a favorite Vodka, choose that. We might be biased, but we love using Absolut Vodka in our Skinny Bitch.

Gin Rickey
The Gin Rickey is a classic drink that could be seen as a Gin alternative to the Vodka Soda. In addition, the herbal notes from the Gin, it also uses Simple Syrup, making it a sweeter drink overall than the Vodka Soda.
Here’s how to make a Gin Rickey.

Absolut Lime Fizzy
Love Lime? Soda we (see what we did there?). This Vodka Soda variation dials up the Lime flavor by using Absolut Lime (Lime-Flavored Vodka) for an extra zesty twist on the classic.
Check out our recipe.

Raspberry Vodka Tonic
Not exactly a Vodka Soda variation but a Vodka Tonic one, it retains the zesty Lime flavors but swaps Soda Water for Tonic Water and introduces Raspberry notes using Absolut Raspberri (Raspberry-Flavored Vodka) and then garnished with Fresh Raspberries. Delicious!
See how to make a Raspberry Vodka Tonic.

Although our recipe above recommends garnishing with a Lime Wedge perched on the side of your glass, you’ll notice in the video that Rico prefers a Lime Wheel, which he drops right into the glass. Try both and see which you like best.

We also suggest using a Highball Glass to accommodate all the ice, but Rico opts for a Stemless Wine Glass. The choice is yours – it’s your drink, after all!