You’ve drunk the best vodkas coming out of the distilleries and mixed the drink with everything from tonic water to pomegranate juice — and, of course, you’ve gulped down Bloody Marys in swift succession.

Perhaps it’s time to strike out in a different direction. Raise a glass to the numerous flavoured vodkas that are finding space behind the bar. How about a pepper — or a vanilla-flavoured vodka? Or, if you rather swig something a bit less exotic, how about the more familiar Smirnoff Lime launched in October 2010? Let’s look at some of the vodka breezers that are hoping to catch the attention of adventurous drinkers or youngsters out to paint the town red.

ABSOLUT

Imagine a bowl of luscious peaches or mouthwatering raspberries right before your eyes. Or, better still a tall glass filled to the brim with peach-flavoured or raspberry-flavoured vodka. Absolut from Pernod Ricard has a choice of fruity flavours ranging from Citron, which is a mix of lemon and other citrus-y tastes, to Mandarin, Raspberri, Apeach and even Kurant (made from blackcurrants). If, by any chance, you’d rather not gorge on fruits, how about Vanilia, which is predominantly vanilla-flavoured, with notes of butterscotch and traces of chocolate. And, if you’re willing to live dangerously, why not be a devil and go for Peppar, which as the name hints is a spicy mix of capsicum pepper and fresh green jalapeñ pepper. These all come in 1 litre and 750ml bottles.

SMIRNOFF

Indians are famously fond of their lime sodas and anything with a lime-lemony flavour is bound to go down smoothly. So, it was no surprise that liquor giant Diageo started pouring out Smirnoff Lime in India late last year. Smirnoff Lime comes after Diageo had already introduced other flavours like Green Apple, Citrus, Vanilla, and Raspberry for the younger generation who enjoy fun flavours on an evening out in a disc or club.

SKYY

Have a blast. Take your pick between Citrus and Passion Fruit vodkas from SKYY Infusions — a Gruppo Campari company. Sip the tangy citrus or the richer passion fruit. Have it straight — as most bartenders recommend — or combine it into a cocktail (the company suggests mixing 2oz passion fruit with ¾ oz pineapple juice, ¾ oz Cointreau and ½ oz fresh lime juice). And watch out for new flavours from SKYY Infusions — abroad it has nine different flavours including dragon fruit, raspberry, cherry and blood orange.

BELVEDERE

Wouldn’t you like to sip on the flavours of luscious, real fruits? That’s the promise on offer when you reach out for a bottle of Belvedere Orange or Citron — or point at the bottle, if you happen to be in a bar. Belvedere’s one of the big players in the world of premium vodka so it’s macerated vodka — macerated refers to the process by which the fruity flavours are extracted — promises the extra, tanginess of real fruit.

Belvedere Citrus uses a combination of select Mediterranean lemons that are combined with limes from Latin America to create a ‘dense fragrance of crisp citrus with lime notes’. Belvedere Orange too is made using a proprietary maceration process and its ingredients include ‘natural sweet oranges, mandarins, and orange blossoms from the Mediterranean and limes from Latin America’. On a really hot, tropical day, the company recommends trying a long, cooling drink of Belvedere Orange mixed simply with soda. If you’d like a more complex alternative, try the Asian Sling, which consists of 45ml/1.5oz Belvedere Orange, 10ml/ ¼ Elderflower Cordial, 2-3 pieces of ginger, 2 lychees, 60ml/2oz pressed apple juice. Add all ingredients to a highball glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with a lychee.