One of my absolute favourite things about Germany is the drinking culture. Lord knows I love Helles Lager.

German food culture might not have the same reputation but don’t be fooled. Germany usually sits in the top five countries ranked by number of Michelin star restaurants.

During a trip to München I realised I especially love Weißwurst (alternatively spelt Weißwuascht in Bavarian) which translates as white sausage.

It’s a soft, creamy sausage served with sweet mustard and maybe a traditional pretzel, gherkin or radishes on the side. It is often consumed in the morning, but if eaten later in the day I strongly recommend pairing it with a gigantic vessel of frosty lager.

Recently on a visit to the embassy of the land where Brexit never happened (Lidl) I saw Weißwurst for sale. My first thought was “yum, I haven’t had any in ages” and my second thought was “I wonder if this would go well with a martini?”

So I took it home and when martini-time came around, I cooked some up.

How to cook Weißwurst

They’re really easy to prepare.

• Bring a pan of water to the boil.
• Take it off the heat and leave it to cool down for about five minutes.
• Add as many sausages as you want to eat.
• Leave them for about ten minutes.
• They’re then ready to serve.

I think traditionally you serve them at the table in a dish containing the same warm water they were cooked in but whenever I had them in bars they were simply served on a plate, and eaten rather quickly.

Unfortunately neither a dish nor a whole sausage served on a plate makes a good martini accompaniment.

Martini snacks should be bitesize and small enough to eat with one hand (so your other hand can clasp your glass).

So, simply slice the sausage into bitesize pieces and serve it with a little mustard and a toothpick or small fork.

Some sliced gherkins or fresh radishes on the side wouldn’t harm either. They make a nice refreshing and crunchy contrast to the soft white sausage.

For the martini, I would recommend something fairly neutral in terms of the gin or vodka so it doesn’t clash with the meat, mustard and pickle flavours.

Why not try it with a suitable Pickle Martini? This would certainly compliment the meat flavours beautifully.

While Germany isn’t considered the same heartland of vermouth as France or Italy, the country has a small but distinctive vermouth production scene. A German wermut would therefore be an ideal ingredient for the drink.

For the garnish this time I thought a slice of radish would be perfect.

Clean a fresh radish and slice a circle out from the middle.

Cut a notch around two-thirds into it.

Slot it onto the glass, then pour.

Prost!