A subtle but effective variation on the classic martini. First of all, you have to infuse the gin or vodka with the rosemary. Take fresh rosemary and strip off the leaves. Discard the woody stalks. Wash the leaves. In terms of proportions, use roughly a handful of leaves for the amount of gin/vodka needed to make two martinis. Chop them up and add them to … Continue reading Rosemary Martini
Continuing my love of tea, I made some Earl Grey martinis for my family. Earl Grey has a citrus taste which compliments the gin very nicely. It’s very easy to do, slightly zesty, refreshing and not as strong as a classic martini. Make some earl grey tea. You will need approximately a third of a cup for one martini. Squeeze some lemon juice to add … Continue reading Earl Grey martini
If I could drink only one thing for the rest of my life (other than water) I would pick tea, not gin or anything else. I love tea. It can be a gentle pick-me-up, a social bonding agent, a family focal activity or my first positive sensory experience of the morning. I’ll usually drink simple black tea blends with milk, mostly Ceylon or English breakfast. … Continue reading Camomile Tea Martini
This drink, the apple martini, took several attempts (and a strong liver) to perfect. My first recipe simply involved sour apple spirit (there are several brands) mixed with vodka (stored for at least a day in the freezer) garnished with an apple slice. 2 parts sour apple spirit 4-5 parts vodka Apple slice While visually appealing with its clear green hue, I thought its chemical … Continue reading The Apple Martini (aka the Appletini)
What kind of martini should you serve before a curry? This one. Indian summer? No, just a British one. As much as I love a classic gin martini, sometimes it can leave your mouth just a little too raw before you eat a fiery dish, so I started to contemplate an alternative, something with less alcohol but more flavour to compliment the curry. Of course, … Continue reading The Raitini (cucumber raita martini)
The classic martini will always be my favourite, but of the non-classics, I think this is definitely one of the tastiest (even if it looks slightly alarming). The breakfast martini was invented by Salvatore Calabrese in the Lanesborough hotel in London. It involves gin, marmalade, lemon juice and Cointreau or Triple Sec. However, I’ve had some lingonberry jam in my fridge from my last Ikea … Continue reading The Frukostini (the Swedish breakfast martini)
I’ve posted about this before but I’m going to do it again as I changed the garnish and the company. The peartini is very easy. My rough recipe is as follows: 1 part vermouth 2.5 parts gin 3 parts pear juice from a tin Garnish with one or two pear slices And adjust the measurements to taste. It’s not really set in stone. It’s sweet … Continue reading Peartini
I went to a bar last night where they chilled the martini glass using ice cubes. This really doesn’t work. The glass will warm up very quickly, especially if the alcohol content hasn’t been stored in the freezer either. It may take a bit of pre-planning and adjustment to get everything organised, but soon you will realise that keeping everything in the freezer is the … Continue reading Chilling the glass
My cousin was visiting for a catch up so I decided to make her something sweet and dark. I saw fresh cherries for sale, incidentally from the same shire that she comes from, so I bought them and went from there. So here is the result, the dark cherry martini. 3 parts gin or vodka 1-2 parts sweet vermouth (to taste) 2 parts cherry syrup … Continue reading Cherry martini
I’ve been making some very standard martinis lately, rather than experimenting, but why vary on a classic when it’s so good? I also made a dirty martini, just with a little olive brine to add a salty taste and whet my appetite before a meal. Still, the clean, sharp original remains my ultimate favourite. Continue reading Classics
The Martini Socialist 