A Life, Lived

Rhubarb Martini

This Rhubarb Martini is made with a simple rhubarb syrup that is mixed with vodka and lime juice. Make this easy summer cocktail by shaking the the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker for a refreshing pink vodka drink.

Once the syrup is made, it can be stored in the fridge and taken out to make individual martinis as desired!

This martini was so tasty that even Jake wanted a piece of the action . . .

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Martini

Rhubarb syrup:

2 cups diced rhubarb
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar

Add the water, sugar, and rhubarb to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes or until the rhubarb is softened and stringy.

Strain the rhubarb using a cheesecloth or strainer into a large glass jar. Discard solids. Cool and refrigerate syrup.

Martini:

2 ounces rhubarb syrup
1½ ounces vodka
1 ounce lime juice
thin slice of rhubarb soaked in ice water (I used a vegetable peeler)

Combine vodka, rhubarb syrup, lime juice, and ice in a shaker. Shake until frosty.

Pour into a martini glass.

Garnish with the slice of rhubarb.

Pomegranate Orange Martinis

National cocktail day wsa last week. Paul and I sipped these to commemorate the occasion. They were delicious!

As you can see from the picture. we did not rim the glass with sugar.

Enjoy.

Pomegranate Orange Martini

6 ounces pomegranate juice
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar for decorating the rims of the glasses (if desired)

If decorating the rims of the glasses with sugar, pour the sugar into a thin layer on a small saucer. Moisten the rims of two martini glasses (I rub an orange or lemon wedge around the rims) and carefully dip the martini glasses rims down the sugar until the rims are coated with sugar. Set martini glasses right-side up and allow sugar to set (should take just a couple of minutes).

Add pomegranate juice, vodka, Cointreau, and orange juice to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain mixture into martini glasses and serve immediately.

Orchard Martini

This is one of our favourite drinks of all times. I thought I'd re-share it with Canadian Thanksgiving coming up this weekend this would be a perfect addition to the menu.

It came into our lives in an unsuspecting way - a dingy hotel bar in the middle of nowhere on an unplanned weather related stop when we should have been in California. Cranky and dejected about being stuck in Cincinnati when San Diego would have been a much better stop we went to the hotel bar for a drink and a snack. This was the featured martini. We loved it and have consumed plenty over the years - one good thing to come out of it.

You won't find a better fall beverage than this.

 

 

 

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« National Grouch Day! | Main | Harvest Pear Galette »

October 16, 2008

Orchard Martini

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

Orchard Martini

I've posted about this martini twice in the past few weeks. Lots of folks have asked em for the recipe - lord knows I am happy to share! I think that for Paul and I this our new favourite martini - perfect for this time of year. It tastes of apple cider - what says fall better than that?

On Monday we officially ran out of both vodka AND Pucker liqueur . . . time for a run to the liquor store!

Orchard Martini

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple liqueur (we use 'Pucker')
3 oz apple cider

Mix ingredients together with ice, shake. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple wedge or a thin cross-section slice of apple.

Meyer Lemon Thyme Martini

Paul and I usually plan a nice dinner for Good Friday. We always start off with a cocktail - usually something that is 'spring-like' whatever that means.

This year it meant something bright and refreshing.

We've made a similar drink before but made with regular lemons, not Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are more floral than regular lemons, less bitter and astringent. It really showed in this drink.

We LOVED this. Had it not been for the fact that stores were closed and I had used all of the Meyer lemons making the first round there definitely would have been another round immediately.

We did not rim the glass with sugar and cardamom. Other than that we followed the recipe as printed.

Enjoy!

Meyer Thyme Martini

1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom
1 small Meyer Lemon; plus 1 lemon twist for garnish
1 teaspoon crushed fresh thyme leaves
2 ounces Vodka, chilled
2 ounces fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 ounce (2 Tbs.) simple syrup (recipe below)

Pour the sugar and cardamom onto a small, wide dish like a salad plate and mix to combine. Run the lemon half around the rim of a chilled martini glass to wet it. Dip the rim into the sugar mixture, margarita-style.

With a muddler or the bottom of a wooden spoon, crush the thyme leaves in the bottom of a chilled cocktail shaker. Add the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice. Put the lid on the shaker can and shake until well chilled.

Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass. Garnish with the lemon twist and a thyme stem.

Simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely before using. Makes 1/2 cup.

Strawberry Basil Martini

With the development of so-called 'ever bearing' strawberries the once short season is extended although it is gradually coming to an end. We took advantage of this last night turning the last few delicious berries into this amazing drink.

I told Paul that I was mixing up a martini and he informed me that he was cutting back on alcohol consumption as a health kick. No doubt he has a doctor appointment coming up requiring blood tests. LOL I wanted to be supportive so I shelved the plans . . . until he looked at the recipe and decided one might be 'OK'.

Well folks, it was not just OK, it was an amazing drink! If you have any good, fresh strawberries near you do give it a try.

Strawberry Basil Martini

3 strawberries, plus 1 thin slice
3 basil leaves
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
Ice
1 ounce gin
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries with the basil leaves and Simple Syrup. Add ice and the remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the strawberry slice.

Cherry Elderflower Martini

I tried t make this drink a few weeks ago but I was out of elderflower liqueur (how on earth does that happen . . . ). There was plenty of cherry juice leftover so I popped into the liquor store one day after work and picked up a bottle of St. Germain.

We mixed this up last week and were very impressed - this cherry martini with lime and elderflower is fruity, flavorful, and so easy to make! I guess it was a good thing that I bought a big bottle of St. Germain because there are more of these in our future.

If you’ve never tried elderflower liqueur (most common brand: St. Germain), you have to give it a try! It adds such a great flavor to cocktails with floral and citrus notes. I love it with drinks that have citrus or berry flavors in them, but it’s really a versatile liqueur that’s great in so many different drinks. It’s perfect with the cherry and lime in this cherry martini.

Cherry Elderflower Martini

2 ounces tart cherry juice
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
Juice of 1/2 lime
Ice for shaking
lime slices for garnish, optional

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

Shake well, and pour into glasses, straining out ice. Serve immediately, garnished with a lime slice.

Cherry Lemon Martini

I made this drink last week - it wasn't the drink that we had planned as we were out of a key ingredient (we'll try the original recipe tonight). That being said, this combination of cherry juice, vodka, and limoncello was fabulous!

Cheers,

Cherry Lemon Martini

3 oz cherry juice
2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz limoncello
lime wedge (for garnish)

Mix the ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice.

Strain into martini glasses.

Garnish with the lime wedge.

Ginger, Pear Martini

Paul and I haven't been drinking may cocktails lately. In fact, I had purchased the ingredients for this drink in the fall thinking that pear was a nice fall drink. However, in February I was getting a bit sick of this pear juice sitting around and wanted it gone.

I mixed this drink with pear juice, pear vodka, and ginger liqueur. I had some pear bitters in the cellar so that went in as well. All in all the results were amazing.

It would have looked prettier with a nice slice of pear as a garnish but you make do with what you have. :-)

Ginger, Pear Martini

1.5 oz pear vodka
1 oz ginger liqueur
2 oz fresh pear juice
dash pear bitters

Pour all ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously.Pour into a martini glass.

Rosemary Pear Martini

With the seasons changing so to go our beverages. Gone are the Daiquiris of summer. Now we are sipping drinks made with apple, pear and other fall flavours.

This martini came together quickly and tasted great!

Rosemary Pear Martini

2 oz pear vodka
3 oz pear nectar
1 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz lime juice
sprig of fresh rosemary

Pour all ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice. Bruise the rosemary leaves between your fingers to release their oils. Add to the shaker. Shake.

Strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with the rosemary sprig.

Paul's March Birthday Drink

We are not doing very well in celebrating the 'year Paul turns 40'.

Paul's birthday is on June 30th. The idea behind the year-long celebration is that we shall have a special drink on the 30th of each month.

Unfortunately, with life being life we keep forgetting.

In January he had a special martini.

February only has 28 days so he got nothing. :-(

In March we made up for it with a martini which required rosemary infused vodka and freshly squeezed red grapefruit juice! It was aptly called 'spring has sprung'