Archive for December, 2011

Simple Lemon Drop Martini Recipes

You can make your lemon drop martini as intricate or as simple as you want. Here are a few simple recipes, both of which achieve a nice smooth (and in some cases, very subtle) lemon flavor.

For the first recipe, you will need:

Citroen flavored vodka
syrup
lemon juice
super fine sugar

You can rim your martini glass with sugar for an additional boost of the sweet flavor, or simply chill your martini glass for at least 10 minutes to serve (for those who pay attention to calories).

Mix 1.5 oz of the vodka with an ounce of the lemon juice, half an ounce of the syrup, and a single teaspoon of the sugar in a cocktail shaker that is partially filled with crushed ice. Shake all of the ingredients thoroughly, and then strain the mixture into your chilled martini glass. You can add a twist of lemon for garnish, or simply drop it into your drink.

The Basic Lemon Drop Martini

For an even more basic lemon drop martini recipe, all you will need are three main ingredients:

vodka
dry vermouth
lemon zest (or lemon juice)

This version of the lemon drop martini cocktail is ideal for those who want only a subtle taste of lemon. It’s best to enjoy this martini through small sips (as with most martini drinks) since the main ingredient called for is vodka.

Mix 2 oz of the vodka with half an ounce of the dry vermouth in a cocktail shaker. Add the lemon zest to the mixture (as little or as much as you desire) and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass, and enjoy.

Other Lemon Drop Martini Variations

In following the same recipes as above, try adding some variations to the basic recipes. For example, in place of the dry vermouth, try using triple sec and a margarita mix instead. So you could try mixing all of the following ingredients for a sweeter taste:

2 oz vodka
2 oz margarita mix
2 tbsp triple sec
lemon juice
1-2 tsp sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you want to achieve)

Another interesting twist to this tasty beverage is to use an orange liquer:

one part vodka
one part orange liqueur
fresh squeeze lemon juice
sugar for rimming

Combine and shake the vodka and liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Hand squeeze fresh lemon juice into the shaker, and then shake the mixture again. Strain the martini into a chilled martini glass rimmed with sugar (if desired), and then garnish with a twist of lemon.

Have fun experimenting with this one as there are tons of different avenues you can take with the lemon drop martini.

Martini Recipes Perfect for the Holidays

With the holidays just around the corner, the holiday parties are ramping up. If you are planning on throwing your own holiday party, whether for Christmas, or to celebrate the New Year, martini cocktails are a great addition to any cocktail menu. The beauty of the martini is that there are virtually endless ways to create this drink.

Five Delicious Martini Recipes

Below are five easy and delicious martini recipes sure to drum up great conversation at any holiday party you attend. Use one of the following recipes as your center theme, or serve all variations to create a martini tasting party for guests to enjoy! You may find a favorite among these recipes, making the martini a staple drink whenever you need to unwind. Enjoy!

The Basic Chocolate Martini

This variation of the chocolate martini is great on it’s own, or you can use this recipe as a basic chocolate martini recipe where you can add on additional flavors or ingredients to create your own unique cocktail.

The basic chocolate martini requires only three ingredients:

vodka
white creme de cacao
powdered cocoa for rimming

To rim your martini with cocoa, dip the martini glass rim into water, then dip into a shallow dish of powedered cocoa. Place the martini glass in the freezer to chill for at least 10 minutes while you mix your martini.

Using a cocktail shaker, add 1-2 oz of vodka, and 1-2 oz of the white creme de cacao. You can include crushed ice to the mix. Shake the cocktail shaker vigorously to ensure that the vodka and creme de cacao mix thoroughly. Strain the mixture into your chilled martini glass rimmed with cocoa.

Now, to add a touch of the holidays, garnish the drink with a candy cane, or simply garnish with a hershey’s kiss or small chocolate bar. You can really create a beautiful display by adding shaved white and dark chocolate to the top of your drink.

The Eggnog Martini

For those who love Eggnog (a very popular drink during the holidays), then give the Eggnog martini a try! In fact, this drink could be a bit dangerous because it tastes way to good to be a cocktail drink, so go easy on these.

All you need are four simple ingredients:

vodka
Amaretto
Eggnog (of course!)
Cinnamon, ground graham crackers, OR grated nutmeg for rimming

To rim your martini glass, simply dip the rim in some water, and then dip the rim in a shallow dish of ground cinnamon (yum). You can also dip the rim in ground graham crackers or grated nutmeg instead – it just all depends on what you prefer.

Place the glass in the freezer to chill for at least ten minutes.

Next, combine 1-2 oz of the vodka with equal parts of the amaretto and eggnog in a cocktail shaker. Shake the ingredients well and then strain into your chilled martini glass. For a real treat, try using vanilla vodka. And if you really want to try something different, take a look at this eggnog martini recipe using rum as an addition to this recipe.

For garnish, again you can use a candy cane for the holiday effect, or simply drip in a cinnamon stick to garnish. This is sure to be a hit for those eggnog lovers out there.

Spiced Apple Cider Martini

Another common favorite beverage during the cold winter months is apple cider. So why not combine this into a martini cocktail? The spiced apple cider martini requires a few more ingredients as well as a blender, but it is completely worth the extra effort.

Ingredients needed include:

4 oz spicy cider
2-4 oz vodka
1-2 oz triple sec
1-2 oz brandy
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp super fine sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
crushed ice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, ensuring that the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Add the blended mixture into a cocktail shaker partly filled with the crushed ice. Shake the cocktail shaker until the outer layer of the shaker is frosted. Pour the mixture into a chilled martini glass and enjoy!

For garnish, you can add a twist of lemon, a slice of an apple, and/or a cinnamon stick. Quite the extravagant drink, but again, worth the effort.

The Candy Cane Martini

The candy cane martini is a wonderful tribute to the holiday season and celebrations. This recipe requires very little effort and looks great once it’s assembled.

What you will need:

crushed (pulverized) candy canes
vanilla vodka
peppermint schnapps
club soda

Rim your martini glass with the crushed candy canes by dipping the rim of your glass in water, and then dipping the rim into a shallow dish filled with the crushed candy canes. You can chill the glass in the freezer (not required) for a more chilled effect.

Combine one part of the vanilla vodka to a half part of the peppermint schnapps in the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into your martini glass and then top with an ounce of the club soda.

Add a candy cane for garnish, or simply enjoy the beauty of the drink with the candy cane rim! Even Santa will be proud of this delicious martini drink.

The Gingerbread Martini

Another great holiday-themed martini is the gingerbread martini. Grab some ginger beer for this recipe (easily found in most liquor stores) and get ready for an explosion of flavors.

The ingredients list includes:

vanilla vodka
hazelnut liqueur
butterscotch schnapps
ginger beer
ice

Filling your cocktail shaker with part ice, add one part of the vanilla vodka, one part of the hazelnut liqueur and half a part of the schnapps, then shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass, filling it just a little over half way. Top your martini with the ginger beer.

You can include a gingerbread man cookie for garnish if you’d really like to impress your guests (you can pour a little bit of dark rum on the rim of your glass and then stick the cookie on the rum), or perhaps garnish with a few gumdrops on a stick.

Chocolate Martini Recipe

Believe it or not, there is a martini for chocolate lovers. This is an amazing cocktail for those who love the delectable flavor of chocolate, and what is even better is that you can create tons of different variations of the chocolate martini cocktail.

Chocolate Martini Recipes Using Baileys

In this first variation, the ingredients call for Bailey’s Irish Cream, vodka, and chocolate syrup. The preparation is easy and fast. Simply drizzle your martini glass with some chocolate syrup on the inside. Mix one part of the Baileys with one part of the vodka in a cocktail shaker partly filled with crushed ice.

Strain the mixture into your martini glass and enjoy! You can add less vodka for a weaker alcoholic taste, or use something more interesting in place of the regular vodka – like vanilla vodka, or chocolate infused vodka for a more chocolatey taste. The final touches include a small chocolate bar for garnish.Or, simple cover the top of your cocktail with shaved chocolate.

For the holidays, you can also garnish with a candy cane and enjoy the beauty of your drink while you drink it.

Other Baileys Liqueurs to Try

To really add more pizazz to your chocolate martini, here are some other variations of the chocolate martini you can try.

Mint Chocolate Martini

Using the same ingredients (Baileys Irish Cream + vodka), add a hint of mint and garnish your martini glass with mint leaves or sprigs. In fact, if you are really into the mint flavor, you can look for a mint-infused vodka to use in place of the regular vodka, or make one yourself!

Chocolate Coffee Martini

Another great variation of the Baileys martini is to add some Kahlua to your martini. This will give your chocolate martini that nice coffee flavor for those who love both coffee and chocolate. Perhaps a fun brunch cocktail for that special celebration? Why not? The mimosa needs some competition.

Chocolate Martini with Fruit Flavors Added

Why not add a splash of raspberry liqueur, or triple sec (for that orange flavor) to your chocolate martini? The possibilities are virtually endless in terms of flavors in this drink. But remember that a little can go a long way. You want your mouth to explode with flavors, but not make any one flavor too overwhelming otherwise the chocolate martini may lose it’s chocolatey effect. Think of your favorite fruit that you just love to dip in that chocolate and try adding a splash of that fruit-flavored liqueur to your martini.

Caramel Chocolate Martini

There are a couple of ways you can change your chocolate martini into a delicious caramel chocolate martini. Instead of adding chocolate syrup to your glass, use caramel instead (or for an even naughtier drink, drizzle your glass with both). Additionally, look for a caramel vodka to use in place of the standard vodka, and voila, your martini is now infused with the wonderful flavors of caramels and chocolate.

Again, have fun with this martini recipe. Let go and indulge yourself with some amazing flavors, especially if you are looking for something unique to serve as an after-dinner cocktail, or just for fun at your holiday party.

Pucker Apple Martini Recipe

Much like the sour apple martini’s, the pucker apple martini does exactly that. It will make your mouth pucker and your eyes squint, but you will want to go back for more after you try this green cocktail. The main ingredient in this recipe is the pucker sour apple schnapps (DeKuyper has perfected this flavor in their version, bringing sweet and tart together in harmony). If you are looking to go green in your evening’s festivities, then this is one green beverage you won’t want to pass up.

Simple Ingredients of the Pucker Apple Martini

To make this simple yet very effective pucker appletini, you will need vodka, the pucker sour apple schnapps (preferable DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple), and a sour mix. In fact, this recipe can be taken right off the DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple bottle (easy!) in case you forget.

Take equal parts of the vodka and schnapps, and then half a part of the sour mix, and mix all ingredients well in a cocktail shaker. You can also add all of these ingredients into a chilled glass and mix vigorously with a spoon, then pouring the mix into a chilled martini glass.

Add a maraschino cherry for a nice holiday effect, or simply garnish the drink with an apple slice twist. If you’d like a little more pucker effect, add equal parts of ALL ingredients (including the sour mix), and watch your guests squint from the effects. Tart, yet oh so hard to resist.

Pucker Appletini with Ginger Ale

Here’s another variation of the pucker apple martini recipe, using ginger ale as a main ingredient. If you enjoy the taste of ginger, you will be delighted by this addition to the apple martini.

To make this interesting martini, take 1-2 parts of vodka (depending on how strong you want your martini to be), one part of the pucker sour apple schnapps, and add a splash of lime juice. Mix these ingredients thoroughly in a cocktail shaker. After mixing these ingredients, strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass, and then add one part of the ginger ale to your drink. Garnish with an apple slice, maraschino cherry, or a twist of lime. You can also pour this mixture over ice if you prefer to drink this on the rocks.

Play with the mixture by adding more or less of each ingredient to get the flavor you want. Add less ginger ale for less ginger taste, or more if you crave the flavor of ginger all together. You don’t want to overwhelm the true form of this drink, however, as it should still taste like an appletini.

Sour Apple Martini Recipe

If you are in the mood for a more tart, or sour, flavor to your apple martini cocktail, then you will enjoy this variation of the apple martini. Prepare to pucker up with a fun sour tasting drink that might cause your tongue to tingle – only for a moment. As with all martini’s, this is best served over ice, whole or crushed, or served with a chilled martini glass to keep it nice and cool.

While the juice ingredient that is called for in this recipe is apple juice, you can also try out a liqueur instead, such as an orange liqueur, or instead of using the apple schnapps, try something else, like a peach schnapps for a nice twist to your drink.

To make this fun drink, you will need a sour apple schnapps (preferably the DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple), apple juice, and vodka.

Get Ready to Pucker Up!

Mix 1 part of your favorite vodka with 1 part of the sour apple schnapps as well as 1 part apple juice, all in a cocktail shaker. You can either pour this mixture over ice, or add crushed ice to your cocktail shaker with the ingredients and then shake vigorously until the outer part of your shaker starts to frost up.

Pour your drink into a martini glass and enjoy! This is sure to get your attention, as well as the attention of your friends, once the first sip hits your lips. As with any and all apple martini recipes, experiment with other flavors. You can even add a touch of lemon juice if you crave a little more sour in your drink. You can certainly garnish your sour apple martini with a twist of lemons (or perhaps even a lime) and viola! you’ve now made a masterpiece both in taste and appearance.

Just Another Sour Apple Martini Recipe

As mentioned earlier, there are substitutes of the ingredients mentioned earlier that you can try. Here’s an example of another sour apple martini recipe using a citrus-flavored vodka with the orange liqueur and just a splash of lemon juice.

For your ingredients, you will need:

2 oz of citrus vodka
1/2 oz of a sour apple pucker shnapps (DeKuyper recommended)
1/2 oz of an orange liqueur (recommend Cointreau)
lemon juice

Using your cocktail shaker, add some crushed ice and then mix all of the ingredients from above, shaking the shaker vigorously to ensure a good blend. Pour the cocktail into a martini glass.

This variation will also cause your lips to slightly pucker, but tastes just as wonderful. Apple martini’s, in general, make great holiday cocktails, so try some out before the big New Year’s event!

Dirty Martini Recipe

If you aren’t much into the sweet flavors, or you just want to change up your cocktail for a night, consider drinking a dirty martini. The flavors can vary from how light or heavy you go on the olives, olive juices (or perhaps even pickle juice), vermouth, and vodka. Dirty martini’s are mainly for olive lovers, so if you aren’t a big fan of olives, then this recipe may not be for you. But it’s certainly worth a try as you may be surprised by the taste of this delicious martini cocktail.

A Dirty Martini For Olive Lovers

This recipe calls for a good amount of olive juice and olives, so if you love the taste of olives, then you will like this martini recipe. In fact, this might be considered an extra dirty martini, depending on how you much of the taste of olives you actually experience in this drink.

For this recipe, you will need vodka, dry vermouth, stuffed green olives, and brine from an olive jar. Some experts will argue that brine from a standard olive jar is not the way to go. There is an olive brine know as the Dirty Sue. This brine is double filtered, and only made from premium olives. Others will say that as long as you use straight olive juice that comes from a jar of high quality olives, the taste will come out excellent. This is where you can experiment and try out different olive brines. Once you find the perfect brine, then you’ll know exactly what to grab for your next dirty martini.

Making Your Dirty Martini

Using a cocktail shaker, combine 6 oz of vodka (your choice), a splash of the dry vermouth, an ounce of the olive brine, and then shake vigorously. Pour the mix over ice and the stuffed olives into a martini glass (or use a chilled martini glass if you don’t want ice).

Keep in mind that you can also substitute vodka with gin. In fact, the original dirty martini is made with gin, not vodka. So try them both out and see what suits your palate the most.

Dirty or Extra Dirty?

There are different levels of how dirty you want your dirty martini. Basically, the more olive juice you add to your mix, the dirtier the martini. So you decide on how dirty you want to go. Remember that because martini’s are very simple cocktails, you will taste every ingredient you put into this drink. So try different flavors, different amounts of each ingredient until you find the perfect blend to suit your taste! A fun way of discovering new martini drinks is to host a martini tasting party. Test out your skills and see what your friends will enjoy the most.