Martini Party!

Sunday evening. The bright, garish sun is finally setting. And, my head is now throbbing just less enough that the clicking of the keys on the keyboard doesn't hurt too much. I actually don't want to write this week's entry. I want, instead, to curl back up on the sofa and continue my marathon viewing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes from seasons 1 and 2.

Oh, my friends, I have thrown many a party. Entertaining is in my blood. I inherited much of my hosting accessories from my grandparents who had a bar in the basement of their house. But, alas, last night I made an amateur's mistake. I didn't drink enough water, which may have been okay except I was also tasting each drink I mixed.

Toward the end of the evening it began to show. I had to remake two of LP's martinis... the first because I mixed in too much pickle juice and the second because I dropped a bit of goat cheese in it.

It was a martini extravaganza, and in the process of preparing for the party, I realized, I have finally outgrown vodka. It happened in Astor Wines and Spirits when the cute, and oh so young, gentleman working on Thursday evening told me I really need to ween myself off vodka. It's flavorless, he exclaimed! Whereas, gin has a great diversity of flavor profiles just waiting to be explored. True story, my friends, true story.

So it was that Saturday night became all about the gin with only one vodka drink that was not a true martini (since I know how sensitive people can get about calling all sorts of drinks martinis). I infused a bottle of Crop organic vodka with hibiscus and ginger. It was surprisingly tart without a hint of ginger (probably because the infusion time was only four days). At least it was a beautiful ruby color!

The top two hits on the menu were the Pickled Ramp Gibson and the Martinez. The drink of which I am most proud is the Pickled Ramp Gibson. It seems that Urban Gastronomy has come full circle. Seventy-two posts ago, I was researching ramps so I could write the first entry about my dining experience at Blue Hill at Stone Barns which began with a pickled ramp martini.

Here we are nearly a year and a half later, and I not only made the martini at home, but I pickled the ramps myself! I mean sure, okay, you could argue it would be more impressive if I had also foraged the ramps, but I'm not quite that connected to the underground (yet).

The Martinez and the Original Dry Martini were both featured in "Revolutionary Spirit" by David Wondrich which appeared in the April issue of Saveur. The article cracked open the door to the diverse world of gin, and the gentleman in Astor pushed it open a bit wider. (LP helped quite a bit too as she is true gin drinker.)

Anyhoo, there were lots of quotable moments from last night, but having been the maker and taster of many martinis, I can't recall them. Before I go to eat leftover cheese and watch more Buffy, I want to say a huge thanks to my comrades in martinis (LP, AH, L and KR, DS and A) for making the trek to Astoria, for your good company, the delicious munchies, tasty bitters and green life you brought with you!

Stay tuned!

Martini Party Menu

Martinez
"In the 1880s, Old Tom gin, a style with quite a bit more sweetness than London dry, was just beginning to gain popularity in America. This is the drink that put it over the top.
" (From: "Revolutionary Spirit" by David Wondrich, Saveur, No. 128, April 2010)

2 oz. Old Tom–style gin (I used Hayman's)

1 oz. Italian red vermouth

1⁄2 tsp. Luxardo maraschino liqueur

2 dashes bitters

Strip of lemon peel


Original Dry Martini
The original 1910-era formula (also from: "Revolutionary Spirit" by David Wondrich, Saveur, No. 128, April 2010).

1 1/2 oz. London Dry gin
1 1/2 oz. French white vermouth (I used Italian)
2 dashes orange bitters
Strip of lemon peel

Dirty Girl Martini
2 oz. gin
1 tbsp dry vermouth
olive juice to taste (slightly dirty, regular or very dirty)
Olives stuffed with blue cheese (or not)

Pickled Ramp Gibson
2 1/2 ounces London dry gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1 pickled ramp
Splash of pickled ramp juice

Hibiscus Springtini
3 ounces hibiscus-ginger infused vodka
Splash of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
Orange twist

Comments

  1. Hi Digital Girl,

    Glad to hear you like organic spirits. And since your taste buds are changing I wanted to let you know that Crop Harvest Earth, Co., makers of Crop Organic Vodka, just came out with Farmer's Organic Gin. It's currently being introduced in New York. Currently you can find it at Grand Wine & Liquor and K & C Discount in Astoria. It's also available at Astor Wine and Spirits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for the tip on Crop's new gin! I will have to pick up a bottle and try it out. I do actually love Crop's cucumber-infused vodka, so vodka is not out of my life completely : )

    ReplyDelete

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