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THE FRENCH MARTINI

Although authentic French Martini recipes is a before-dinner drink made with Lillet, this is what most Americans have come to know as the French Martini. I was first introduced to this drink by a girlfriend who insists it’s the next big thing.

Serves 1

2 ounces good vodka
1 ounce Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
4 ounces pineapple juice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, tumble in a handful of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a frosted martini glass. Bottoms up! These are awesome French Martini Recipes that will make your tastebuds come alive. Check back for other delightful Martini Recipes as Chef David Lawrence continues to experiment and come up with new and exciting martini recipes to delight the pallette.

There is perhaps no other cocktail that is better known, or less known, then the Martini. Talk with any patron at the bar about what a Martini is, and you most likely will receive a variety of responses, and sometimes a fight. The confusion is not helped any by cocktail lounges that produce "Martini Menus" that list off dozens of different Martinis that their bartenders can mix up for you. With such cocktails as the Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, and Manhattan all being categorized as types of Martini's, it is no wonder that many patrons of the bar find it easier to order a Bud Light.

As you look in to the origins and evolution of the Martini, you soon see that it has suffered a sort of schizophrenia all of its life. Not only has its recipe been in a constant state of flux, even its name has been the source of serious confusion.

Martini Origins

Few will deny that the Martini appears to have evolved out of an older cocktail, the Martinez. There are several cocktail books just prior to the turn of the last century that use the name Martini and Martinez interchangeably. The common ingredients in those days for the Martinez was Old Tom Gin, Sweet Vermouth, a dash or two of Maraschino Liqueur and/or Orange Curaçao, and a dash of Orange Bitters. I didn't list the ratio of gin to vermouth since this varied quite a bit, but usually either in equal parts or with more vermouth than gin.

You might note that some modern-day historical descriptions of the Martinez would indicate the use of French (or dry) Vermouth, as well as Angostura bitters. This is because many of the older recipes simply listed "vermouth" and "bitters" as the ingredients, and while these days this translates to Dry Vermouth and Angostura Bitters, such was not always the case. In the 1800's sweet vermouth was far more common in cocktails, and Angostura was only one of dozens of different bitters that were available. In older cocktail books that specify the type of vermouth used in a Martinez, it was always sweet, and the bitters were often (but not always) orange.

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