Pumpkin Martini

This pumpkin martini is like a milkshake in a cocktail glass... only much better.

This pumpkin martini is like a milkshake in a cocktail glass... only much better.

Watermelon Martini

This watermelon martini is refreshing and light, and begins with a puree of fresh watermelon.

This is a "skinny" watermelon martini. How is this cocktail skinny? First, it has a short ingredient list with only spirits, lime juice, and pureed watermelon.

The Dirty Martini

The Dirty Martini is a controversial member of the martini family. For some, it is actually desecration of the purity of the gin martini. 

Some folks like their martinis with a twist of lemon. Some folks like their martinis with olives. Then there's the Gibson martini, which is garnished with pickled onions. I usually order mine with olives. 

The Jasmine Martini

The Jasmine Martini is a beautiful deep pink color, but don't mistake it for a girlie cocktail. 

The Jasmine Martini gets its pretty hue from Campari, which is a liqueur with a complex and bitter flavor. I love Campari in cocktails, but for some, it can be an acquired taste.

The Last Word Cocktail

The Last Word Cocktail is reputed to be an old-timey cocktail, originating in Detroit, and dating back to pre-Prohibition. All I know is, it's pretty tasty. 

Evidently, The Last Word Cocktail, after languishing in obscurity for about 80 years or so, enjoyed a sudden resurgence when a Seattle bartender recreated it and began serving it around 2006. According to folklore, he discovered the cocktail in a book that was written in 1951.

Pamplemousse Ginger Martini

This pamplemousse martini so refreshing! 

"What the heck is pamplemousse?" you ask. It's French for grapefruit! 

There is actually a Crème de Pamplemousse liqueur, and as you can tell by the bottle on the right, I've taste tested it... a few times. It's quite wonderful. It's not as strong or syrupy as limoncello, and has an aromatic and citrusy flavor. It definitely tastes like grapefruit. 

This martini combines the flavors of herbal gin, ginger, grapefruit, and lime. Seriously tasty. 

Pamplemousse Ginger Martini

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce ginger liqueur

1 ounce pamplemousse rose liqueur

1/2 ounce lime juice

lime wedge

Instructions

1. Add the gin, ginger, pamplemousse, and lime juice to an ice filled cocktail shaker.
2. Shake for about 30 to 60 seconds, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Enjoy!

The Yale Cocktail

This is the Yale Cocktail. It has a lovely flavor that isn't girlie at all, blue color notwithstanding. 

It's back to school time! Because this cocktail is named for one of the Ivy League colleges, I thought I'd make it in honor of the start of the new semester.

There are several versions of this cocktail, and evidently the original recipe involved creme de yvette, a liquor that is a blend of berries and violets. I guess for years creme de yvette was not available, so variations of this version with blue Curacao became the standard formula.

For the rest of the country, summer is usually winding down right about now. For those of us in southern California, there are still a few more weeks of heat left... pretty much until Halloween. September can be pretty brutal. One of the last college football opening games I attended, several band members were carried off of the field on stretchers due to the heat. I guess I'm saying that it's really difficult to get into the "back to school" spirit here.

Therefore, to toast back to school, I offer my take on this refreshing cocktail, Ivy League name and all that. While it's not quite Yale blue, here's a toast to the annual back to school routine.

Yale Cocktail

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces gin

1 1/2 tsp dry vermouth

1 1/2 tsp blue Curacao

dash of orange bitters
Optional: a squeeze of half of a Clementine orange

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass in the freezer or fill a cocktail glass with ice. 
2. Fill a glass or martini shaker with ice and add the ingredients.
3. Shake or stir and strain into the chilled or ice filled glass. (In the summer, I will sometimes allow some of the ice pieces slip into the cocktail glass. Purists will object, so it's up to you whether or not you want to let some of the ice shards into your cocktail.)
4. Toast to back to school. 

The Tuxedo Martini

Supposedly, this cocktail was created at the Tuxedo Club in New York in the 19th century. In another version of its origin, the cocktail was part of a slew of drinks created during prohibition. These cocktails contained liqueur to conceal the atrociousness of the bathtub gin that was available at the time.

"French" Martini

"French Martini"

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.