Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Double Fudge Martini

Monday, November 23, 2009
Festival Espresso Martini

Monday, November 23, 2009
Golf Martini

I am so far behind and I am trying to catch up, so this is another three martini blitz.   And, no, I did not have them all in one evening; the tasting spanned over 2 nights.   These three are actually logical to have together as the first two both have chocolate, coffee and are sweet.   The last one is fairly generic and about as far from the sweet chocolate as you can get, hence the title of the post!

The Double Fudge Martini was made with vodka, chocolate and coffee liqueur.   It was supposed to have a chocolate cocktail straw in it, as well, but I didn’t have one.  I did have a straw, but it was just ordinary plastic and as such was not appropriate for this occasion.  I was going to throw in a few chocolate chips, but I forgot, of course.   It was tasty and not overpowering, but I think I preferred the next one although both represented the holy trinity of chocolate, coffee and alcohol.

The Festival Espresso Martini was comprised of equal parts of brewed espresso, Kahlua, coffee-flavored vodka and vanilla-flavored vodka.   It was sweet, but the strong coffee flavor cut that a bit.   I could only have one of these and not very often, but I did enjoy it.   It was more like dessert than an aperitif or a cocktail.   I was quite full after consuming it (before dinner), which in retrospect was probably not the brightest timing.   Ah well, live and learn.  Sometimes one must have dessert first.

The Golf was fairly boring and generic, but I felt something of this ilk was necessary after two sweet, heavy drinks.   Again, I do not understand the derivation of the name of the drink, but that is the rule rather than the exception!  This was eight parts gin, 3-5 dashes of Angostura bitters (you know I only used the minimal amount!), two parts dry vermouth (yet again) and a cocktail olive.  The only virtue of vermouth that I can determine lately is that it does turn the drink a slight amber-gold color, especially at these levels.   I do think that the proportions of the vermouth used in this book are a bit much.  I prefer less vermouth, but this is really just my preference and opinion.  The Italians LOVE straight vermouth, neat or over ice, as a cocktail.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sue

Old Standbys

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Gibson

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Gimlet

Ah, yes, the old standby cocktails which have been around in some form or other for decades.  They are not my standbys, but certainly someone’s.  My go-to cocktail is a brandy pres (short for Presbyterian) that I learned to make years ago from my uncle.  It usually stumps bartenders and it is always entertaining when I have to explain the drink to a professional (brandy with a splash of 7 UP or ginger ale and topped with club soda.   I prefer 7 UP, but the traditional recipe is with ginger ale.  I know it sounds a bit sweet, but I like it.).

There was a choice of vodka or gin with both of the drinks, so I chose vodka for the Gibson and gin for the gimlet.   The Gibson was vodka with 3 dashes of dry vermouth (I go light on the vermouth, not a huge fan anymore, had too much recently!! Too bad we have three huge bottles of dry vermouth AND another two of sweet vermouth) and cocktail onions.    Since this drink was mainly vodka, it was fine, the onions added a little something different to the mix that I was not opposed to.  My husband liked the onions instead of the olives because he said they didn’t add the oily olive taste that he dislikes.  I do not think it was a factor of the olives, I think it is a factor of the quality of the vodka!   Now that I found a BevMo that sells a lot of mini bottles, I can try a lot of different brands. It is quite an eye-opener, I have to say.  I picked up a mini Grey Goose Poire (pear) over the weekend and am looking forward to trying it.

I picked up quite a few minis over the weekend.  I am becoming quite a lush.  Maybe I should just let it go and embrace it.

The Gimlet as made by The Sue was gin and Rose’s lime juice.   I have made gimlets with fresh lime juice before and I have to say that I prefer Rose’s lime juice; it makes the drink a little sweeter and a delightful shimmering shade of light gold.   The gimlet was my aunt’s drink (married to the uncle I mentioned above), I do not, however, know if she preferred gin or vodka.  I do suspect it was gin.    Cathy knows this aunt as my drafty aunt—she could feel a draft in a windowless, airless room.

I will have both of these in the future, I am sure.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sue

Presidentially Worthy

Thursday, November 19, 2009
FDR’s Martini

This seemed like an appropriate cocktail after my Martin Sheen/West Wing analogy of the other day, except with a real President this time. I confess, prior to looking up how FDR and Teddy were related, I had no idea that Eleanor and Franklin were already both Roosevelts prior to marrying (they were, apparently, fifth cousins).  Teddy was actually Eleanor’s uncle.  I have absolutely no idea what that makes him to FDR.  Makes me think of the dialogue between Dark Helmet and Lone Starr in “Spaceballs”:

FDR and Teddy Roosevelt meet in another dimension

Dark Helmet:  I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.
Lone Starr:  What does that make us?
Dark Helmet:  Absolutely nothing!  Which is what you are about to become.

In The Martini Book, there is a quote above this recipe, which reads:  “FDR was a serious martini drinker [I like the guy already] and carried a martini ‘kit’ with him whever he traveled.  During the Teheran conference, he insisted on mixing one of his specialties for Joseph Stalin.  Stalin found it ‘cold on the stomach,’ but liked it.  FDR’s martini was most likely the first ‘Dirty Martini’.”

Definitely like the guy.  Although his Dirty Martini is kind of wussy as far as dirty martinis go.  2 parts gin, 1 part vermouth, 1 teaspoon olive brine, lemon twist, and a cocktail olive.  But as I’ve noted earlier, more vermouth to gin is okay with me when it’s gin.  When it’s vodka, not so much.  Me, I prefer a vodka dirty martini and I like it very dirty, as you’ve probably figured out by now, and very dry.  But I’m not FDR, and we’re talking a good … yikes, what, 70-80 years ago?  Oh dear.  Anyway, this was educational for me, reading up on FDR and his infidelities (ditto with Eleanor and hers, some of them with the same gender, but not until after he committed his).  I had no idea.  Alas, my high school history education ended somewhere between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.  Why?  Because I was taking Chemistry II, which met at the same time that the “gifted” history class met, so I ended up in the so-called bonehead history class for my senior year.  After the first quarter/semester (whichever it was – we’re going back waaaaay too far for me to remember which), my history teacher realized that everyone in the class was going out of their way to copy off my paper/tests and that I was throwing the curve way off.  So he gave me a “research” assignment to find all of the CIF championship victories for my high school dating back to something like 1898 when the school was established, which I did, to the best of my ability, given the fact that there was no internet in that day and age (1980).  That encompassed the 2nd half of my senior year and thus took the place of learning about anything beyond the early 1800’s.  I’m not sure why I know about WWI and WWII and various other things, I must have learned that in junior high on a more peripheral level and remembered it.  But I never got to learn about Teddy or FDR or Eleanor.  Or martinis.  Not that martinis would have been appropriate subject matter back in my high school day.  Now?  No idea.  But you gotta like FDR for the fact that he carried around the fixings with him.

As for the namesake drink itself – I give it a “DNS” rating.  Which stands for “Does Not Suck”.  Not quite a 4 stars but definitely a 3.75 stars.  As I mentioned before, I think I like the higher proportions of vermouth when gin is invovled but not vodka.  The lemon twist (rubbed around the rim of a chilled cocktail glass before serving, then discarded) and the olive are a nice touch.  I liked this one more than I expected I would and give FDR credit, assuming credit is due, for coming up with a good one.

Cheers,
Cathy

Things I Don’t Get

Friday, November 20, 2009
Gilroy Martini

Friday, November 20, 2009
Fifty-Fifty (Gin) Martini

I realized belatedly that the Gilroy would probably do well being called a “New Moon” Martini (since the movie came out today and I tried it today) – it features garlic juice and a garlic-stuffed olive, just right for keeping those pesky vampires, and just about anyone else, at arms’ length.  I confess, though, the whole Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Whatever phenomenon is one of those things that just has no appeal to me at all.  Maybe it’s because I’m old enough to be the mother of all the male stars in the movies, or because I don’t have a daughter.  Sue took her daughter to the opening of New Moon last night.  I think I would have needed a martini in the movie theater to get through that experience.  Okay, I didn’t read the books and had no interest in them, and Robert Pattinson had more appeal for me as Cedric in the Harry Potter movie, namely because he got killed off in that.  Guy always looks like he needs a) a tan, b) an eyebrow wax, and c) a haircut.  For starters.  Okay, I know he’s supposed to look all ghostly and pale because he plays a vampire, so I’ll forgive the tan.  And for Christ’s sakes, hook up with a razor once in awhile too.  WTF is that stuff on his jawline?  The previews of the latest movie hold zero appeal for me because I find myself wondering:  What do these people do all day?  Doesn’t the human chick (Bella) have to go to school?  Or if she’s graduated, oh, I don’t know, maybe find a job?  Or does she just (apparently) hang out in creepy forests all day and mope and wait for the next supernatural creature to come along?  Don’t her parent(s) worry about where she is?  Honestly, what is this country coming to? 

If I were a vampire and were a hundred or two hundred years old, you can sure as shit bet I’d find something else to do with myself other than hang out at a high school  Frankly, that seems kind of pervy to me.  It’s like, let’s see, I’ll never die and can do anything I want, and I assume my long-term investments are really starting to pay off by now, my food bills are pretty low, so, oh, yeah, I won’t bother with traveling around the world and seeing the sights, I’ll just hang out and repeat the worst years of my life over and over again.  Yes!  That will be fun!  The only thing more sucky would be to repeat junior high ad nauseum.  A few days of that and you’d find me walking out in the morning sunlight and waiting to vaporize.

Next thing I don’t get, which has nothing to do with New Moon or martinis but just because I feel like ranting about it:  The Black Eyed Peas.  Okay, their music is cool.  Not really my style but I’ve heard worse. and I’m probably just getting too old to appreciate hip-hop.  I think Fergie looks better as a blonde and with more clothes on.  She seems like a nice woman, I had no idea she was a part owner of the Miami Dolphins, and I can’t fault her taste in Josh Duhamel.  And what’s with the guys in the band with names like will.i.am and apl.de.ap?  How do you even pronounce the second one?  I’m sure the folks at the DMV must just love them.  My idea is I’m going to start my own band called The Hand Shucked Corn, get all tarted up and wear lingerie half the time, and have a couple of band members named what.the.fuck and im.a.douchebag.  And we’ll see what the DMV thinks about those names.  Or the social security office.

Which brings me to the evening’s cocktails.  Not sure I quite get the appeal of either of these.  The Gilroy is 6 parts buffalo grass vodka (yes, I am now the proud owner of some, yet another reason I have no room in my freezer for a Thanksgiving turkey), 2 parts dry vermouth, 2 drops garlic juice, and a garlic-stuffed olive.  I have a jar of that fresh chopped garlic in my fridge, so I figured a couple drops off of that counts as garlic juice, and I usually have a jar of garlic-stuffed (and bleu-cheese, almond, jalapeno, pimento, etc.-stuffed) olives in the fridge, so I’m good there.  What prompts someone to mix up a martini and add garlic juice to it is beyond me.  Probably the same kind of logic that makes hundred-year old vampires want to hang out in high school over and over again. 

The verdict on this one?  Mixed.  I think I like the buffalo grass vodka.  I know there is at least one more drink in the book calling for it so I’ll have to see how that one goes.  Not sure if I like the garlic juice in there.  You wouldn’t think a couple of drops would make a difference, but garlic tends to be pretty strong.  It’s an interesting taste that I really can’t put a finger on, like a regular martini but with (pardon the expression) a “bite” to it.  I don’t know that I’d have it again, or maybe I’d have it without the garlic juice, which I guess would no longer make it a Gilroy.  Ha!  And for a change, I assume the name must come from the Gilroy Garlic festival, so I can be content in knowing the origins of a martini name for once.  I’m sure someone there decided that since they make garlic ice cream and garlic just-about-everything-else for the festival, why not a garlic martini?  I’d give this a three star rating. 

As for the fifty-fifty, I think my experience was similar to Sue’s with the vodka variety.  Mine was 4 parts gin, 4 parts dry vermouth, cocktail olive for garnish.  This also had a bit of an old school taste to it, like a Manhattan.  It was good.  Not quite a 4-star but I’ll give it a 3.75, and for something with gin, I liked it.  It must just be the vodka with lots of vermouth combo that I’m not crazy about.

Cheers,
Cathy

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Thursday, November 19, 2009
Fino Martini

Thursday, November 19, 2009
Fine and Dandy Martini

Thursday night was a twofer as I couldn’t indulge in alcoholic beverages Friday night.   I am taking my daughter and two friends to see the premiere of New Moon.  She wanted to go to the midnight show on Thursday.  That was a definite NO (it was a school night and she had to go to school Friday morning. How she EVER thought that would fly, I am not sure), so we compromised and we are going to a 10 pm show.  I should be awake as I have to drive, so no booze tonight.   She has been bouncing off the walls for three days, counting down the hours until she gets to see the movie.   I think my ear drums have shattered from the last time she called me on the phone (ONLY THREE MORE HOURS!!! SCREECH!!!!).   Her fav is Jasper, in case you are wondering.  She and her friends made t-shirts saying “Team Switzerland”.

Cathy suggested that I bring a flask with me.   This is always an option, we have several, some covered in very nice Italian leather, very classy.   But I really do not want to smell like alcohol, that would not be acting as a good role model for my daughter and her friends.   I remember being at the latest Harry Potter movie (which my daughter also insisted we see on opening day), and a rather sleazy guy who sat next to me had had a few too many and he reeked.   He also had a brown paper bag filled with rather fragrant Indian food.   Now, I like Indian food, but this was a little overpowering.

I am so glad it is Friday, even if I do have to stand out in 41 degree weather with a slight drizzle for two hours.   I am a masochist.   My husband told me to put on my thermies, but then I get too hot in the theatre.   Maybe he will have a martini tonight; he deserves it as he had a crappy day dealing with some recalcitrant colleagues who were acting rather immaturely.

But the question of the hour, what did I have to drink last night?  Well, it was Survivor night, you know.  AND the Project Runway finale.   I am not particularly happy about that outcome, way too predictable and I get very tired of black, black, BLACK.  Yes, it is “chic”, and oh so, “New York”, but it gets a bit boring and let’s face it, safe. Let’s have some color!  Let’s not be afraid to show some individuality.

Sorry, I went off topic again.   The Fino Martini was a little boring.   Fino sherry is very light in color, an ever so slight amber hue, barely noticeable.   I had no idea, I thought it would be like other sherries, and dark and viscous.  We had a choice of vodka or gin and chose vodka, and fino sherry.  The recipe only called for one teaspoon of sherry and frankly, I couldn’t even taste the sherry, so I doubled the amount.   It certainly was not overpowering and just barely flavored the vodka, adding just a mere whisper of perfume.   Since it was mostly just vodka, this was a fine drink, but not memorable.

The second drink was called Fine and Dandy:  gin, triple sec, fresh lemon juice and orange bitters.   My first impression was that it was a less sweet version of a lemon drop.  I like lemon drops.

Thanks for stopping by—I will give a movie review tomorrow!
Sue

PS. Saturday AM:  everyone enjoyed the movie.   Kids were very well behaved—even the audience was well behaved.   Luckily, we did not have to wait outside in the cold and wind, but were inside the theatre lobby, the kids were 2nd in line, so were extremely happy, and got the primo seats.   Parking was a BEAR and life-threatening, but that is perhaps a story for another time.  Anyway, special effects were good, not cheesy, and the plot stayed very close to the book, which I appreciated.   If you are so inclined, you should see it!

Farmers’ Market

Sue's Alter-Ego, Inserted by Cathy

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Farmer’s Martini

Wednedsday, November 18, 2009
Fifty-Fifty Vodka Martini

EEEEEEKKKKK.   I am so far behind so I am going to do a blogging blitz right now, if I can remember all that I’ve tasted this week.  I should borrow Cathy’s avatar of The Scream to illustrate, but The Bunny The Elephant Girl will speak for me.  HA HA HA, the beauty of having two writers for this blog is that the other one can sneak in and do stuff!  Work this week has been extremely busy and enveloping all my energies not only while in the office but while at home.   I am in some weird mental space, so that certainly doesn’t help matters at all.   I am so glad that next week is Thanksgiving and I can have a few days off.   Although, I will undoubtedly check emails and bring something home with me so I do not get even further behind.

At least I thought ahead this week and made a pan of lasagna and a huge pot of vegetable-beef soup, so dinners won’t be a problem.   I brought over two quarts of the soup, some fresh made cornbread and salad to the family of my friend who is still in the hospital.    I haven’t even gotten over to the hospital to visit this week.   I will make sure it is a priority next week.

An extra dry martini is vodka, dry vermouth, lemon juice and a lemon twist.  I liked it, especially with Grey Goose vodka.  We had about a quarter of a bottle left from the auction. It would have been a shame to throw it out, so it made its way home with us.   I would have rather had the Grey Goose by itself, chilled to perfection, with three olives, but this was just fine.  I could drink these regularly.

The Farmer’s Martini was 6 pars gin, 1 part each dry and sweet vermouth and 3-5 dashes of Angostura bitters.    Since I am not a bitters fan, I only put in three dashes.    It was a lovely light golden color and didn’t taste half bad, despite the bitters.    I am not sure why it is called the Farmer’s Martini, though.

The Fifty-Fifty Vodka Martini had me puzzled for a good part of the evening.   We used equal parts of Grey Goose, dry vermouth and, of course, cocktail olives.   At the first sip, I had a memory of a previous cocktail, but I couldn’t place it.   It was a pleasant taste memory, something classic, but I couldn’t pin it down.   It was a comfortable feeling, an older-type drink, though.  Long after the drink was gone and we were relaxing, my husband all of a sudden identified the taste: “it tasted like a Manhattan, a white Manhattan.”  I had to agree.   I love Manhattans, but that is generally a dark, heavier drink than the Fifty-Fifty had been—a definitely autumnal drink.   Manhattans are also made with rye whisky and sweet vermouth.   Manhattans, side cars, all those types of drinks fondly remind me of my dad; my husband calls them “old man” drinks.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sue

Julie Andrews Goes Topless

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fare Thee Well Martini

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Frozen Martini

As you guessed by my previous post (or by ANY of my previous posts!), my mind does tend to wander pretty far off-tangent at times.  So the first martini up in the bullpen tonight was the “Fare Thee Well” martini.  There is a well-known song from my childhood, sung by (among other) Burl Ives, called “Polly Wolly Doodle”, which includes the term, “fare thee well” in it.  Yes, I’m showing my age but you probably figured out I wasn’t exactly a spring chicken by now either.  Alas, I do have a tendency to remember more deviant things than the more innocent (given a choice) – not a conscience thing, it’s just the way I’m wired.  I was exposed to a lot of less than pleasant things in my childhood and I suppose the more deviant things stick with me more, unfortunately.  So, when most might think of the cute Burl Ives song in the context of ‘Fare Thee Well’, instead I think of the Blake Edwards movie, S.O.B. 

Blake Edwards is best known as the director of the Pink Panther movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Days of Wine and Roses, Operation Petticoat, 10, The Great Race, and Victor/Victoria.  But probably his most off-color movie was S.O.B., which featured “America’s Sweetheart”, Julie Andrews (also Blake Edwards wife for these past 40 years) topless – to the tune of Polly Wolly Doodle.

The movie opens with the song in its original form, innocently sung by Julie Andrews, as shown in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2PLBmxR1U8

Over the course of the movie, the “film within a film”, Nightwind, is re-shot and re-cut to what becomes an R-rated version instead and the first time in cinematic history that anyone has seen Sally Miles’ (Julie Andrews’ character) “boobies”, also a first for Julie Andrews in real life, as far as I know. 

This link is to part 9 of segments of the movie and has the ending of the climactic scene at the very beginning.  To see the lead-up, watch parts 7 and 8 first so you understand the context of Sally being pursued by the “Devil”.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PRMZrW3Zsg&NR=1.

Dancing with the Devil in the X-Rated Playroom

As further evidence that my brother and I are cut from the same DNA, when I asked him today as a quick “off the top of your head” question what he thought of when he heard the expression, “Fare Thee Well”, his answer was the same as mine.  He thought of this movie.  Great (or twisted) minds really think alike.  Or something like that!

The Devil's Reaction to Seeing Julie Andrews Topless - CLASSIC!

So after I satisfied my needs to see clips of this movie and reassure myself that the song I was thinking of was indeed, in the movie as I remembered, I mixed up my Fare Thee Well.  6 parts gin (using Bombay Sapphire now, I finished off the New Amsterdam) 1 part dry vermouth, 1 part sweet vermouth.  Lovely pink-gold shade from the vermouth.  It looked a little naked without a garnish (none is called for) so I put in a cherry, which looks good with it.  The verdict?  Better than I was expecting.  I thought after my too-much-vermouth cocktail of the other night that this would be nasty, but the sweet and the dry vermouth really do balance each other out in a way – each adds to the taste in their own unique way.  A good, no-frills martini, a bit on the sweet side, but enjoyable.  Solid 4 stars for this one. 

While I was looking up the Fare Thee Well, I also decided to mix up the Frozen Martini, namely because the Frozen required being mixed up and stuck into the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.  My only regret with this one is that, given the long wait time, I wish I had made a larger one!  I misread the instructions and mixed the gin and vermouth in the shaker and added the olives, then put the shaker in the freezer, along with a glass, to chill for the requisite time.  Apparently I was supposed to chill the olives separately, I guess on a plate or in a bowl or somewhere apart from the liquid. I’m not entirely sure how much of a difference it would have made.  After three hours in the freezer, the olives take on a consistency not unlike frozen green grapes.  Which is not a bad thing. I like frozen grapes in the right mood, they are delicious.  I can’t tell you if, frozen in a different fashion (i.e., not sitting in a bath of gin), they would be different or not.  I’ll have to experiment.

Crate & Barrel's Clio Glass. I may need these.

This was 5 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, a good ratio for this drink, with two almond-stuffed olives, served in the well-chilled martini glass.  It was excellent.  I wouldn’t honestly have thought that the freezing would really make THAT much difference but it was soooo very smooth and drinkable – perhaps a bit too much so, I found myself wanting to finish it off before it warmed up too much just to savor the unique coldness of it.  Perhaps that’s the point, it’s almost like a shot glass served in a block of ice.  I’d give this somewhere between 4.25 and 4.5 stars – it really was good.  I found myself wanting one of those trendy martini glasses where the bowl of the glass sits in a nest of crushed ice, just to keep the drink extra cold (my peeve with these would always be that you would have to carry both parts around with you to be able to set the drink down, but as long as you’re just drinking this at a small gathering and not moving around the room, it wouldn’t be an issue).  Very tempting.  But as long as we’re on the subject of martini glasses (as if I don’t have enough of them already), ZGallerie has some gorgeous ones called Puccini that come in a beautiful peacock blue and silver … and now in a cinnamon red to boot, and, well, Santa, are you listening? 

’til the bar opens again and bottoms up,
Cathy

Where is Martin Sheen?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
East Wing Martini

My mind tends to work in strange and mysterious ways.  Not all of them logical.  Few of them, in fact.  First thing I thought of when I saw the name of this cocktail was the old West Wing TV series.  I loved that show, at least in the earlier years.  I didn’t watch much of the last season or two.  It lost a lot of charm for me after Aaron Sorkin left the show, some of the spark just wasn’t there anymore.  And of course my conservative boyfriend hated it, a bunch of Democrats spouting off every week.  I suppose for me it was a fictional respite from the very long years of the Bush administration … one could tune in once a week and think, “if only …” (if only our President actually had a brain!  if only somebody like Leo McGarry really existed in the Oval Office!  if only Toby Ziegler would try smiling for just one episode!) and so on.  But after all this reminiscing, I realized I really know little to nothing about the “East Wing” of the White House.  Assuming that’s what this drink is named after.  WHY it would be named after it is another matter entirely.  I’m not going to go there because I have no clue.  It’s only my job to take you off to some hithertofore unexplored realms of imagination before telling you what I think of the martini I’m drinking.  Hmmm.  Sounds like a bartending version of The Twilight Zone.  Hope that giant eyeball doesn’t start looking like a cocktail olive.

Will somebody PLEASE get Stockard Channing a martini?

The East Wing consists of 6 parts vodka, 1 part Campari, 2 parts cherry brandy, and the ubiquitous lemon twist.  The East Wing of the White House is apparently where the First Lady’s office is now and where her staff works, although apparently that choice can vary from administration to administration.  I couldn’t find out online whether or not that’s where Michelle Obama has her office.  It seems like a long walk to work from wherever the First Family resides in the West Wing, but then again, it beats driving and she usually wears flats, so I’d give that a two thumbs-up call for commuting.  Maybe this martini is considered a dignified girlie drink worthy of First Ladies and hence the name.  Or someone just pulled it out of their ass.  Probably the latter. 

So in mixing this, my red alert flag should have gone off because I’m starting to realize that Campari is right up there with Pernod in terms of “liquor to avoid” for me.  Although it isn’t nearly as strong.  It just doesn’t blow my skirt up, though.  But for having one part Campari to 6 parts vodka, this was far more palatable to me than the equivalent proportion of Pernod would have been.  I shudder at the mere thought.  This is a lovely shade of reddish gold with a hint of pink to it, a very pretty drink, and the cherry brandy (I used Bols, I’ll be honest that prior to now I never knew what “Bols” made, I’d just heard the name as some kind of liqueur but it never clicked) mollified that bitter/herb bite of the Campari.  A tad more cherry brandy and a bit less Campari and this might be just right for me.  In this form, I would actually give it 3.5 stars – it was good.  Much better than I expected.  Worth sampling again in 2010.

Cheers,
Cathy

Adam Ant Walks Into a Bar …

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Desperate Martini

Despite the fact that it has been well over two decades since the tune came out, I can’t hear the word “desperate” without thinking of the old Adam Ant song, “Desperate But Not Serious”.  Don’t tell me you don’t remember it.  You do.  You may not want to admit it, but you do. Come on, let’s all sing along now …

If I ask you difficult questions
If I make improper suggestions
Would you find that a risk to your health
Would you put me up on the bookshelf
With the books and the plants?

Desperate but not serious
Your kisses drive me delirious

That did get me to wondering, whatever happened to Adam Ant?  Well, of course you have to love the internet for answering these modern mysteries.

Aren't I gorgeous?

A little different now ...

 I have to admit, I wouldn’t know the guy if I bumped into him in the grocery store.  Then again, that was probably the beauty of the early 80’s and all that makeup – even back then, if he just dressed normally, he could probably pick up his toiletries in peace.  His earlier picture reminds me a lot of Adam Lambert’s look nowadays, although I am still reserving my verdict on Lambert’s singing abilities, having only seen the American Idol finale (yes!  I am one of the few people who doesn’t actually watch the show).   I know his first album is out and on iTunes so I guess I’d better go check that out – once I stop spending so much money at BevMo, that is!

I wasn’t expecting to like this martini only because I’m not a big “berry” fan.  The Desperate Martini (namesake unknown) is 6 parts gin, 1 part dry vermouth, 1 part blackberry brandy and fresh blackberries for garnish.  Couldn’t find the fresh berries so I lived without a garnish.  See, I’m not crazy about things like jam and jellies and preserves, all of which I tend to associate with berries – blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, and so on.  But I never really tried them in a alcoholic fashion, either. 

The Desperate Martini was a pleasant surprise.  The blackberry brandy isn’t too sweet and cuts the gin nicely, and the drink is a lovely rose-gold color. My boyfriend even liked it, and he’s not much of a sweet cocktail drinker, but he does like a good gin and tonic.  I would have this again, definitely.  4.25 stars – outstanding.

Desperate, but not serious,
Cathy

Dirty Daydreams

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Daydream

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Dirty Martini

Title caught your attention, didn’t it?  Too bad the Daydream Martini did not capture mine.  This was made with citrus vodka, triple sec and orange juice and bar sugar.  Frankly, it tasted like a sweet screwdriver, owing to the triple sec and the extra sugar.    I drank it and I think that is pretty much all that I can say about that one.  In a previous post, Cathy expressed her views on the infamous screwdriver, and that very much echoes my thoughts so I will move on.

I spent a good part of Sunday at our church, corralling 13-14 years olds in an outreach activity for their youth group, a senior Thanksgiving lunch.   My daughter, however, was absent as she was at a high school open house with her father.   Somehow I ended up on the Youth Group Advisory Board.   This used to happen to me a lot, I “volunteered” for things, like chairing the entire school auction.   I used to do this because I was desperate to keep my son at the school and I thought that if I involved myself in these things, they couldn’t possibly kick him out, right?   Well, they still complained about him; he is a great kid, but Catholic schools are simply not set up for exuberant children who think outside of the box, or who happen to have ADHD and are dyslexic.   Go figure, charity does not necessarily begin at school.   After many tears, much research and a bunch of good luck, we found the right school for my son and he is successful and happy.

And I am still “volunteering” for things.   Heavy sigh.   I actually don’t mind the Youth Group, I do it for my daughter certainly, but also because of the woman who runs it.  She does so much for the church and the school, she deserves help—or whatever meager assistance I can lend.  Needless to say, after this event, I was looking forward to my cocktail(s).   The Daydream failed to impress, but  I liked the gin dirty martini.    Normally I am not a huge fan of dirty martinis, but this one passed muster.   Maybe it was the Bombay Sapphire.   Hiccup.

It will be a busy week, thanks for sharing part of yours with us and thanks stopping by,

Sue