This is the perfect cocktail to serve before dinner, the kind of thing you might serve to your mum (we actually served this to Fleurie’s mum when she visited the flat for the first time). It’s a touch sweet and fruity, but not overly so – uncontroversial.
The French Martini uses a wonderful raspberry liqueur from the Loire Valley called Chambord. It comes in a cute round bottle and is available in most large supermarkets. This is mixed with vodka and pineapple juice, and we like this cocktail topped with a little Champagne, although this isn’t traditional.
When trying out different recipes, the main differences were in the proportions of Chambord to vodka, and we think our 1:2 ratio is just right. You can use any decent vodka you like - our blind tasting consistently rates Russian Standard very highly, and at £18.50 or so a litre, we really can’t complain.
To make one serving, you will need:
· Cocktail shaker
· Martini glass
· 10ml Chambord
· 20ml Vodka – Russian Standard is our favourite for this recipe
· 30ml pineapple juice – we’ve been using Crafted’s pineapple, coconut and lime juice for a tropical twist this summer (in lieu of an actual holiday...)
· A dash of Champagne, if you have some open
· A leaf of basil, for garnish (optional)
· Generous handful of ice
Shake together the ice, Chambord, vodka and pineapple juice together vigorously – around 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass, and top with a dash of Champagne (a tablespoon or two will suffice) and garnish with a leaf of basil.
Stay salty af,
Anika & Fleurie
