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The best martini I have ever had was a limoncello martini. Much like other flavored martinis just add limoncello for that little tangy kick that's a great way to start an evening.

3 fluid ounces vodka
1 fluid ounce limoncello
1 teaspoon simple syrup

put in chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel (candied!) and some mint....*mouth watering*

i bet that this would also be great as a granita...hmmmm

After the gas pump model liquor dispenser I received as a birthday gift last year, I'd sworn off booze-related gadgets. But this one is appealing - esp. for making sake martinis (my new favorite)

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to a martini. I prefer a splash of Gallo Vermouth with a 50/50 mix of Hendricks and Plymouth. Stirred and garnished with an almond stuffed olive (caperberries are fun too) I like the mix of the gins because while I love the aromatics of the Hendricks, it's a little too sweet for my palate on it's own. Fortunately, I find Plymouth is way too dry on it's own and together, just perfect.

Fun cocktail I've done:
Vodka
Key Lime Syrup
Splash of Cream

Shake, dip a cocktail glass in lime juice and then in finely crushed graham cracker crumbs with a touch of cinnamon (or not)

Strain and serve. Float some additional cream on top if the froth isn't creamy enough for your taste.

Oooh, a martini machine would go over well with my alcoholic family at the holidays! I can make my grandmother manhattans and watch her get verbally abusive; make "drinky-poos" (read: cosmos or other "girly" 'tinis) for my mom and maybe she'll finally hook up with the woman who's had a crush on her for years; chocolate martinis for my aunt so maybe she'll lick my new boyfriend and make dirty martinis for myself so that perhaps I forget the fun holidays are when my family is involved!

(Seriously, that's a darn cool gadget and it would look great on my bar. And I entertain a lot, and I know several of my friends would be totally mesmerized.)

When it comes to martinis, I'm a bit of a purist. Good gin, vermouth, home-made pearl onions and a bit of the onion juice.

recipe:


Citadel gin, as much as you like

vermouth, a few drops per every 2 oz. of gin

2 home-made cocktail onions, skewered on a rosemary sprig or juniper twig

a few drops of onion juice per every 2 oz. of gin

method:

fill martini glasses with ice and water.

pour liquid ingredients over ice into a martini shaker.

after one minute vigorously shake (the martini shaker).

empty the martini glasses and strain the shaker into the glasses.

there should be miniscule shards of ice crystals floating on top of the martini.

garnish the martinis with the rosemary and onion skewers.

I wouldn't buy this for the price but if someone (ahem, AT) gave it to me for free, why not.

I've been seeing a lot of restaurant bars using cotton candy as a flavoring and a garnish. Just a little bit of childhood memories over your adult martini.

Best Martini is a dirty one:
2 Parts Vodka
1 Part Olive Brine
4 Olives Speared
Lots of Ice

…best cocktail is a different story:
2 Parts Bourbon
1 Part Ginger Beer
Lime
Lots of Ice
Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; the multi-season cocktail.

Not martini related, but I love a twist on Mimosas... Champagne with White Grape Peach Juice.

Apple martinis only taste like Windex smells if they aren't made properly. Also important, you need a swirl of caramel on the inside of the glass (the apple ring is SO 2006), good vodka (not flavored, although vanilla vodka is nice sometimes), and some sugar syrup to balance out the varying apple syrups you use. Yum. We made these at our last bbq and they were more popular than the mojitos.

Also, electric shakers are useful for making a quick iced coffee when you don't want to dilute it too much with ice.

Let's get serious here :)
There is only one - The Bunuel Martini
http://cinepad.com/martini.html

Like all cocktails, the martini, composed essentially of gin and a few drops of Noilly Prat, seems to have been an American invention. Connoisseurs who like their martinis very dry suggest simply allowing a ray of sunlight to shine through a bottle of Noilly Prat before it hits the bottle of gin. At a certain period in America it was said that the making of a dry martini should resemble the Immaculate Conception, for, as Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted, the generative powers of the Holy Ghost pierced the virgin’s hymen 'like a ray of sunlight through a window – leaving it unbroken.'

My favorite martini I've been able to recreate (after having one at a restaurant) is the pineapple upside down cake martini.

In the bottom of the martini glass carefully pour grenedine.

After combining equal parts vanilla rum & pineapple juice in a martini shaker, VERY VERY VERY slowly & carefully pour into the glass. I usually pour to the side. You have to go really slow as to not disturb the grenedine.

It's delicious!

i can't think martini with the chilly weather - i just keep thinking that it's about that time of year to hit LeNell's in red hook for a bottle of small batch bourbon. much better for staying warm from the inside out!

My friend and I host giant monthly dinner parties, which are inevitably boozy. They each have a theme, and this weekend's party will be "dining in the dark." Everyone will be led, blinfolded, to the dining table. We'll turn off the lights, then remove blindfolds. Everything will be on one plate, so you might grab some dessert first. It will all be finger food. One of my contributions is jello shots. My boyfriend suggested "mojito" jello shots--lime jello made with rum muddled with mint.

I haven't tried this yet, but saw it over the weekend on the Food Network. It sounds great to me. Its perfect to serve at a Halloween party because its black! The espresso martini....

2 cups freshly brewed espresso, chilled
2 cups orange-flavored vodka (recommended: Stoli Ohrani)
1 cup coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
8 slices orange peel, twisted

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the espresso, vodka, and coffee liqueur. Shake for 30 seconds, or until foamy. Strain into a chilled martini glass and decorate with the orange peel. Serve at once.

For me there will never be any replacement for the classic, simple Gin Olive martini.

I tried a cinnamon "martini" once made at home, made with cinnamon schnapps and vodka. Tasted like mouthwash. Never again.

Appletinis are gross. My wife loves a good French Martini. I like Bombay Sapphire with a splash of Lillet and and twist of orange peel.

Nice idea but...but....but....why?

All you need to make a high quality martini is a pint glass and a boston shaker or a spoon. The rest is about the quality of the ingredients.

Tips from a former bartender:

Most people don't really want vermouth in their martinis. For the most part, it's really about having high-quality vodka or gin. For those who really do want want a hint of vermouth, splash a bit in your chilled martini glass, roll it around the glass, then dump it out.

While there are people who like a stirred martini, many like having some good ice chips floating on top. Really shake the martini until your boston shaker is almost too cold to hold. Strain, then get it to your drinker before the ice chips melt.

Blueberry Vodka drinks (I don't have a creative name)

Frozen Blueberries
Frozen thinly sliced limes
Blueberry Smirnoff Vodka
Club Soda or Seltzer

Put the blueberries at the bottom of the glass, followed by a couple of ice cubes. Mix vodka and soda to taste then add the lime slices. Very refreshing!

art,

How do you make your pearl onions?

I need this to build up my alcohol tolerance. If I don't drink often, my tolerance for a gin martini, which I do adore, goes down to four or five sips.

Ki,

Super easy.

With a pairing knife, cut the fuzzy end of the onion off.

Boil the onions in salted water for a few minutes until they are slightly tender.

Dunk them into ice water.

Pop the onions out of their skins.

The great thing about pickling is you can make up your own recipe as you go.

Combine equal parts sugar, salt, water and vinegar. You can use any kind of vinegar you like but I would stick to champagne, sherry, white or red wine or rice wine. Add some pickling spice and/or herbs and other spices that you like. You can add dry chili if you want to add some spice. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over the pearl onions. Make sure you use a stainless steel or glass bowl.

Chill the onions overnight and they should be nice and tart and tangy and nothing like cheap onions you buy at the store.

***one exception*** "tipsy onions" are very good if you can find them.

Anything sour! Mmm. I could really go for a mojito right now... I'll just have to pretend I'm on the beach instead of freezing in Germany...

Those sound SUPERB. I always abhorred using the onions I had to use at work...nothing worse than slimy onions.

One last questions, are those equal parts volume? i.e. 1 cup sugar, 1 cup salt, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 cup water?

Well, I do like my vodka gimlets, vodka martinis are good too. I made a bunch for a party once using an amazing bottle of vodka that a good friend brought back from Russia for me-much better than any of the export stuff. Smooth as silk. Yum.
Appletinis are OK, but raspberry ones are much better-
Fresh raspberries muddled with a little mint and sugar, add to a shaker with vodka and ice then, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with either mint or a raspberry. using vanilla or raspberry vodka works well here too.

Ki,

Yes, equal parts volume.

I pretty much eyeball when I cook.

Just make sure to boil the pickling mixture until the sugar is dissolved and then taste it. If it makes you pucker, its good. I tend not to add too much sugar, you can always start with less and readjust.

A few summers ago, my brother and I, both living in San Francisco, invented a drink and named it after the place where we grew up, where local apparel and decor appear in funny shades of green (and pink) in proportions unknown to most of the country. This is a good summer drink -- it's on the sweeter side, but has enough herbal spiciness to give it a kick. Here's our recipe for. . .

The Grosse Pointer

1 part Green Chartreuse
1 part Vodka
1 part Vernors Ginger Ale (MUST be Vernors. It's the best ginger ale, and it's from Detroit.)
Fresh Spearmint
Fresh Basil

Muddle the basil and spearmint in a glass or pitcher. (You can opt to use just one of the fresh herbs, but we really like the combined flavor.) Add the other ingredients and lots of ice and stir. If you find the alcohol overpowering, add more Vernors. Garnish with a sprig of basil or mint.

Isn't a martini made with pearl onion technically a Gibson?

And so many of these fruity frilly drinks aren't martinis either. They're fruity frilly concoctions that happen to be served in a martini glass.

Sorry, I have a head cold today and I'm VERY crabby and want a martini VERY badly.

All these muddled and shaken fruit martinis sound great.

The more natural, the better (in my book.)

Lilalahood, you've got me on the search for green chartreuse now.

Since metal is a much better thermal conductor than glass (glass is an insulator) using a metal shaker allows the heat from your hands to heat up the drink/ice that is inside of the shaker much more than it would if you used a glass shaker. For the best drinks you should either prechill your metal shaker or use a glass shaker. The ice will melt less while still getting the drink just as cool.

Hope this tip helps.

Try Han Soju instead of vodka. It's made from rice and is delicious. Can be hard to find, but worth it. My fave concoction with Han is a Hidden Dragon Martini from their website:

http://www.hanasianvodka.com/drinklab/contemporary.cfm

This is probably my favorite mixed drink.

The Lunchbox

1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort peach liqueur
1 1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1 1/2 oz beer
3 1/2 oz orange juice

Surprisingly good!

What a fantastic giveaway!

I am not much for fussy cocktails, I generally stick to a G&T or vodka rocks. However, for those of you who like crisp, tart cocktails, this is my favorite:

2 parts Vodka (works just as well with gin)
1 part Crystal Geyser Wild Berry Juice (I used to use Calistoga, but they've stopped making it)
A splash of Orangina
Juice of one to one-half lime

Careful shaking, it's carbonated!

Serve in a chilled glass garnished with a lime wedge.

Also, a great tip my boyfriend and I picked up from a bartender in Mexico. If you need crushed ice but only have cubed, throw a few into a large bar towel and pound it against the side of the counter. You end up with fantastic crushed ice.

This may not be a big bar secret, but we had never thought of it!

Martinis should always be made with gin, and they should showcase this ingredient with a high ratio of gin to vermouth (sweet or dry is up to your preference). Therefore, make sure you use a high-quality gin. I like Anchor Distilling's Junipero gin.

I saw this in a catalog recently and although I love the idea, I was left wondering... won't it bruise the spirits? All my bartending books warn against bruising the booze. I would love to give this gizmo a whirl.

Gosh, you'd almost think we'd finally decided in favor of global warming and flabby arms. What happened to the environmentally friendly and health friendly old-fashioned way of mixing drinks with some elbow grease instead of fossil fuels?

The serious reviewer should be opinionated with a distinct point of view. Most recent cocktail of choice prepared in a martini shaker: Marie Brizard Parfait Amour, light rum and a dash of lemon juice shaken over crushed ice, poured into a well-chilled martini glass, finished with a twist of lemon peel.

These days I am enjoying the Bittertini:

3 parts Gin (preferable one with a low juniper taste)
1 part Averna Amaro digestiff bitters

It is dark and delicious.

Bx: best cure for cold or flu is a heavy shot of Drambuie in a very hot cup of tea.

Doesn't actually cure you, but after a couple of cups, you don't care anymore.

I too adore Hendrick's gin. I think it looks (and tastes) quite lovely with long thin shavings of cucumber, either with or without tonic. It also amazes me how the cucumber gets crispy rather than limp when it sits in the alcohol.

This is a silly device. Part of the fun of a martini is the process of making it.

I like Plymouth gin myself. And you have to use some vermouth, otherwise it's just a cold glass of gin (which isn't a bad thing, but it's not a martini).

I would use it to make my favorite margarita (or is that against the rules).

Equals parts of
1) fresh squeezed lime juice (this is totally key, don't even think about using bottled stuff)
2) good tequila (Patron perhaps)
3) Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Shake vigorously with lots of ice, strain, and serve.

Hendrick's and Noilly Prat. The cucumber makes it sublime.

If I win, the party is at my house.

lemony goodness, citron vodka, blood-orange juice, pellegrino, and limonata

Pick me! Pick me!

This would make an awesome addition to my gadget collection!!!