It tastes better than it looks...

The photo of the Grilled Pineapple & Cracked Pepper Martini you see here is courtesy of Bar Solutions, an Australian-based bar consulting firm who pitched in on the cocktail menu at SM23 Lounge in Morristown, New Jersey. The Aussies know their stuff when it comes to cocktails - unfortunately, the bartenders at SM23 couldn't quite get the look right, which could've been why I didn't even think to whip out my trusty new iPhone and snap a shot of the actual drink I was sippin' last weekend.

Nevertheless, the cocktails at SM23 deserve a mention here because of their innovative ingredients and overall deliciousness. If you ever find yourself in Morristown (a really cute town, btw), I highly recommend a round of these pinapple-y potables:

Grilled Pineapple & Cracked Pepper Martini: peppercorn-infused Belvedere vodka, chargrilled pineapple, lemon juice, chamomile syrup, and pineapple juice

Grilled Pineapple & Cardamom Martini: Belevedere vodka, cardamom pods, pineapple juice, chargrilled pineapple, vanilla syrup, lemon juice

BFF Off Signature

Every girls night out calls for it's own signature sip. Here's what the ladies and I were sippin' last night. Insanely Dee-lish.

Maharaja's Martini
1 part Grey Goose vodka
1 1/2 parts guava juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 mint leaves
splash of coco lopez
1 sprig of fresh mint for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine ingredients with ice. Shake vigorously and double strain. Serve in a chilled martini glass.

TGIF

It's Friday and the weather is awesome. I'd say that calls for a light and refreshing sip. So here ya go:

The Hemingway Daiquiri
40% White Rum
10% Luxardo Maraschino
20% Grapefruit Juice
30% Lime Juice
Shake over ice & Strain, Lime Twist

PS: This is my 100th post!

Case of the Mondays

Have a rough time getting up this morning? If you're still in funk come 5 p.m., I suggest heading home and mixing up this yummy sip - I first tried it at Wicky's in Playa del Carmen - guaranteed to pick you up in no time.

Blue Monday
2 oz. vodka
1/4 oz. triple sec
1/4 oz. blue curacao

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

What happens in Vegas...

...definitely stays in Vegas -- unless we are talking about cocktails. I've been in town since Thursday, and while there have been many highlights -- Paul Oakenfold, Cirque du Soleil, the Center Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel (above) -- these cocktails deserve an honorable mention. So let's get to it.

Mango Tamarind Martini at Tao in The Venetian: Finlandia Mango, Cranberry Juice, and tamarind

Stoli Doli at Capital Grille: Stoli vodka infused with Dole pineapples for 10 days - a new American classic

Black Rabbit at Okada in Wynn: Takara Shochu (Japanese rice vodka), passion fruit juice, and grenadine

Pom Sangria at Okada in Wynn: Ichinokura sake, vodka, pomegranate juice, and sprite

Momo Punch at Pearl in the MGM Grand: Bacardi rum, Hakasatura sake, coconut milk, and angostura bitters

Drinks from the Road

This past month I started traveling for my new job. Though I'm not home much, I do get to visit a lot of warm weather places, which is nice considering it's like 18 degrees in Hoboken right now! So in 2009, in addition to Blind Sippin', you'll also be seeing more drinks from across the country on Martini Talk. Here are a couple from my two new favorite cities.


Pom Ginger Martini
Courtesy of the Verandah Lounge in Dallas
1 part Vodka
2 parts PAMA pomegranate liqueur
Crushed ginger

Mix vodka and PAMA with ice. Strain into a ginger-rimmed martini glass.

Sparkling Hibiscus
Courtesy of Roy's in San Diego
1 oz. Belvedere vodka
1/2 oz. Hawaiian hibiscus nectar
3 oz. Domaine Chandon Sparkling Rose

Pour vodka and hibiscus nectar in a champagne glass and top with sparkling wine.

Martinis at The Met

What did I do today? Toasted the gorgeous fall weather with Kira and Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog on the Rooftop Garden at The Met.

The Balloon Dog
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. elderflower cordial
Splash of sparkling pear juice

Vanilla ... ... baby

Sorry! But the song has been in my head ever since I left The Navan Orchid Studio earlier this evening. Vanilla is -- by far -- my favorite scent and flavor, so you can imagine how excited I was to be invited to The Navan Orchid Studio where I was introduced to the many ways the vanilla orchid can be used, in everything from food to flowers -- and of course, cocktails! The spotlight was definitely on Grand Marnier's Navan, a liqueur blended with cognac and natural vanilla. Here's the back story: The rare vanilla orchid blooms for only one day in Madagascar and it has to be hand-pollinated to produce a single vanilla bean. From that bean we get the smooth, sophisticated spice we all know as vanilla. In honor of this intense harvest season, Navan called upon NYC mixologist Aisha Sharpe to mix up some innovative sips:

The NAVAN Orchid Martini
1/2 oz. Navan
1 oz. Belvedere vodka
1/2 oz. simple syrup
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
Moet & Chandon Imperial
Garnish: white orchid

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients except the champagne, add ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with champagne.

Madagascar Sour
1/2 oz. tamarind syrup
1/2 oz. Navan
1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. club soda
Garnish: 3 brandied cherries on a pick

In a mixing glass add all ingredients except the soda, add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, add soda and garnish.

*Want more? try splashing some Navan over a bowl of Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream for an indulgent sensory overload.

Goodbye to Summer? I don't think so...

Many of us are having a really hard time saying goodbye to summer, so much so that I'm actually heading down the shore this weekend with the fam for a little R&R. The sad part is that this will be the first time I've been to the beach in two seasons (Caribbean and European vacations not included)! Better late than never I guess. And to help keep that summer feel going just a little bit longer, the folks at Ketel One have sent some tasty cocktails my way. I promise, the pumpkin and spiced-apple sips will be coming soon, but for now....

The Ultimate Ketel One Endless Summer Punch
1 oz.Ketel One vodka
½ oz. Midori
½ oz. Amaretto
½ oz. Orange juice
½ oz. Cranberry juice

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Serve straight up in a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

The Ultimate Kiwi Martini
2 oz. Ketel One vodka
½ shot Simple Syrup
1 fresh and ripe Kiwi

Cut the kiwi in half and scoop out the fruit and transfer to a shaker. Muddle the fruit and add remaining ingredients. Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve straight up in a martini glass. Garnish with kiwi.

Sippin' in Madrid

Hola! I'm back from Spain and though it was an AMAZING trip, I couldn't wait to get back to do some Martini Talkin'. There were not too many cocktails consumed, but in between bottles of Cordineu cava I did get a chance to sip a few. The first night in Madrid, my friend Cristina took me to Les Botelles where our vodka tonics were poured from 50 ml bottles -- so cute!

I don't even like mojitos, but the following day I couldn't resist the Black Mojito at the rooftop bar at the ME by Melia hotel: Stoli vodka, creme de cassis, mint leaves, lime, sugar, and a splash of champagne.

Finally, to cap off my week abroad, we paid a visit to Del Diego, a highly recommended "cocteleria" off Gran Via, where I was wowed by the sleek decor, vintage martini shaker collection, and the delicious Diego martini: vodka, advocaat, apricot brandy, and lime juice.

Ginger or Marianne?

Lately, I'm definitely a ginger kinda girl. And now I know why they gave The Movie Star her name: Ginger is such a spicy, sexy flavor, and I am loving it in cocktails, whether they are made with ginger beer or the trendy Domain de Canton. It all started with the Jamaican Firefly at Pegu Club. Then there were the Gold Medal Martinis at Kira's house. Last night, I continued the trend at One with this ginger-infused sip:

The White Orchid
Courtesy of One
Ketel One Citroen
Domain de Canton
Triple sec
Lime juice
White cranberry juice

Going for Gold

My friend Kira recently moved into a fabulous new apartment and decided to get a few friends together for a little housewarming party and watch the Olympics at the same time. So in honor of Beijing and the unstoppable record-breaking U.S. Olympic team, I created a signature cocktail just for the occasion using my new favorite liqueur: Domain de Canton, a ginger-infused white cognac.

Gold Medal Martini
2 parts Grey Goose La Poire
1 1/2 parts Domain de Canton
1 part pear juice
Gold dust sugar

Shake with ice in a shaker, strain, and serve in a gold
sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Global Sips

This past week I was in Washington D.C. filming a WeddingChannel.com segment for FOX. I was super-excited when my car pulled up to my hotel, which was located right in the heart of Georgetown! I have loved this posh town ever since college. As I was walking along M Street I got even more excited when I saw Mie N Yu. I had met the marketing and events coordinator, Mike Cherner, at a market party for The Knot a few months back, and he told me to stop in if I was ever in town...and so we did. When I walked through the door, I was sold. With a passion for travel and all things exotic, I immediately fell in love with the Moroccan-inspired decor. It was like we were transported to a far-off land. The menu was just as exciting: banana pesto hummus, panko-crusted Japanese eggplant, wasabi mash potatoes, and one heck of a spicy Mie N Yu roll made with tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds. And then there were the cocktails....I absolutely LOVE martinis made with blood orange juice, so I just had to try the Emperor’s Nectar: Absolut Apeach, Mathilde Peach, white cranberry, blood orange juice.

But this post would not be complete without mentioning Mie N Yu's Guillotine Martini. If you are ever D.C. (and you are rollin' like Kanye) you might want to plop down $325 for this lux sip: a blend of Louis XIII, Grand Marnier 100, and fresh juices that is handcrafted tableside.

Let's hear it for the Pegu Club!

The next stop on my old-school cocktail tour of NYC came unexpectedly last weekend when a friend suggested we go to the Pegu Club. I was super-excited because this place was on my list and, thankfully, the cocktails did not disappoint. Though, I have to say, the atmosphere sort of did. It just seemed like everyone knew about it already, unlike PDT (even though everyone pretty much does). Needless to say, the bar was really crowded with a well-dressed crowd, but despite this, the bartenders still managed to concoct a mean cocktail. We sipped a Jamaican Firefly (dark rum, ginger beer, fresh lime juice) and an Ode to Ankarah (St. Germain, gin, grapefruit juice, orange bitters, lemon juice).

One thing I did love: the Asian-inspired decor. Check out the Pegu Club's website for the history of it's namesake cocktail lounge in Burma. In the meantime, here is a recipe for the original Pegu Club Cocktail:

The Pegu Club Cocktail
Courtesy of The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
1 1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Just Peachy

Switchin' up the layout of my blog and didn't want to forget about this lovely lady,the Peach Blossom Martini, a favorite of mine that I sipped while celebrating my 31st birthday with my amazing brother, Justin, and his fabulous wife, Jenn.

The Peach Blossom Martini
Courtesy of Nineteen XIX
Stoli Peachik vodka
Dubonnet Red
Fresh Lemon Juice
Fee Brothers Peach Bitters
Homemade Simple Syrup

Elderflower in Bloom

My new favorite spirit: St. Germain. This French liqueur made with elderflower picked from the Alps popped up my radar last fall, when I used its elegant pale blue and gold patterned ad campaign to inspire a Wedding Style story for The Knot (see above, and yes, I find inspiration for my day job in alcoholic beverages, go figure). Since then, St. Germain seems to be everywhere, including at-home liquor cabinets (mine included) and behind the bar all over NYC. Last night, at Barmarché in NoLiTa I sipped The Take Off: a martini made of Plymouth Gin, St. Germain, Luxardo maraschino liqueur (another up-and-coming spirit), lemon juice, grapefruit, and an orange twist. For a refreshing summer sipper, try mixing up this concoction at home, courtesy of the brothers von Tobel:

The von Tobel
Equal parts St. Germain and vodka
Juice of 1/2 lime
5 raspberries
5 blackberries
1/2 strawberry

Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into a collins glass, and top with club soda. Finish off with a floater of St. Germain.

Lemon Fresh

Um, you can tell its summer because I seem to be going out more and sipping lots of cool cocktails, which means I'm blogging a whole lot more too. If you're also looking for ways to beat the heat, try sticking a bottle of limoncello in your freezer. You can make limoncello yourself or pickup a bottle at the liquor store (I prefer Caravella). It's the perfect sip for balmy summer nights. At Bar Stuzzichini in the Flat Iron District, the bartenders are using it to make the Sgroppino, a fizzy martini made with prosecco, limoncello and sorbetto limone (lemon ice cream). Or, try this one:

Caravella Limontini
Courtesy of Caravella
1 oz. vanilla vodka
½ oz. Caravella Limoncello
1 1/2 oz. pomegranate juice
squeeze of lime

Place all ingredients into a martini shaker along with several cubes of ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a martini glass and serve immediately. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Acai ... it's the new pomegranate

If you haven't already heard about the benefits of drinking acai berry juice, just wait, you will soon. In New York, acai is gaining momentum as the new pomegranate, which means it won't be too long before this superjuice makes its way to a grocery store near you. What makes acai so special? It's a Brazilian (read: sexy) berry loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and lots of other beneficial nutrients (read: healthy). Like pomegranate juice, it was only a matter of time before this trendy fruit juice started showing up in martinis. I had my first acai berry martini last fall at an event promoting a Brazilian hairstylist's new product line, HC Color. More recently, a friend introduced me to Mona Vie, an acai drink blended with 19 fruits including white grape, apricot, blueberry and more. And then, I found a sample of acai-blueberry Vincent Van Gogh Vodka in my liquor cabinet! Here are two superjuice martinis to try:

Brazilian Martini
Courtesy of Signature Cocktail Creations
1 1/2 oz. Mona Vie*
1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. white grape juice
Juice from 1/4 tangerine, plus a slice for garnish

Blueberry Creamcicle
Courtesy of Van Gogh Vodka
1 oz. Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka
1/2 oz. Licor 43
Splash blue curacao
Splash cream

*Want to try Mona Vie? To get more info, contact Kris & James at kris@monaviepa.com or james@monaviepa.com.

Kickin' It Old School

I just got back from the Bowery Hotel, where bartender Brian is mixing up old school concoctions worthy of Toulouse-Lautrec. That's right, we are talkin' Absinthe. Though I have done my Absinthe research, even writing a story on the "Green Fairy" while at Pennsylvania's Wine Spirits Quarterly, I have never seen an absinthe cocktail made in person -- until tonight. Bowing to tradition, Brian mixed up this mystical green potion in a pint glass, topped it off with a strainer, over which he poured ice cold water from an ornate glass jar over a sugar cube. If you're not daring enough for this hallucingenic sip, try the bar's Bowery Cocktail: a mix of Dubonnet, Angostura bitters, and Plymouth Gin topped off with Champagne and served in a martini glass garnished with a lemon twist.

Got Milk?

I hope not. I'm a firm believer that martinis should never be made with milk or half & half. The main reason is three-fold: 1) I feel like I am drinking dessert at happy hour. 2) By the time you reach the bottom of the glass, the creamy mixture gets coagulated. And 3) all those calories! Unfortunately, two of my favorite martinis -- the Espressotini and the Key Lime Martini -- are often hard to come by minus the milk factor, but they do exist! Here are two of my favorite no-milk martini recipes.

Espressotini
Courtesy of Starbucks
1 part Starbucks Coffee Liqueur
1 1/2 parts Absolut Vanil

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Key Lime Martini
Courtesy of Absolut
4 parts Absolut Vanil
1 part Lime Juice
1 part Simple Syrup
Lemon wedge

Chill a cocktail glass with ice or in the freezer. Pour absolut vanilia, lime juice and simple syrup into a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake it until the shaker is very cold. Empty the cocktail glass from ice and water. Strain the drink into the cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.