French Martini - Let's make this one better!

Today I'll be making my delicious version of the French Martini. Or at least I think it is. I'll also share one of my own recipes that is super duper easy that I make for people at the bar that ask me for a vodka cocktail, but not too sweet. So if you're ready, let's make some drinks. The French Martini was created in the late 1980s in New York. It was originally just a three ingredient cocktail, but like I said before, I'm gonna make my own little version of it. Don't worry, it's no rocket science, I promise. I'm just gonna balance it a little bit different. And in regard to the name of this cocktail, the French part most likely comes from the use of Chambord, which is from France. And the Martini, well, that was a name that was given incorrectly to a bunch of cocktails of this era. Think Espresso Martini, Apple Martini, etc. Anything served in a V-shaped Martini glass, like this, was called a Martini. But that's not a real thing. A Martini is gin and vermouth. But we can talk about that in a different video. For the French Martini, we're gonna need a vodka. I'll be using Absolut. And Absolut has a special place in my little heart. You might know that Absolut Vodka is from Sweden. And so is this guy right here. Anyway, I grew up drinking this stuff. Eating my Swedish meatballs with lingonberries as I assemble my IKEA furniture. All that good stuff we do in Sweden. I also found this super old ad where they actually use Absolut and Chambord. So I guess I'm on the right track here for the original recipe. We're gonna need Chambord, which is a black raspberry liqueur from France. But there's more to it than that. Let's see what they say. Chambord is an infusion of the world's finest raspberries and blackberries. These are blended with the exotic flavors of black raspberry, blackcurrant, Madagascan vanilla, and cognac. Huh. There you go. Then for the third ingredient, pineapple juice. And I'm using canned pineapple juice. If you want to juice a pineapple, go right ahead. My experience tells me that juicing pineapple is a little bit finicky. If you get one that is a little under ripe, it won't taste very well. And another thing is I don't really use that much pineapple at home. So for me, it's easier to keep these at hand. But whatever you prefer. So these are the three original ingredients. But to me, no matter how you balance them, I don't think it really tastes that great. I like to add some fresh lemon juice just to give the cocktail some acidity. And a smidge of simple syrup just to balance things out. I'm going to start with a quarter ounce of simple syrup. Half an ounce of Chambord or whatever black raspberry, blackberry liqueur you have. It really doesn't matter. Half an ounce of pineapple juice. Half an ounce of lemon juice. And one and a half ounce of your finest Swedish vodka. And just because I'm wild and crazy, I like to muddle a couple of fresh blackberries into my French martini. Boink! But that's just extra. You don't have to do that. For my own little creation that doesn't have a name, we'll once again be using vodka, Aperol, which is a bittersweet fruity liqueur from Italy, fresh cucumber, some lemon juice, and a smidge of simple syrup. I'm going to start by muddling some cucumber. There's really no rocket science to this. Just throw in a couple of chunks. Quarter ounce of simple syrup. Three quarter ounce of Aperol. Three quarter ounce of lime juice. And once again, one and a half ounce of your finest Swedish vodka. All right, and here's my best advice for coming up with inspiration for vodka cocktails. Actually, let me try these out first. Okay, French martini. Pretty straightforward. Pineapple, blackberry, lemon, you know, spiked with some good vodka. Anyone can drink this. And then for my own little concoction. Okay, still very easy drinking, but a little bit more vegetal notes, a little bit of bitterness from the Aperol. You get a little bit of orange from the Aperol as well. A perfect cocktail for the people that are, can I have a vodka cocktail but not too sweet? This is one of my go-to cocktails and it hasn't failed me yet. So you should really try this. So now for my little advice for coming up with vodka cocktails. Look at classic gin cocktails or anything with gin. And if you see what you like, just make it with vodkas then. Because gin is flavored vodka. It's flavored with juniper and botanicals, but it starts out as vodka. Anyway, if you want some more inspiration, check out these videos.