Enjoy a Festive Birch Martini for the Holidays
Happy weekend everyone, and welcome back to Happy 3 Ingredient Hour , a weekly drinks column featuring very simple yet delicious libations. This week we are preparing a winter martini inspired by an incredibly beautiful birch tree.
Birch trees may not be the kind of evergreen that we put gifts under, but there is something in their snow-white bark that gives them a distinctly seasonal look, and their sap is simply delicious. Birch liqueur, native to Iceland but can be bought in the US, has a woody, honey-sweet, almost licorice flavor that is quite enjoyable as a digestif in itself. When mixed with gin for a winter martini, it becomes more invigorating, taking on the character of a snowy, snowy winter night. (If this all sounds a little flamboyant, don’t worry about it; it tastes like alcohol and plants, and these are two things I love to try.) To make one, you will need:
- 2 1/2 ounce London dry gin
- 1/2 ounce birch liqueur
- 2 drops of orange bitter
Pour everything into a glass filled with ice and stir until the glass is unpleasantly cold. Get in your compartment and take a sip as you admire your holiday tree. Repeat until you are in a festive mood.