Make an Unforgettable Martini With Aquavit
I think Happy Memorial Day weekend. To be honest, I completely forgot about this holiday and its long weekend until I saw the press release “Cocktails on Memorial Day”, a phrase that, to me, is largely meaningless.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be drinking this weekend, I just don’t think this weekend is good for any topic, so the topic is “what Claire loves to drink,” which is aquavit, out of nostalgia. It’s hard to believe that a little over a year ago I was wandering around Copenhagen ( for work ) eating a lot of hot dogs and drinking a lot of aquavit . I’m not going to travel anytime soon, but at least I feel a little more mundane as I sip on that Scandinavian spirit.
I consider aquavit to be “evil gin,” which means it makes a great martini. I use a 3: 1 ratio of alcohol to vermouth, as fortified wine can help tame the more aggressive qualities of aquavit, and add some orange bitter just for pleasure. It’s a bit spicy and surprisingly bland, and I just know it’ll help fly by this long weekend.
To make it you will need:
- Aquavit 2 1/4 oz
- 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
- 3 drops of orange bitter
Pour everything into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for about a minute, until the drink is very cold. Strain into the compartment and garnish with a strip of lemon zest, if you have one. Repeat until the weekend is over.