The Bloody Carrie (Raspberry Martini)

"Bloody Carrie" Martini raspberry martini.

Tonight's experiment: we give you the "Bloody Carrie" (thanks to Heidi Randall for the name):

• 3 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
• 1 oz Raspberry Syrup
• Twist of lemon
• Shake over ice then pour

I hate to admit this but tonight's recipe was the result of cleaning out my refrigerator. A bottle of Cascade Conserves brand Willamette Red Raspberry Syrup has sat untouched for probably 10 years. The syrup is supposed to be great for pancakes and on top of vanilla ice cream. Sadly, those are not things that I have at home very often. So it was headed for the trash. But I looked for an expiration date on the bottle and there was none. The seal had never been broken. I figured gin should kill any bugs if there were any!

Despite these dubious beginnings, I think it created an incredible drink. Temperatures in San Jose were in the 90's (33+C). The day beckoned for something cool, crisp and refreshing.

Our mixer--Cascade Conserves Willamette Red Raspberry Syrup.

Select an appropriate cocktail glass - Seneca leaded crystal in this case.

We're pouring Tanqueray tonight.

About this much gin.

The raspberry gave a nice red hue as it was poured. 

Add syrup until the color and taste seem right.

Pour the contents of the glass into a shaker with ice and shake.

When the sides of the shaker are nice and cold, pour the contents back into the glass.

Bloody Carrie Martini with gin & raspberry syrup.

I ended up adding some more syrup to the mix, increasing my original dose from about 1/2 ounce to a full ounce or maybe even a bit more. This particular syrup is a natural raspberry puree with very little added sugar (75% fruit.) So at 1/2 ounce there was just a hint of flavor and not much sweetness. At a full ounce I could taste the fruit and the drink remained crisp and refreshing. The color went from a something that looked like pink grapefruit at 1/2 ounce of syrup to something that looked like a blood orange at a little over an ounce of syrup.
 

Bloody Carrie Martini

Balsamic Martini, Take 2

Tonight was redemption for the awful attempt of this martini last week.

Balsamic Martini:

• 3 oz of Gin (I used Tanqueray)
• 1/4 - 1/2 oz 3 Dry Vermouth (I used Gallo for very mild flavor)
• 2-3 drops fine Balsamic Vinegar (I used Bellindora Balsamic Fig)
• Twist of Lemon
• 2-3 Castelvetrano Olives

The balsamic vinegar gives a subtle, kind of savory and still sweet undertone to the gin and vermouth. It pairs well with the olives. I put some Castelvetrano olives in this time. They are not a perfect martini olive in most cases--small, a bit soft and the flavor is very mild and more sweet than other olives. But they match perfectly with this drink.

Lestat Martini

Lestat Martini:

• 3 oz of Tanqueray Gin
• 1/2 oz St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)
• 3 Shakes Cayenne Pepper powder

Laissez le bon temps rouler! Combine gin with a splash of St. Germain (there are other brands of elderflower liqueur but I haven't tried them yet.) Shake mixture over ice and strain into glass. Sprinkle liberally with cayenne pepper. 

Spicy, sweet and perfect on a steamy summer night. This is the drink Lestat uses to wind down after a long night's hunt.

Cayenne Pepper
By André Karwath aka Aka - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16319