As I write, it is 4 o'clock here in Manhattan on a very lazy Saturday afternoon, and my thoughts have turned to this glass. Quality over quantity- the best of ingredients in a cocktail put me in the right frame of mind at 5 o'clock. There is the ritual enjoyment of opening bottles of small batch bitters, or containers of spices and herbs, or reaching in the back of the refrigerator for the jar filled with thyme scented simple syrup Zan brought over to make martinis. Appreciating these little receptacles of other people's passion or care go into the drink as sure as the liquor. Tonight, I feel like one of the saltiest drinks I've ever tasted, and one of my favorite, called an "L.A. River". The bartender at the downtown L.A. restaurant I tasted it in told me the name comes from it being "really dry and really dirty". If you've seen the L.A. river, you know that's a perfect description.
In a martini shaker, put a half capful of a good quality white vermouth, swish it around, and empty it out. Add ice and vodka and olive juice to your taste. Shake madly. Wet the rim of your glass and dip it into smoked black salt. Pour in your cocktail and vow to cut salt out of dinner tonight.
xxxNana
"Very dry & very dirty"
ReplyDeleteRound here that would be called the Todd River. Look up the Todd River regatta in Alice Springs if you want to be baffled by the Australian sense of humour, Nana....
Right on. I've force myself to acquire the taste of a dirty martini but haven't been able to so far, maybe this will be the one...
ReplyDeleteI've been perfecting my own martini since 2004. The current version looks like one part vodka, one part gin, dash of dry vermouth, swirl(do not shake gin unless you want it bitter) in martini shaker, strain, add 10 or so julienne cut lemon peel sticks and enjoy. A tasteless vodka spaces out the gin flavor. Loosens you up but keeps your wits intact. I call it the Led Zeppelin because the 4 ingredients, like the band members, create a 5th element together. Be careful with this one. It kicks in fast and powerful. A pair of these is more than enough from experience.
Oh and yes add ice to the shaker, optional in the drink after straining.
DeleteTried the drink and its marvelous,
ReplyDeleteThanks Nana