Saturday, May 4, 2013

The Derby Martini



Happy Kentucky Derby day!
Here's a little drink that is NOT a mint julep.  Refreshing, eh?
I'm not a person who is big on mint in my drinks, maybe tea, not my cocktail.
This martini has the traditional bourbon (yeah!) and some other good, and different stuff.

Lillet is kind of niche-y. That's a nice way of saying maybe you never heard of it.
But, I think you might like it, so I'm recommending it to you.
First, it's a French and pronounced Lil-lay. An aperitif wine, it's blended with of 85% Bordeaux wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs from the peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and the peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti. Lillet belongs in a family of aperitif known as tonic wines because of the addition of a liqueur of Cinchona bark from Peru which contains quinine. Whew, thank you Wikipedia!

Enjoy this with your delightful Derby hat on and enjoy your day!



Makes one martini
Ingredients

1 jigger Bourbon
1 1/2 jigger Lillet
1/2 jigger Grand Marnier (or Triple Sec)
1/2 Lime, juiced
1/2 tangerine, or orange, juiced
Orange Bitters, or Angostura bitters with a twist of orange peel
Garnish with a slice of orange, or a sprig of mint (if desired...)

In an ice filled cocktail shaker, pour in everything except the garnish and shake, shake, shake.
Strain into a martini glass and serve. Now, go watch the ponies.

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