Do you ever have these moments? You are out somewhere -- a restaurant, a clothing store, an art fair -- and you eat/try on/see something fabulous...and then you think "I could totally make that at home." For me, this usually results in one of two options: I never try (who needs one more project?). Or, in a hair-brained moment of reasoning that of course I need a new silky skirt, I forget that I don't have time to make it, so I buy all the supplies and then never try.
But with chocolate martinis, it's completely different. You may have tasted a decent chocolate martini in the past. But unless you have been in Madison, WI, and gone to the Restaurant Magnus, and sat in the dimly lit bar, and tried to watch them make the concoction that will blow you away with its magnificence, you haven't truly lived the chocolate martini. Their recipe is so super-secret that the otherwise showy bartendenders pull down all the necessary bottles (there seem to be something like 6 of them) into the well behind the bar, and pour a little of this and a little of that beneath the edge of the bar so you can't tell what's going on. Then, they dust the rim of a very cold, very large martini glass with little crunchies of chocolate (like crushed oreos, al dente), pour in the concoction, and hand perfection to you over the bar. I have no idea what these cost. I don't care. You can't really drink more than one -- they are that strong and that rich, and yet somehow not cloyingly sweet. And if it's both drink and dessert, and perfection to boot, who cares what they charge?
Perhaps needless to say, I no longer live in Madison, WI. And I have tried, and failed miserably, to recreate this most heavenly of drinks. It might be that I'm not longer lithe and 25. It might be that memories of many nights of jazz have clouded the truth of this drink and turned its flavor, in my mind, into an ambrosia not possible to recreate on earth.
But I like to think I just need the right recipe.
And I'm guessing I'm not alone. Trust me, you need this recipe too. All mothers should have a martini cookbook. Some people like theirs serious and strong: pass the Stoli and don't let it even sniff the vermouth on the way. Other people like theirs fruity and sweet: pass the Midori for a melontini. Me, I tend towards something in-between: citrusy or light for summer evenings, chocolate heaven for dessert. Here are recipes for my two favorite martinis that I can actually make correctly. Please add your recipes in the comments.
And if you manage to come up with the Restaurant Magnus chocolate martini recipe, I will love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. And ever.
French Martini
1 Tablespoon Chambord
3 oz Absolut Citroen or other lemon-flavored vodka
lemon zest
Chill a martini glass. Pour in Chambord. Shake vodka over a lot of ice to make it very very cold. Strain into glass by pouring over the back of a big spoon, so that it layers over the Chambourd. Garnish with one small strip lemon zest.
Watermelon Martini
2 oz vodka
1-3 oz watermelon juice (depending on how hard-core you're feeling)
1-3 tsp sugar (depending on your sweet preference)
mint leaves
(for reference: I prefer a 2-2 vodka/juice ratio with 2 tsp sugar)
To make watermelon juice, buy fresh watermelon, and use the back of a spoon to press all the flesh through a very fine sieve. Pulp will remain behind (if not, the holes in your sieve are too big). Since 1 small watermelon can yield up to 2 quarts of juice, this is one for a party. Or, freeze the juice in ice-cube trays, and toss the cubes in a ziplock, so you can thaw just what you need any old time you want one of these. Put martini ingredients except mint into an ice-filled shaker, and go to town. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
And in the spirit of full disclosure, let it be known that I am not actually this chipper right now. Monday morning and I are never the best of friends. And today I have a sinus infection "hang-over," and my face, neck, and even my teeth, hurt right now. But I wrote this over the weekend, and I'm posting it in the hopes that the mirage of the perfect chocolate martini might get me through the day. Thanks for indulging me!
11 comments:
mmmm that sounds sooo good. My favorite martini is the "Lucky Cat" Vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, and chambord. mmmm
Salemsmom, it sounds good. The name is great! Any idea where it comes from?
I am the mom that buys all the supplies and then never tries.
:)
I have so been to Madison and visit friends on our trips to Chicago. I will have to remember the name, because is there really anything better in life then a chocolate martini. Nope. Not really.
oh how I'd LOVE a chocolate martini right now! It's my first day back at work after a week long vacation. I came back to a meeting that lasted all morning and 120 emails of "urgent things that MUST be done right away". So of course, I'm blogging over lunch :)
Unfortunately, they frown upon drinking at work. Or even in a bar over lunch and then coming back to work. What a bunch of stiffs!
I would be one of the people that buys all the supplies and then never makes it - just ask me how many gorgeous pieces of fabric I have currently waiting for me to do something with. I have thousands (well, maybe not literally thousands, but it may as well be that many) of projects that would be "totally fun to try at home" where I spent more money on the supplies than I would have on the object itself. One day (when we win the lottery), I'll get to do some of them.
I have no martini recipes but would LOVE to experiment to create the perfect chocolate one... hold on while I dash out to pick up the ingredients :)
Never had a chocolate martini. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit, the only martini I've EVER had was a good old regular James Bond type. I thought it tasted like meat tenderizer, and have never been inclined to try another. HOWEVER, chocolate that gets you drunk really can't be that bad, so if you figure out the recipe, let me know, and I'll throw virtual martinis to the wind and try the real thing :-)
OhMommy, you will love this place. You really should go there next time you're in Madison.
MM and MIQ: let's make a chocolate martini experiment date the next time we're all together. If we let the kids have little ones, then we'll all have a really good time. :)
Nothing says "Family Vacation" like a bunch of drunk toddlers - I'm all for it!!
OK, This one is good. Not THE BEST, but it'll do in a pinch.
Chill a martini glass. Squirt some of the Magic Chocolate shell stuff into the glass and swirl it around. It'll solidify in the cold glass. Throw the glass in the fridge until you're ready for it.
Mix 1 tsp sugar with 1 tsp ground semi or bittersweet chocolate and put that on a flat plate. Run a sliced orange around the rim of the glass to moisten it and then dip the glass in the sugar chocolate.
Pour 1 1/2 oz chocolate vodka (Van Gogh makes a good one) with 1/2 oz chocolate liquor and 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao into a shaker filled with cubes. If you want it creamy, add 2 tsbp half and half, too. Shake it, a lot, and pur it into your glass.
Mmmm.
Mr. Lady, That sounds seriously good. I will be trying it this coming weekend. Before your martini post, I didn't know about vanilla vodka, and I've been trying to dream up a chocolate martini with vanilla vodka, creme de cacoa, Godiva chocolate liquor...and ?? Seems like it needs just a drizzle of something. Coffee? Perhaps this will be the weekend of the Great Chocolate Martini Experiment. I have to say, though, all the fancy-schmancy stuff you suggest doing to the glass has me totally hooked!! So your recipe is the top of the pile. Thank you. :)
A life without Vanilla Vodka is a life unlived.
ANYTHING with Godiva liquor is good. Starbucks makes a rockin' liqour, too. EXCELLENT in my most favorite of tinis, the Espresso Martini.
And we now have two winners for our little superbowl fiesta: the chocolatini and the espresso-tini. How to choose? Don't. Just sleep over, and have both. ahhhh....
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