20110430

Today is NATIONAL HONESTY DAY


WOULD I LIE TO YOU?
Today is
NATIONAL HONESTY DAY*

hon·es·ty –noun: 1. the quality or fact of being honest;  uprightness and fairness. 2. truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness. 3. freedom from deceit or fraud.

What better way to keep people honest then shake up a few martinis for some alcohol induced truth? Of course, you'd better be prepared for it because you might hear a few things you won't like or you might blurt out a few things you'll later wish you had kept corked up in your vodka bottle!

Honesty can be a wonderful thing.  It can clear the air and open up new lines of communication, but it can also be brutal, hurtful and mean.  Honesty is one of those virtues that you have to treat with respect, it can't be bandied about indiscriminately because it's a powerful weapon as well as a powerful tool and we should all wield it with care and love.

On the latest episode of BONES there's a storyline about honesty which illustrates my point perfectly. BTW, who here also wants to jump Agent Seeley's "bones"?? Ooops, sorry - but I was just being honest!

Search The Martini Diva Website for Honesty Inducing Martinis by
Name
Flavor
Base Alcohol
Theme
Holiday

HONESTY IS SUCH A LONELY WORD by Billy Joel:

*Ever wondered about where all these special commemorative holidays come from?


 
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20110429

HOT MAMA MARTINI - A Bloody, Spicy, Dirty Martini


RECIPE FOR THE
HOT MAMA MARTINI

In a typical Bloody Mary you will get your cocktail with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a drop of Tabasco. With the Hot Mama Martini, I've taken this classic to a totally new level of hot and spicy by bringing chipotle out to play with Mary. I also accessorized the Hot Mama with some spicier and slightly pickled garnishes instead of that dull old celery stick.

Kick it up a bit for Hot and Spicy Food Day!

P.S. Those legs on the graphic are the bottom half of my GIRL IN A MARTINI GLASS 2

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20110428

It's NATIONAL BLUEBERRY PIE DAY! Have a Blueberry Pie Cocktail!


April 28th is NATIONAL BLUEBERRY PIE DAY*  
Toast the Day with a
Slice of Blueberry Pie in a Glass:
My Cocktail Recipe for a
BLUEBERRY PIE COCKTAIL


Some Fun Blueberry Facts You Can Share at Happy Hour:
  • Blueberries are one of the only foods that are naturally blue.
  • The Blueberry is one of the few fruits that are native to North America (along with cranberries and concord grapes).
  • Native Americans called them "star berries," because the five points of blueberry blossoms make a star shape.
  • Blueberries were commonly used to make pemmican, a jerky type of dried food packed for sustenance on long journeys.
  • Early colonists made gray paint out of blueberries by boiling the blueberries in milk.
  • The traditional blue paint used in the homes of Shakers was made from blueberry skins, sage blossoms, indigo, and milk.
  • Blueberries often change color when cooked, especially when acids like lemon juice or vinegar are introduced. These will cause the blue pigment in the berries to turn reddish.  (Think purple martinis!)
  • Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan.
  • Robert Frost actually wrote a poem about Blueberries.
Some Health Benefits of Blueberries:
  • Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most other fruits or vegetables.
  • Blueberries are naturally low in both fat and sodium.
  • Both domestic and wild blueberries contain brain-saving bioflavonoids, but wild blueberries tend to contain more than the domestic ones.
  • The skin of the blueberry contains anthocyanin which helps to account for the blue color as well as being beneficial to health.
Updated 4-2021
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20110427

TORCHED CHERRY LIME MARTINI


Get the Recipe and/or Buy the Recipe Card for my

I've been experimenting with Bacardi Torched Cherry® Rum and have discovered I really like it!  Of course, if you read this blog a lot you already know I love cherries so this rum was kind of a no-brainer for me.  My first martini with the Torched Cherry was actually a daiquiri - The Bing Cherry Daiquiri-Tini - which is a frozen cocktail.  Sweet, cherry-licious and like having an adult cherry slushie -Yum!

For this Torched Cherry Lime Martini I went for a classic cocktail "straight up",  cocktail that is drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained and served without ice in a stemmed glass.  This one has a decidedly tart zing to it which will please those who prefer a less sweet cocktail. Another Yum!

I served this up with a few Torched Cherry Rum soaked Drunken Cherries on a cocktail fork as a garnish:

Kind of makes you wanna do a little Karaoke to Neil Diamond's Cherry Cherry, huh?

Updated March 2016



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20110426

The Big One Martini for NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE DAY


IT'S NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE DAY
Every April 26th We Acknowledge That The Earth Can Move Under Our Feet

According to the USGS (United States Geological Survey) there are several million earthquakes every year in the world and of those approximately only twenty percent will be large enough to be felt by humans and only around 100 of them will be large enough to cause damage.

Though you might not be aware of it, the earth is moving underneath your feet everyday. If that's not enough to send you heading towards the martini shaker I don't know what is!

BTW, today is also National Pretzel Day - so grab a bag of pretzels to go with your Big One Earthquake-A-Tini and make sure you have your Earthquake Survival Kit packed and up to date.

Updated  4-2019
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20110422

EASTER MARTINIS - Chocolate Mousse BunnyTini!


Get the Full Sized Recipe card for my
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BUNNY-TINI HERE

This year's new Easter Martini is actually a martini and a dessert rolled into one!  The Chocolate Mousse BunnyTini is a serving of delicious chocolate mousse with a little chocolate martini topping!

I was inspired by the cute Chocolate Mousse Bunny Peeps I found this year in the Easter candy aisle and, of course, that little bunny Peep is the garnish topping for this unusual martini.
HAPPY EASTER!





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20110421

A MARTINI for PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE'S WEDDING!


THE ROYAL WEDDING MARTINI
for Prince William and Elizabeth (Kate) Middleton's Nuptials
April 29th, 2011

Last week I was contacted on Twitter by several of my followers in the UK and asked if I would create a martini especially for the upcoming Royal Nuptials of Prince William and Kate.
 
 @1958landcruiser how about inventing a cocktail for the Royal Wedding next Friday week we'll get @FallowfieldsUK hotelier to try out (April 15th)

I figured why the heck not - it could be fun, right?  Then I was asked to put some zip into it to relieve all the dullness surrounding an event steeped in such historic "pomp and circumstance". Little did I know just how difficult it could be to create a cocktail with some English influence that was the antithesis of "dull".

 But I did my best and hopefully brought as much classic English influence and flavor to this cocktail as possible. I hope you enjoy my attempt to "curry" favor with the Royal family while I gave my new friends in the UK a fun new cocktail and, hopefully, a giggle or two!

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Updated 8-2016

20110420

20110419

FRUIT SALAD MARTINI - Who Needs a Plate?


The FRUIT SALAD MARTINI

Would you believe that all the ingredients in this martini were originally destined for a plated salad?  After hitting the local Farmer's Market I came home with fresh strawberries, pink grapefruit, a couple of kiwis and a nice bunch of cilantro.  I wanted to do a fruit salad using some of my ingredients so I googled up a few recipes online and found one that used all my fresh finds!

I replaced the vinegar from the recipe with some lemon and lime juice for the acid and substituted lavender honey for the oil part of the salad dressing to add a little sweetness, then tossed the whole kit and caboodle into my blender with a few ice cubes.  Of, course I added booze to the recipe - in this case plain vodka. I didn't want any additional flavor from the alcohol to overwhelm the fresh produce.

I may never eat fruit salad from a plate again.






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Updated 8-2016

20110418

BING CHERRY DAIQUIRI

http://themartinidiva.com

The BING CHERRY DAIQUIRI
Life is a bowl of cherries. . . and Rum!

If you're like me, when cherries come into season you grab them by the truckload. This means you're eating cherries, cooking with cherries and you're chilling with cherries at happy hour.

This daiquiri recipe makes great use of cherries, from the fresh cherries right down to the Maraschino Liqueur and Luxardo cherry syrup. It's a cherry fest of a cocktail.


It's also good for you because fresh cherries bring those good guys, antioxidants, to the party as well as anthocyanin (produces the red pigmentation) which studies have shown aids in reducing pain and inflammation. Some proponents have even said eating cherries reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease. All I know is they're my favorite fruit and they taste wonderful.

BING CHERRY DAIQUIRI Cocktail Recipe with Ingredients and Instructions

The
BING CHERRY
DAIQUIRI

INGREDIENTS
2 Oz.White Rum
1/2 Oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
8 Fresh, Pitted Bing Cherries
1 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tsp. Cherry Syrup (from Luxardo Cherries)

Garnish: Luxardo Cherries, Optional Sugar Rim

Tools: Muddler, Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Cocktail  or Coupe

DIRECTIONS
Muddle the cherries, lime juice and cherry syrup in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice. Add the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and rum. Shake until chilled then strain into the chilled glass, garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

I liked it so much I did it two nights in a row.


Updated 7-2021
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20110416

The DIVORCE MARTINI for National Divorce Day

http://themartinidiva.com

According to the latest statistics, fifty percent (50%) of all marriages end up in divorce.  That means there's a lot of folks out there will have a reason to enjoy this cocktail today.

The
DIVORCE MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
2 Oz Vodka
1 Oz Blackberry Brandy
1 Oz Cranberry Juice
Splash of Champagne
Squeeze of Fresh Lime

Garnish: Sugar Rim

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Martini (Cocktail) 

DIRECTIONS
Rub the rim of the glass with lime then dip into sugar.
Chill glass in the freezer.
Add the vodka, blackberry brandy, cranberry juice and lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake until well chilled then strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
Top off with a splash of Champagne and serve with the divorce papers.

And does anyone else notice that National Divorce Day is the day after Federal Income Tax filings are usually due in the U.S.?  Methinks there might be a connection. . . . what do you think?

April 16th is National Divorce Day.

Updated 4-16-2018
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20110415

PHOOEY on the Tea Party - We Need A MARTINI PARTY!


MANY HAPPY "RETURNS"

Tired of hearing about the Tea Party? Stressed out over filling out your tax forms?
Afraid you'll never make it to Happy Hour today?
Let Uncle Sam buy the house a round!

Americans for a Tax Free Happy Hour!

Updated 4-15-2016





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20110414

STRAWBERRY WATERMELON MARTINI - Summer Martini!


THE FIRST MARTINI OF SUMMER:
Yes, I know it's a little early for summer in most of the U.S. but here in Arizona the heat comes early and we had 90 degrees here the other day.  Fortunately I had some fresh strawberries and a cute little seedless mini watermelon all nicely prepped and cold in my fridge so out they came along with some fresh mint and I was shaking up some cold and refreshing Strawberry Watermelon Martinis for my new neighbors at Happy Hour!

Here's my recipe:

I think this martini put me in good standing with my new neighbors - they now know to keep an eye out for my martini flag. . .that means it's time for Happy Hour at the home of The Martini Diva.

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20110413

PEACH COBBLER MARTINI Cocktail Recipe


I grew up loving peach cobbler. My dad was the peach cobbler baker in our house, when mom made cobbler it was usually her favorite, cherry cobbler. Dad was an executive with the Boy Scouts of America and we spent a lot of time camping so the peach cobblers we had were usually cooked over a fire in a dutch oven at a campsite. It was the primary reason I always looked forward to camping.

As a kid I thought you had to make peach cobbler in a Dutch oven. As an adult I now think the best way to have mine is in a glass.

Peach Cobbler Martini Cocktail Recipe with Ingredients and Instructions

The
PEACH COBBLER
Martini

INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Vodka
1 Oz. Peach Schnapps
1/2 Fresh Peach
1 Oz. Heavy Cream
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 Cup of Ice

Garnish: Dash of Peach Bitters, Peach Wedges, Sprinkle of Nutmeg

Tools: Blender

Glass: Cocktail (Martini)

DIRECTIONS
Chill glass in the freezer.
Blend ingredients until smooth and creamy, pour into your chilled glass, garnish and serve.

National  Peach Cobbler Day is April 13th.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

Updated 4-2021
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20110412

The Licorice Stick Martini for National Licorice Day

http://themartinidiva.com

IT'S NATIONAL LICORICE DAY
Celebrate Licorice with the

Licorice Stick Martini Recipe

Yes, dear fellow martini lover, yet another excuse to enjoy a martini at happy hour - today is April 12th and that means it's National Licorice Day!
Grab your vodka and pull out one of your black licorice sticks and shake up my Licorice Stick Martini, National Licorice Day comes only once a year!

*Ever wondered about where all these special commemorative holidays come from?



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20110407

WORLD HEALTH DAY - Tips for making your cocktails healthier

 
Contrary to what most of us were taught, having a cocktail or two a day is not necessarily a bad thing.  Drinking alcohol picked up a bad rep somewhere in our past history and with that reputation it picked up an association with being unhealthy as well.  While drinking in excess is obviously a bad idea for your health and your over all well being, drinking in moderation is now being linked to having health benefits!

As The Martini Diva I celebrate the art of the drink, the enjoyment of a well mixed cocktail and the shared, communal ritual of happy hour, but I never promote or encourage excessive consumption, drunkenness, binge drinking or simply drinking to get drunk because this goes against my philosophy of "happy" hour!  To me the whole point of my slogan "where martinis are a lifestyle" is to enjoy the conviviality of friends with good food and good libations, and to enrich life with some style and flair.  Slamming down drink after drink in order to get buzzed defeats the whole concept of elegance and grace that is at the core of why I enjoy martinis!

“Only actions give life strength; only moderation gives it charm.” ~ Jean Paul Richter

One or two cocktails with friends at the end of a long, stressful day is a perfectly healthy way to decompress and a great addition to a charming life - especially if you use healthy ingredients!

In order to celebrate World Health Day, I've come up with a few tips on how to make some simple changes to your cocktails to bring a little healthy into your happy hour:
  1. Buy a juicer and use FRESH fruits and vegetables instead of canned or frozen juices or sugar loaded commercial cocktail mixes or pop.
  2. Load up your cocktail pick with some pieces of those same fresh fruits and veggies as your garnish.
  3. Replace creams and milk with non-fat yogurt or pasteurized egg whites.
  4. Use honey, blue agave nectar, or molasses instead of simple syrup.
  5. Use Blue Agave sweeteners or Stevia in place of processed white sugars. Even raw sugar is better than processed white sugar.
  6. Use sea salts in place of table salt.
  7. Use low or no salt added ingredients like Worcestershire, hot sauces or sparkling sodas.
Here's to Your Health and to a Healthy Happy Hour on
WORLD HEALTH DAY!





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20110404

Make Some Fresh Rhubarb Juice for a Rhubarb Martini


IT'S THE SEASON FOR FRESH
RHUBARB MARTINIS

Rhubarb is one of the first food plants to be ready for harvest and comes into season in mid- to late spring (April/May in the northern hemisphere). You're going to start seeing some nice fresh stalks in your market soon so grab or make some Fresh Rhubarb Juice and prepare for some great Fresh Rhubarb Martinis!

INTERESTING LITTLE RHUBARB FACT:  Here in the States we think of Rhubarb as a fruit but it is really a vegetable!  Thanks to a decision by a New York court in 1947 it was designated as a fruit in the United States for the purposes of regulations and duties, a decision that also reduced in taxes paid!

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Updated 8-2016

20110402

Happy National Peanut Butter & Jelly MARTINI Day!

Get the recipe for the

Here's your excuse to take a little trip back in time and enjoy that childhood favorite, Peanut Butter and Jelly only with an adult twist! The Peanut Butter and Jelly Martini is a little bit of your childhood lunchbox in a martini glass. . . .you'll feel like a kid again as you sip this nutty cocktail.

Serve it up with a side of potato chips to complete your lunchbox special Happy Hour - then maybe go out and play a game of jacks or hide and seek to burn off the calories.

*Ever wondered about where all these special commemorative holidays come from?
Read: NATIONAL WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT DAY.

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20110401

APRIL FOOL'S MARTINI for All Fool's Day aka April Fool's Day!


HOW TO HAVE THE
"LAST WORD"
ON APRIL FOOLS DAY.

If you're looking for a cocktail to trick your friends at Happy Hour today you've come to the right place. My April Fool's Day version of a classic Last Word Cocktail will fool them into thinking it's an Apple Martini - until they take that first sip.

The standard recipe for a Last Word is one part green chartreuse, one part in gin, one part Maraschino liqueur and one part lime juice garnished with a lemon twist or wedge. I just switched out the lemon twist for an apple slice. Mean, huh??

Set this green martini with the apple garnish in front of your drinking buddy and have your phone ready to record their first drink. They'll be expecting a sweet, apple flavored martini but they'll be pranked with an herb infused Green Chartreuse and Gin cocktail. That first sip should cause some classic funny faces for posterity and you can load it up on social media to share with your whole group the next day. Bingo, instant April Fool's cocktail joke.

Just in case, you might want to have a few real Apple Martinis on hand, but don't be surprised if they enjoy this martini after that first surprise as it's actually quite a nice cocktail. It is, however, quite a different flavor profile from the sweet apple they were expecting so you might want to back off a few feet just in case there's a few spit takes.

THE ORIGINS OF APRIL FOOL'S DAY

The true origins of the beginnings of April Fool's Day are not really known but there are a few theories of it's history. The most prominent one, and the most believable, is centered around the switch from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar.

Prior to the late 1500's the Julian Calendar marked New Year's as March 25th, but because this date fell during a holy week, New Year's was traditionally celebrated on April 1st. When the Gregorian Calendar (aka the Western Calendar) was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII (after whom the calendar is named) by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, New Year's moved to the first of January.

Because communication was slow in those times much of the Western world was unaware of this new calendar for several years. There were also those who knew of the change but defied the Papal Bull and continued to follow the Julian Calendar, celebrating New Year's on April 1st.

According to legend these people were believed to be "fool's" by those who had adopted the Gregorian Calendar and these "fool's" were subjected to a variety of pranks and jokes, ridiculed for their "backwards" behavior. This practice continued for years as the world slowly adopted to the new calendar dates, eventually becoming so ingrained a habit it became a tradition which eventually spread throughout Europe by the 1800s and traveled across the pond to the American Colonies with English and French immigrants.

WHAT HUGE APRIL FOOL'S HOAXES DO YOU REMEMBER?
10 of the Top April Fool's Hoaxes

One April Fool's hoax that sticks in my memory is the one involving Taco Bell and the Liberty Bell: In 1996, Taco Bell took out an ad in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt", renaming it the "Taco Liberty Bell". White House press secretary Mike McCurry carried this April Fool's joke one step further during a press conference on the ad stating that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Lincoln Mercury Memorial.


I also remember the Left Handed Whopper from Burger King in 1998. The funny thing about that one for me was I remember thinking it was a great marketing ploy. I knew it was tongue-in-cheek but I didn't realize it was an April Fool's joke immediately because I forgot it was April Fool's that particular day. Once I stopped being my own kind of April Fool and connected the dots, I thought the campaign was even more clever!

QUOTES FOR APRIL FOOL'S DAY

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time ~ Abraham Lincoln

If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings ~ Welsh Proverb

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me ~ Chinese Proverb

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY
& BE ON YOUR TOES!


Updated 4-1-2017
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