This is one of the first cocktails I ever created and it's still one of my favorites. I love a Key Lime Pie but it has to be in a standard short crust pastry pie shell, not a graham cracker crust and I prefer a brûléed meringue topping over whipped cream. There's a lot of versions out there, but that's my favorite style and the one I styled my original KLPM recipe around.
My first version of my Key Lime Pie Martini recipe called for limeade concentrate instead of key lime juice because the first time I made the cocktail I used actual Key limes and drove myself crazy trying to juice the little buggers without a decent juicer. Key limes are small and hard and I spent forever rolling them around trying to loosen up the juice inside. So I tried a frozen limeade for my next version and, though it didn't have that Key lime flavor, it made a pretty decent, and way easier, drink. It also had the sweetener already included. Plus, Key limes aren't always available and I could keep frozen limeade always on hand in the freezer.
Now I have a juicer so there's no excuse for not using fresh Key lime juice when they're in season. Gotta love the mod-cons, especially if you're in the cocktail business. I do love my juicers, especially when it comes to extracting Key lime juice.
The
KEY LIME PIE
MARTINI
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Vanilla Vodka
1-1/2 Oz. Fresh Key Lime Juice
1 Oz. Simple Syrup
2 Oz. Heavy Cream or Half & Half
Garnish: Pie Crust and Sugar Rim, Lime Slice
Tools: Juicer, Cocktail shaker
Glass: Cocktail
DIRECTIONS:
Blind bake a single layer of sugared, prepared pie crust, cool, then crumble. Mix with a teaspoon of sugar. I added in a bit of green sugar crystals for extra color. Dip the glass rim in some lime juice then into the crumbled pie crust mixture. Chill glass in the freezer.
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until icy cold.
You may wonder why you are getting two different versions of this edible cocktail. There's two versions because I had tons of lovely custard cocktail gel left over after making the samples for the photo shoot. Why not make a pudding cocktail too? So I did.
I hand made these chocolate cups because my chocolate mold did not come in time. You can also buy ready made chocolate cups at Amazon. I'm doing that next time, it's just plain easier - though I did infuse my chocolate cups with a nice little pinch of sea salt.
There's a hilarious Instagram account called Taste Of Streep that takes Meryl Streep and Photoshops her into all types of food. It tickles me funny. If you're a Streep fan and a foodie you can't help but enjoy these photo mash-ups, they're just perfectly silly and fun.
Besides the requisite doughnut, cannoli, pizza, et al., they have dropped Meryl into a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, a beer, a glass of wine and a pina colada but they neglected a martini.
As a huge Meryl fan, and since it's Ms. Streep's birthday today, I just can't let that go ignored ...
SIP OF STREEP
A Chocolate Meryl Martini Mash-up
INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Chocolate Vodka
1Oz. Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 Oz. Irish Cream
2 Dashes Coffee Bitters
Splash of Cream
Ice
Garnish: Chocolate shavings
Tools: Cocktail shaker, Strainer
DIRECTIONS:
Shake ingredients with ice until chilled, strain into chilled cocktail glass, garnish with chocolate shavings, serve.
