THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE MARTINI

This is a seriously sweet cocktail, but then white chocolate is a seriously sweet candy. I admit to preferring my Chocolate Cheesecake Martini, but I have a friend who loves white chocolate best so I developed this cocktail specifically for her.

To each his own, especially at happy hour, I'm not one to judge!

For myself, I add a few drops of some chocolate or coffee bitters and a little extra salt to counteract the sweetness. It's your choice on those small modifications.

The
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Oz. Vanilla Vodka

1 Oz. White Chocolate Liqueur

(I use Godiva)
1 Oz. White Creme de Cacao
1 Oz. Heavy Cream (or Half & Half)

Pinch of Sea Salt

Garnish: Crushed Graham Crackers on Rim, White Chocolate Cheesecake Bite

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Cocktail (Martini) or Coupe

DIRECTIONS
 Dip the rim of the glass in some of the white chocolate liqueur then into crushed Graham Crackers.
Chill glass in freezer.
Add the ingredients to an ice filled cocktail shaker, shake until chilled then pour into your chilled glass.
Garnish and serve.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

September 22nd is National  White Chocolate Day and March 6th is National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day.
   Updated 3-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

HAPPY NATIONAL ABSINTHE DAY

Image in the Public Domain

It's National Absinthe Day

You've probably heard of Absinthe at one time or another, most likely in the context of the proclaimed "psychotropic dangers" of this unusual alcohol. Possibly you heard it mentioned in relation to such notables as Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, Ernest Hemmingway or Oscar Wilde.  It was the darling of Happy Hour during the 17th Century in Parisian bistros, the liquid muse of the free thinkers of the day and it became an integral part of the bohemian culture of the times.

WHAT IS ABSINTHE?
Absinthe is a pale green aperitif with a licorice like flavor that will louche (turn milky) when water is added. It was originally made with grand wormwood (artemisia absinthium) and Green Anise, petite wormwood (artemisia pontica, aka Roman wormwood), fennel, and hyssop.  The wormwood oils are what contains thujone, the ingredient thought to be the psychoactive agent that caused all the trouble.  The true story is more complicated than that and revolves more around the higher alcohol level of Absinthe (sometime up to 72% alcohol), abuse of the drink, cheaper contaminated versions and the hysteria of the Victorian era.

The name Absinthe is actually of Greek origin, the root word being "apsinthion" which translates as bitter.  The bitterness of this liqueur comes primarily from the wormwood.

THE TRUTH ABOUT WORMWOOD & THUJONE
Wormwood is a herb related to the daisy family that grows wild in many areas of Europe. In too high a dose thujone is dangerous but the thujone actually found in absinthe is many thousands of times lower than the dangerous level, especially in today's federally monitored versions.

From ancient times thujone has been prized as one of the most valuable medicinal herbs. An Egyptian papyrus from 1600BC praises the medicinal qualities of wormwood, Pythagoras believed that wormwood leaves in wine would ease childbirth and Hippocrates recommended it for anemia and rheumatism. Today, wormwood oil, the oil obtained from Artemisia absinthium can be found in many over the counter remedies here in the U.S.

PANIC IN THE BARS OF EUROPE
Thanks to the sensationalism of the Lanfrey Murders, the movement to ban the liqueur, fueled by the Temperance Movement and the morals of the times, turned Absinthe into the evil green devil of the day.  It was blamed for madness, murder and mayhem - some even said it was Absinthe that drove Van Gogh to chop off his ear!  After many petitions and powerful opposition to the liqueur, Absinthe was made the scapegoat of much of the insanity and infamy of the era and the pressure was on to remove it from the reach of the public.  First banned in the Congo Free State in 1898, then in Brazil and in Belgium in 1906, Holland followed in 1908, Switzerland in 1910, the USA in 1912 and finally in France in 1915.

Recently these bans have been lifted in many countries in Europe, including France, the United States and Canada and Absinthe is enjoying a Renaissance in the cocktail world.

THE ABSINTHE RITUAL OF LA LOUCHE

 Image by Eric Litton (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

La Louche is the classic ritual of drinking Absinthe where a perforated spoon holding a cube of sugar is set over the glass of the aperitif, and cold water is slowly poured over the sugar and spoon turning the translucent green liqueur into a milky, opalescent drink.  The cold water serves two purposes, first it dilutes the strength of the powerful alcohol and second, it purportedly released  "The Green Fairy"  i.e. the hallucinogenic qualities of the wormwood in the Absinthe.  The Green Fairy was more than a nickname for Absinthe, in the late 1800s it was also a symbol of artistic enlightenment and exploration, of poetic inspiration, of free thinking and changing social orders, thus making it the "Green Muse" or "Green Goddess" of artists and writers alike.

Contrary to popular believe, setting the sugar cube on fire was not part of the original ritual, but is a more recent addition.

ABSINTHE MAKES IT'S COMEBACK FROM INFAMY
Made legal again here in the U. S. in 2007, today's versions of Absinthe contain less than 10mg of thujone per litre (in keeping with the  EU regulations), and the alcohol volume is considerably lower.  There is a great resurgence of interest in this aperitif and you'll find it popping up in chic bars and restaurants all over the country.

You can now enjoy Absinthe Cocktails and even the Ritual of La Louche without fear of flashbacks or insanity (or loss of ears) from enjoying this unusual and historical apertif.

SOME ABSINTHE COCKTAILS TO ENJOY

ABSINTHE MINDED LEPRECHAUN

DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON

ENCHANTED FAERIE

TUXEDO II

THE ABSINTHE MARTINI

aka The Obituary Cocktail

2 oz. gin

1/4 oz. dry vermouth

1/4 oz. absinthe

Combine ingredients over ice and gently stir. Garnish with a lime twist.

ABSINTHE CHRYSANTHEMUM

2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz Benedictine
1 Tsp. absinthe

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

1888 ABSINTHE COCKTAIL

1 tsp gomme syrup (simple syrup)
1 dash Boker's bitters
1 dash anisette
1 oz water or seltzer
3 oz absinthe

Shake. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Serve.

ITALIAN ABSINTHE

1 oz absinthe
1 oz anisette
3 dashes Maraschino liqueur

Add ice to a tall tumbler, pour in the ingredients, fill with ice water, stir slowly and serve.

Updated 3-2017

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POUND CAKE MARTINI for National Pound Cake Day

March 4th is National Pound Cake Day. While this may not seem like a particularly momentous holiday it does give occasion for enjoying yet another fun Cake Cocktail, in this case, my Pound Cake Martini.

Once upon a time my recipe for this was similar to many others and included pineapple juice. Pineapple Juice? Okay, it tasted good but it didn't taste like a classic pound cake. And what was I thinking by not adding an egg white to add body, balance the acid and create that lovely foam cap? Fortunately I am older and wiser now.

The
POUND CAKE
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 Oz Cake Vodka

1/2 Oz. Vanilla Vodka

1/4 Oz. Amaretto

1/2 Oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White*

Garnish:

Powdered Sugar Glazed** Rim

1" Cube of Pound Cake

Cocktail Cherry

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Cocktail or Coupe

DIRECTIONS
Dip the rim of the glass the powdered sugar glaze (recipe below).

 Chill glass in freezer.

Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice then dry shake (no ice) to emulsify the egg and build your foam.

Add ice and shake until chilled.
Strain into the chilled glass, garnish and serve.

(*You can use pasteurized egg whites if you prefer.)

Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Directions:

**POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE FOR RIM

2 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

1 Drop of Vanilla Extract (or Vanilla Vodka)

1/4 - 1/2 (+/-) Teaspoon Milk

Slowly add the milk so you don't make the glaze too thin to stay on the rim!

A LITTLE HISTORY ON POUND CAKE

Traditionally pound cakes were made with apound each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. This made quite a bit of pound cake so people probably cut the measurements, but having an equal parts recipe was most likely an easy way to remember and pass down the recipe during a time when most people could not read.

Dating back to the early 1700s, the pound cake is a British creation, though there are variations on the basic recipe from countries the world over. After rising agents were invented in the 1800s, recipes for pound cake changed in order to create lighter versions and to create unique flavors and tastes.

Enjoy your Happy Hour and remember, neither this martini nor the cake itself are called pound cake because they pile on the pounds.

National Pound Cake Day is March 4th.

Updated March 2022

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THIRSTY THURSDAY - Celebrate with a Martini!

Thirsty Thursday was instituted by college students who didn't have class on Fridays and could party Thursday nights without worrying about dealing with their education while hungover. It's now migrated to the real world and even has it's own hash tag on Twitter (#ThirstyThursday).

Technically it should properly be spelled THURSTY Thursday as it was a melding of Thursday+thirsty, but most people use the alternate spelling.

Though I did not come up with the idea, I am not above using it as another excuse to enjoy a cocktail - I'm admit to blatant opportunism here.

Celebrate Thirsty Thursday with one of my craft cocktails. Use my search bar to find your favorites.

Updated 3-2017

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BANANA CREAM PIE MARTINI for Banana Cream Pie Day

Love Banana Cream Pie? Then today is your day because it's National Banana Cream Pie Day, which means, of course, here at The Martini Diva Blog it's Banana Cream Pie Martini Day!

BANANA CREAM PIE
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1 Oz. Vanilla Vodka
1-1/2 Oz. 99 Bananas Liqueur
1/2 Oz. Godiva White Chocolate  Liqueur
1/2 Oz. Heavy Cream or Half & Half

Garnish: Crushed Graham Crackers for Rim, Banana Slice

Tools: Cocktail Shaker

Glass: Cocktail  (Martini) or Coupe

DIRECTIONS
Rim glass with 99 Bananas then dip in crushed crushed graham crackers, chill glass in the freezer.
Add the ingredients to an ice filled cocktail shaker.
Shake until chilled.
Strain into the chilled glass.
Garnish with the banana slice and serve.

Voiceover Video with Ingredients & Instructions:

If you need even more of an excuse to enjoy your Banana Cream Pie Martini check out these Banana Facts:

• A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers. 
• Bananas are a good source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.
• Bananas have no fat, cholesterol or sodium.
• Alexander the Great discovered bananas in 327 B.C. during his conquest of India, making this one of the first records of the banana.
• Bananas do not grow on trees, they grow on a plant which is technically an herb with the banana being a berry.
• Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body.

National Banana Cream Pie Day is March 2nd.

You might also enjoy my rum based

BANANA CREAM PIE COCKTAIL

More

BANANA COCKTAILS

Updated 1-2022

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3 PEANUT BUTTER MARTINIS for Peanut Butter Day

 Today is

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day*

Yet Another Excuse to Enjoy a Martini!

If you're fond of peanut butter you're in luck today because it's all about peanut butter here to celebrate Peanut Butter Lover's Day.

ALL MY PEANUT BUTTER COCKTAILS

A few facts about Peanut Butter:

• Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the United States.
• Peanut butter was first introduced to the USA in 1904 at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis by C.H. Sumner, who sold $705.11 of the "new treat" at his concession stand.
• Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
• The patent for peanut butter was awarded to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in 1895

HAPPY NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER LOVER'S DAY!

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

Read: NATIONAL WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT DAY.

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STRAWBERRY MARTINIS for National Strawberry Day!

 Happy NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY

If you're looking for an excuse to have a martini today why not celebrate National Strawberry Day and enjoy one of my

Strawberry Cocktails

• Strawberries have excellent health benefits and are full of antioxidants
• Strawberries have been seen as symbols of purity and longevity for centuries.
• Strawberries are in the same family as the rose flower (Rosaceae)!
• It's said that Madame Tallien, a French noblewoman at the time of Napoleon, used to bathe regularly in strawberry juice, using 22 pounds per basin!
• In Belgium there's a museum dedicated entirely to strawberries - The Musee De La Fraise

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Updated 7-2016