Happy Independence Day! It's time for sparklers and firecrackers and a sizzling fresh martini so here's your recipe card for the July 4th Fireworks Martini!I wanted a clear martini with the garnish in reds and blues and this martini was created to complement the flavors of the blueberries and strawberries I wanted to use as garnish! I needed something that would go well with those flavors so I decided to try out the new blueberry infused vodka I saw (on sale!) at the store.
I like fresh blueberries and they're full of antioxidants for a healthy body and the really fun thing is they float! So you can just toss them on top of your martini if you want!
This is a really basic cocktail and not too sweet. I tried one version with sprite instead of club soda and then a float of raspberry liquor but found the raspberries overpowered the subtle infusion of blueberry in the vodka and the drink was too sweet. Using club soda instead of the sprite cut the sweetness and allowed not only the taste but the aroma of the blueberries in the vodka to hit your nose just before you taste the drink. Very nice. The wonderful oils from the lemon rind gave a nice acidic balance to the slightly sweet vodka and the club soda gave it a bit of effervescense and sparkle.
I have to tell you - I really, really wanted to spear the strawberries and blueberries with a sparkler for my garnish, but you never know where that sparkler stick has been so I didn't - but I did have to set up one martini with a lit sparkler to photograph! I didn't want to go outside in the 110 degree heat so I did it inside - sulpher smoke everywhere, it's a wonder I didn't set the house afire, lol! Dangerous and stupid so don't do it - I got lucky - and I got the picture!
And here's some fun political parody goodies just in time for your Fourth of July!
