Ginger Martini, a Spicy Delight

The first drink I made after I created my own ginger syrup, recipe here, was a Moscow Mule.  The punch of flavor that provided immediately got me thinking of a ginger martini.  For most of us, a ginger martini is the exotic treat you order when going out for sushi or Thai.  Once I made my first ginger martini at home, I immediately had a new top 10 favorite drink to mix and kick back on my own couch.  I order more Chinese food delivery than I’m proud to admit, and now I have the added incentive of being able to order and then mix a great drink that will fit right in with my meal.

For this cocktail, we are using vodka and not gin.  I know, I know, that is not a martini, because martinis are made with gin.  I get it, I’m a bit of a traditionalist myself, but the convention is to call this particular cocktail a martini, and I’m going with the flow.  Using gin would provide far too many competing flavor notes, and for this we want the star to be ginger.  Besides the ginger syrup, the only other ingredient is lemon juice.  In this case, adding lemon juice enhances the ginger flavor and brightens the drink, without it tasting lemony.  Making this in a cocktail shaker is a must.  You won’t get the same outcome if you try to stir these ingredients together.  I like the balance of flavor with this recipe.  The ginger syrup is up front buy not over-powering.  You get that great burn in the back of your throat that becomes addictive.  If you want even more ginger flavor you can adjust the amount of syrup you add.  I would start with increasing by no more than ½ oz.

If you make your own ginger syrup, give this cocktail a try.  It is delicious, and even though you are cocktailing, you get the feeling that you are doing something healthy.  You aren’t.  It’s still a cocktail, but that fresh ginger flavor from the syrup is so bright, and it is so good.  Cheers!