The French Martini
The French Martini has a rather straightforward recipe: a base, a modifier and a juice. Liqueurs became popular as modifiers during the Prohibition era when the strong kick of the homemade spirits needed to be masked. The liqueurs were an instant hit and widely loved, so much so that once liquor became legal again, and more sophisticated too, liqueurs still stuck around.
This cocktail was created around the 1980s-90s and at that time, vodka had the widest consumer appeal. To a large extent, it still does today. And the pineapple is important not just for flavour but also texture, making the drink frothy but not heavy.
Although there are many theories suggesting that the French Martini was invented by Chambord as part of a marketing campaign, that’s not true, even though the drink has done a lot to promote the brand. The French Martini is named so because it uses the French blackberry and raspberry liqueur and is served in a V-shaped glass, a neo martini more than a true martini, especially since it does not contain vermouth. But when this drink emerged in the late ‘90s, it was so popular that thereafter, any drink served in a V-shaped glass was called a Martini. The name has stuck, and how!
Following on, in 1996, Dale DeGroff added the cocktail onto the menu of Keith McNally’s vodka themed bar Pravda in New York. But it was only later that year, when the drink appeared on McNally’s Balthazar restaurant menu in New York’s Soho, that it really started to gain popularity and started flying off the shelves. By 1997-8, the cocktail had reached the menu of London’s Met Bar, where the city’s elite and fanciest hung out. The bar was known for championing such fruity, vodka based cocktails, calling them fresh fruit Martinis.
There are also some variations of the drink. For instance, one can replace vodka with a variety of other spirits, the most common choice being gin. It gives the cocktail an interesting twist, and can make for a good experiment if you’re a lover of the French Martini but are looking to shake things up a bit. The Raspberry Liqueur can also be switched out with a flavoured liqueur of any other fruit, preferably another berry. The idea is to have a refreshing, bright taste that lifts up the drink and energises the drinker. However, the drink was composed the way it is for a reason. In its original form, it's easy to make and light on the tongue, tastes refreshing and exciting, and promises and looks attractive when poured into a glass.
There are many similar drinks that one can try, like the Mexican Martini, Francophile Martini, Le Frog, French Daiquiri, French Bison Tini, Hot Tub, the Classic Gin Martini, Dry Martini and Desert Martini.
Ingredients
Method
- Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well with ice.
-Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
-For the garnish, squeeze oil from the lemon peel onto the drink.
