Ask The Red Shaker

We are debuting a new feature here: Ask The Red Shaker. Part advice column, part magic 8 ball, part everything you always wanted to know about martinis but were afraid to ask. We welcome your questions on any topic and would be happy to provide amusing pseudonyms for our more shy followers. Please leave your questions in the comments section and we will bestow upon you our 'tini wisdom.

To get the olive rolling, we begin with a question submitted to us by reader "DK":

Dear The Red Shaker,

I read a restaurant review in a current magazine which referred to a "fig-thyme" Martini. Neither my wife, much the more knowledgeable one, nor I knew of this intriguing drink.

Was the reviewer pulling our leg, or is this latest sip in THE metropolis?

If so, would you kindly suggest a recipe and perhaps a bit of provenance. When is it appropriate? What does one wear while holding the glass, etc, etc.

We are contemplating a trip to the B A and don't want to appear obviously "provincial."

All of your suggestions will be appreciated.

Oh yes; it is in the current issue of The New Yorker

Sincerely,

D K

Dear DK,

While the Shakers have not sampled this particular martini, we can tell you that 'tinis in the big city have become anything but pedestrian. You now see herbal/infused/foamed/floral concoctions on many menus. Bartenders have been elevated to "mixologists". And while previously trendy cocktails such as cosmos may now relegate you to a seat in nightclub siberia, you're always safe ordering a classic~vodka martini up with twist for example. When in doubt, ask for the bartender's recommendation or house specialty. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even have them create something on the spot for you. Don't be afraid to break out of the martini box, er, shaker.

The Shakers have enjoyed an Apple Thyme Martini (see our Halloween post), and it would seem that for fig afficiandos a fig thyme concoction would be a fall delight. Not being a fig fan myself, I'd have to defer to Shaker 2's suggestions as to recipes on this one.

As for the appropriate attire for enjoying said Fig-Thyme Martini, The Shakers recommend something more substantial than a leaf......The Big Apple can be chilly this time of year. Something in all weather wool perhaps, black or charcoal, and closed toed shoes for the ladies. A martini makes the perfect accessory to any fashionable ensemble.

Thank you for your inquiry,

RS

turkey and.... violets???

On this eve of Thanksgiving, the Shaker Girls decided to have a decompression night and try an interesting new liqueur that Shaker One has been itching to try for quite a while.... an Austrian violet liqueur. The label reads that this concoction comes from the Austrian Alps and made of wild violets from the mountainside. Now, this is not some run of the mill schnappsy beverage, it is a rather unique drink that is a bit more on the aromatic side rather then an overpowering synthetic flavor. It also gives the drinks a fun bluish color! We like fun colors.

We first tried the Creme de Violette alone, since neither of us had tasted it before. It was slightly sweet, but not cloying.

Our first drink was a Violet Fizz, which we tweaked a bit using vodka rather then gin ('cuz we are vodka girls, not gin girls..and it's our blog, so there.)

The result was not bad, but we felt that there was a bit too much lemon in the drink-it really overpowered the violet. So we halved the lemon and got close to a lovely drink ( the lemon proportion totally overshadowed the violet)

As written, it gets 1.5 stars.... tweaked, it gets 3.5.

We also like that the drink matched Stacia's dress!!


Next was our own concoction of champagne sorbet (thank you, Surfas!), Creme de Violette, vodka, a splash of lemon juice and a splash of lemon bitters (thanks, Lynda!!) This was quite lovely - but then again, it was based on champagne sorbet, how can you go terribly awry??

Both of us felt this was well worth the liqueur's fairly subtle flavor.

Our third drink of the night was Creme de Violette with champagne. Oh yeah, baby.. this one was good. The flavors made friends in the glass and complimented each other well. Definitely going to be a repeat guest in the menu, methinks.

On the night before Thanksgiving, we would like to thank all of you who read our blog. This is a lot of fun and has been educational on so many levels. Much love to our family and friends. We will return after the turkey coma has subsided and the food babies have gone away.

Cozy Fall Shake

At the end of a long work week the Shakers decided they needed something soothing. Friday night beckoned and instead of revelry our thoughts turned to comfort food. Atkins followers, avert your eyes. It's gonna get veeerrrry carb-y in here.

Dinner: Mashed Potato Bar!

Both regular russet and sweet potatoes made into mashes and served with a variety of fixins. It was guuuuud.

For our 'tinis we decided to test a few more recipes from the Rain Vodka site. (Note: this site is flash, so I can't post a direct link to the recipes... it also has a lovely *ahem* soundtrack that you can't mute. The menu is fairly easy to navigate so you can find the recipes on your own.)

First up: The Rain Mango Tango

Made with Rain Honey Mango Melon Vodka, cranberry juice and orange juice this one made us wish we had a whole bottle of the vodka (we were still working off testers for the other flavors). Delicious with a nice balance of fruity flavors. We both give this one a 4 1/2 olives.


Next up is the Rain Ocean Breeze made with Rain Red Grape Hibiscus Vodka.

Like last time we tried this vodka, we could not get past the overpowering "fake grape" smell/taste. We'd love to have been able to detect the hibiscus, but nope! All grape all the time. Yuck. We give this one olive.

Then we have The Seaside Rain made with Lavender Lemonade Vodka:

Shaker 2 found the grapefruit flavor a bit overpowering and Shaker 1 agrees that she'd have liked to have the lavender show through better. Pleasant but not a show stopper. 3 olives.


Lastly we have the Rain Provencal made with Lavender Lemonade Vodka.

This was a fun looking one made with an egg white to foam it up. The taste however was just ok. The lemon overpowered the lavender note here which was not the case with the other Lavender Lemonade Vodka recipes we've tried. 3 olives.


So in the world of Rain flavored vodkas, yes to Lavender Lemonade and Honey Mango Melon. Sorry Cucumber Lime and Red Grape Hibiscus, you're not on the guest list.

Shakers 1 and 2 signing out in a blissful haze of carby goodness. And a special hello to Suzy Q for listing The Red Shaker as one of the things she's thankful for. We're thankful for our thirsty faithful followers. Good night and good shaking!

Delusions of Grandeur (or palatability at the very least)

Remember college drinking? The cheapest swill was still a thrill. You hadn't yet discovered that booze doesn't have to taste like turpentine. The successful use of a fake ID covered many a taste sin. Now those days are in the distant past and I expect more from my cocktails. But when I venture back to a college bar type place, I set the bar a bit lower. Yesterday I think I tripped over it.

Scene: Pre game tailgate temporary bar
Cast of Characters: One surly cocktail waitress/"bartender"
One long bar full of bottles, not a single recognizable label
One vodka loving football fan in need of a non-beer cocktail

When I'm at a place like this, I keep it simple. Nothing more taxing than a booze and one mixer. How can you go wrong with a vodka cranberry? When the first sip ends in a cough, you know you've got problems. I assumed I'd mistakenly ordered well vodka and resolved to correct my error on the second round. So I very politely ask the "bartender" if they had any other brands of vodka. She archly informed me that their vodka of choice~Cruzan~ was excellent and of very high quality (Note: a cursory google search turned up Cruzan rum, but no vodka. When you're not even googleable that's not a good sign in a booze-perhaps I got the name wrong?). I nicely said that it wasn't the best vodka I've tasted and was met with the following response:

"It's much better than Gray Goose and equal to Absolut"
Martinis on the house for anyone who can make sense of that logic. Honey, you just either gave Absolut quite the promotion or insulted Gray Goose (both acceptable brands in my book).
I resisted telling her that I've taken off my nailpolish with stuff that tastes smoother than her beloved "Cruzan" and told her I'd just have a screwdriver.

This is what I got:






Next time I'll have a beer.

Kids, life's too short for cheap vodka.

Busy Shakers are Still Thirsty Shakers

Good evening . Shakers 1 and 2 here, squeezing in a school night shake just because.
NPR (yes, that NPR, I don't listen to it either ~Shaker One (Shaker 2 does.)) recently had a contest to incorporate ginger into recipes. One of the winning recipes was for a ginger martini.

As written, a bit too "limey". We increased the pineapple juice and the result was very nice! Light, fruity, with a subtle ginger kick. We give this one 3 3/4 with our modifications.

Next stop: The Reindeer Martini!

It's never too early to start testing holiday martinis for the upcoming entertaining season. We stumbled upon this recipe randomly googling. Google, a thirsty 'tini drinkers bestest friend! After tasting the exact recipe, we decided it needed a bit more cream and Frangelico.....an extra half part Frangelico plus a very generous splash of heavy cream. The result is very tasty, creamy, not too sweet. Garnished with ground cinnamon, this reindeer could join in our reindeer games anytime. Shaker 2 gives it a 3 3/4 olives and I concur.

We served this badboy with dessert grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, you read that correctly. Warning, these can be highly addictive. Shaker 1 devised this devilish delight in a moment of kitchen experimentation. It's breakfast, it's dessert, it's damn near illegal in 23 states. Make some for yourself, you won't be sorry.

So we draw this night to a close with happy tummies and thoughts of tinis to come. Good night and remember, it's never too early to start enjoying the holiday season!

MWHUAHAHAHA The Dread Shaker

Certain times of the year lend themselves to the dark and spooky. Ghoulies and ghosties come out of hiding and dark tales begin to form...or we forget all that and have a wonderfully scary Shaker get together.

Velcome to the Dread Shaker!
(insert scary Boris Karloff voice here)

On Halloween eve, the stage was set, costumes donned and munchies made...it was time to invite some of our followers in for the Shaker experience.
Guests were greeted with a lovely concoction: the Apple Thyme Martini.

This one is a rather delicate blend of apple juice, thyme simple syrup, vodka and an apple slice for a garnish. These were a big hit with the guests. The flavors blend together beautifully - nothing overpowers anything else. This one was basically made exactly as written, though we did cut down the simply syrup a bit.

Shaker One and Two give this one a 4.5 olive rating.

To go with this, the table was set with mummy dogs, gougéres, an onion and sage tart, southwestern pumpkin soup shooters, ginger roasted butternut squash soup shooters, caramel corn and fabulous white chocolate pretzel "fingers" and chocolate dipped pretzels sent by Shaker One's sister (thanks, Cyndy!!)

______________________________

Zombies!!

Attending this get-together was a James Dean, a Pink Lady, a zombie couple, a preppy, a guy who got off work and refuses to don a costume and two zombie Shakers

.

The Balcony Bar was decked out in tulle, skulls, pumpkins and bats. Quite the festive scene.
Next martini on deck was the Corpse Reviver.

Admittedly, most at the party did not get around to trying this one as they were drinking the Apple Thyme Martinis like they were going out of style.
For this one, we used 3/4 oz of each ingredient (though used vodka instead of gin) and a bit less lemon juice (1/2 oz) and skipped the absinthe. We garnished this one with a piece of star anise, which gave it a very subtle anise flavor.
We give this one a 3.5 rating. Enjoyable, but not a favorite.

We soon had a special guest at our little Dread Shaker Night - honorary East Coast Shaker, John. He attended via Skype and showed off his costume for a fabulous themed get together he was attending the next night.




John getting to try the apple thyme martini

Love that smile

Showing off his fabulous costume

In honor of the season (and a bottle of Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie vodka) we Shakers created our own festive concoction, aptly entitled:

The Jack-o-Tini.

The Pumpkin Pie vodka is a subtle infusion. It is not overly pumpkiny and the spices are complimentary and not overpowering. To this, we floated freshly whipped cream flavored with cinnamon and confectioner's sugar. For a dessert martini, this one is really nice. Not too sweet, depth of flavors with the spices but nothing too cloying.
We give this one a 3.75 (mostly for the creamy goodness)

Zombie and Shaker Two

Shaker One and Shaker Two would like to thank our excellent guests for helping us make our first Dread Shaker event Spooky Fabulous!
Good night and Happy Hallo-tini!!