MARTINIS BUILT FOR TWO
Hovering near the top of the Top Ten Things That Two Can Do Better Than One is having a Martini. If you haven’t gotten the hint yet, Martinis have sex appeal. What other drink inspires discussions about smooth fire, Fred Astaire dance steps, cool jazz, and candlelit surroundings? Martinis spell sophisticated, seductive romance, especially when you make them for two.
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A shy English major was astonished when the school’s best-looking cheerleader accepted his invitation to go out for Martinis.
By the third drink he’d completely run out of small talk. In desperation he asked, “Do you like Kipling?”
To his surprise, her eyes lit up, and she smiled for the first time all night, but she didn’t answer.
He leaned closer and asked again, “Do you?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she replied between giggles, “I’ve never kippled.”
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A romantic tête-à-tête isn’t difficult to arrange. All you need is a dose of Hollywood inspiration: Set the stage, check your props (the bar is set up and stocked, glasses are sparkling clean, the food is ready, the flowers are in position), make sure your costume fits, call makeup if you must, brush up on your mixology, and rehearse your sexiest lines. Don’t forget to remove any roommates, drop kids off at Grandma’s house, turn the phone or Skype off, and switch the background music on. And make sure that the one you love is in the mood.
We’ve found a few memorable scenarios and recipes made with the finest ingredients to ignite your imagination. But we’re sure you have a couple of your own, too.
FLAME OF LOVE, REVISITED
CREATED BY AUDREY SAUNDERS
When the flames of love are fanned more than once, it leads to something more intense—passion. Smoldering in every great relationship is a desire to rekindle that first encounter, that first embrace, that first kiss.
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Stir
2.5 oz. (75 ml) bay leaf–infused Absolut
0.75 oz. (20 ml) apple-infused Lustau Fino Sherry
1 dash house orange bitters
4 orange twists
flaming orange twist
Flame 4 orange twists into a cocktail glass. Discard twists. Add ice into a mixing glass, then pour in vodka and sherry. Stir and strain into the prepared glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.
(See Bay-Leaf Vodka and Apple-Infused Sherry for the recipes.)
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If you’re inclined to believe that love carries sensations of excitement and mystery, then you’ll understand that romance doesn’t end when you’ve tied the knot, spent years living the day to day with the same person. It can be a quiet evening, holding hands while watching a DVD. It can be a quiet stroll through the park or sharing an ice cream cone. Better yet, surprising the one you love with a candlelit dinner for two, apéritifs for two, and the kids safely tucked away at the grandparents’ for the night.
Why are we waxing philosophic about the flames of love? Because it reminds us of a Martini that Pepe Ruiz, bartender at Chasen’s in Hollywood, created for Dean Martin. The flaming twist he used as a garnish never ceases to spark excitement and anticipation. No matter how many times you see it done.
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Audrey’s Bay Leaf Martini stirs 1.5 oz. (45 ml) bay leaf–infused Absolut, 0.75 oz. (20 ml) Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, and 0.75 oz. (20 ml) Dolin dry vermouth, garnished with a fresh bay leaf.
Pepe Ruiz’s Flames of Love rinses a chilled cocktail glass with 3 drops of La Ina sherry. Squeeze an orange twist over the glass and then flame the twist over the glass. Throw away the peel. Add ice to chill again. Throw the ice out. Add 2 oz. (60 ml) vodka. Flame another orange twist around the rim and throw it out.
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LA DOLCE VITA
CREATED BY HOLGER FAULHAMMER
Maybe you’re feeling lyrical. A candlelit Italian dinner for two has melted many romantic hearts, so there must be something to it. You can start off by sharing a round of rosy-hued La Dolce Vitas while you nibble at a Caprese of fresh tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella garnished with fresh basil leaves. For the main course, forget the pizza, go for pasta and a salad (unless your culinary imagination and budget sends you in the direction of a slow-cooked osso bucco or a black truffle risotto).
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Shake
2 oz. (60 ml) Beefeater gin
1 oz. (30 ml) Martini & Rossi extra-dry vermouth
1 oz. (30 ml) Pinot Grigio wine
1 dash Campari
The classic Negroni builds 1 oz. (30 ml) Beefeater gin, 1 oz. (30 ml) Martini & Rossi Rosso vermouth, and 1 oz. (30 ml) Campari in a rocks glass filled with ice, garnished with an orange twist.
The Garden Court’s Copper Illusion shakes 4 oz. (120 ml) Beefeater gin and 0.5 oz. (15 ml) each of Cointreau and Campari.
Oliver’s Sterling Gold shakes 3 oz. (90 ml) Tanqueray Sterling vodka and 0.5 oz. (15 ml) Tuaca Liqueur.
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To set the mood, play a sexy opera like Puccini’s Turandot or Madama Butterfly (or you can opt for Malcolm McLaren’s “Madame Butterfly”). If it worked for the world’s great Italian lovers—Marcello Mastroianni, Rudolph Valentino, Giancarlo Giannini—who knows what the evening will have in store?
A rustic Tuscan picnic is another ideal Italian-style setting that’s shown great promise. A picnic basket filled with fruit, fresh bread, cheeses, sausages, and a portable bar is all you need to make a day in the country a special occasion.
YIN & YANG MARTINIS
CREATED BY DALE DEGROFF, NEW YORK
The light and the dark. The warm and the cold. Male and female. Those are the images that truly apply to the Asian concept of yin and yang. They say that opposites not only attract but complete each other. And when it comes to love, yin and yang is the essence, the core of all relationships. The interaction of complementary opposites in temperament, biological makeup, and preferences are what make a relationship a dynamic, thriving entity of its own. Bottom line: Balance is the key to every great pairing. Whether it pertains to love or cocktails. Without balance, you have nothing.
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Stir
For the Yin Martini:
3 oz. (90 ml) Ginga Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo sake
0.5 oz. (15 ml) dry gin
fresh lichee or other oriental fruit
For the Yang Martini:
3 oz. (90 ml) dry gin
0.5 oz. (15 ml) Ginga Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo Sake
olives
If you’re heading for Asia, here are a few toasts: Bali & Indonesia: Selamat! China: Yam sing! (Cantonese) Taiwan: Gun Bi! India: Aap ki shubh kai liyai!; Pakistan: Jama Sihap! Japan: Kan pai! Korea: Deupstita! Thailand: Chai yo!
Kathy Casey created a Zen Garden, muddling 2-inch-long pieces of celery, 2-inch-long pieces of split lemon grass, and 3 slices fresh cucumber in a mixing glass. Then shaking the contents with 1.5 oz. (45 ml) Hendrick’s gin, 0.5 oz. (15 ml) Monin Organic Agave Syrup, 0.75 oz. (20 ml) yuzu juice, and 0.5 oz. (15 ml) sake, garnished with a thin slice of cucumber speared onto a piece of lemon grass.
A sleek and simple Saketini shakes 2 oz. (60 ml) Suntory Juhyo Shochu and 1 oz. (30 ml) Gekkeikan Sake, garnished with a lemon twist.
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FRENCH KISS
CREATED BY OLIVER’S AT THE MAYFLOWER PARK HOTEL, SEATTLE
Few destinations are as romantic as France. From the cafés and bistros of Paris (we include Harry’s New York Bar on this list, of course) to the little villages in Burgundy, to the Mediterranean beaches where tout la France gathers each August en vacance. A Martini has that same cool sensuality. But can you imagine the effect when a splash of champagne is added to that glass of liquid satin? Now that’s a French Kiss. Is this wrong? Of course not. Vermouth is a wine. Champagne is a wine. Both work in a Martini.
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Shake
0.5 oz. (15 ml) Lillet Blanc
1.5 oz. (45 ml) Stolichnaya vodka
1 oz. (30 ml) Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial champagne
orange twist
Rinse the shaker with Lillet. Add ice and vodka. Shake until cold. Strain and garnish. Add champagne just before serving.
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Surround that pale, effervescent specter with a table for two dressed in white linen with a single burning white candle and a single long-stemmed red rose. Serve a sensuous dessert like a dish of fresh strawberries kissed with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. (The two of you can reenact Nastassja Kinski’s luscious strawberry scene from Tess, or just whisper sweet nothings in each other’s ear.)
The tempestuous tango may have been invented in Buenos Aires, but its coolly detached sensuality reminds us of dimly lit Parisian bistros. (We’re not discussing the Last Tango in Paris here.) We’re talking about putting on a steamy Astor Piazzolla tango or a sultry Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz ballad, and doing a body-to-body, barefoot tango. Study Jean Gabin’s role as Pépé le Moko in the 1937 movie by the same name or Charles Boyer also playing Pépé le Moko in the 1938 American film Algiers. (Unlike his cartoon skunk counterpart, Pepe Le Pew, the sexy le Moko always got his woman.) Boyer’s discrete yet steamy charm swept Hedy Lamarr off her feet when he invited her to come with him to the Kasbah.
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We walked into a little harbor-side bar in the South of France and took seats at the bar, tucked toward the back away from the blistering sun, heat, and throng of well-oiled tourists nursing their afternoon lattes and citron pressés. Anistatia nudged me. “That’s Old Granddad and Old Forrester.” I followed her gaze. There, mixed in with the usual bar stock, were bottles that had to have been there since the fifties or sixties. Vielle Cure, no longer produced, rare cognacs, even rarer American whiskies, old Chartreuse. The bartender quickly made it clear those bottles were not for sale. Not to be put off, Anistatia simply ordered a Martini made with a splash of the Vielle Cure. The bartender nodded and made her one. We did our best to sample every one of these museum pieces, each a taste of history, and all still in good shape stored in the dim light and constant temperature of the back bar.
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What we’ve been talking about all along is a love affair. It may last for a moment or a lifetime, who knows? But like any great passion, it should be eloquent and elegant. The memory should last an eternity.
From the authors’ private collections