The raspberry martini is one of many fruit based variants I’ve developed of the classic martini. I’ve written elsewhere about what a martini is, and what it isn’t. It should be based on gin – or maybe vodka. And it must contain some type of vermouth. I also wouldn’t add any lengthening ingredients to it such as fruit juice. So it should be a short, spirity type of cocktail.
As well as the classic lychee martini, there are many more on my in-house menu
- Peach
- Apricot
- Blackcurrant
- Strawberry
- Cherry
- Pear
- Gooseberry
as well as many which aren’t fruit based : lavender, rose, cardamartini, elderflower.
Generally the aim with a martini is to produce a shortish drink which will therefore be spirity. Nevertheless it should have a delicate or significant flavour.
Raspberry Martini – the recipe
My favoured version of this contains
- Two Birds raspberry vodka
- Punt e Mes vermouth
- Monin raspberry syrup
Two Birds raspberry vodka is currently unavailable so I’ll seek out a good alternative. Punt e Mes is an unusual red vermouth in that it is quite bitter for a vermouth. The name – if you’re fluent in Italian means point and a half. A reference to the fact that it’s one vermouth to half bitter. But I’m not conversant in Italian and so it took me a while to get the hang of Punt e Mes. Anything I made with it as a red vermouth came out too bitter. However if you temper it with something sweet it works wonderfully. Adding the raspberry syrup takes the edge off the bitterness and gives your cocktail the added raspberry hit.
How to describe the raspberry martini
Another classic Martini but with a modern twist. Two Birds is an authentic raspberry vodka. Combines well with the bitterness of the Italian Punt e Mes red vermouth and the sweetness of raspberry syrup. Unctuous.