465286 Fri Nov 30 17:37:20 -0800 2007 8 36 Spirits 0 3169568 Im thinking of making ginger martinis a signature drink for a wedding of about 200 people. Other alcohol, beer and wine will be served, but curious whether people think ginger martinis are a crowd pleaser. We had them at a small party and everyone loved them (fresh ginger is essential with sugar ring)... so... yey or ney? Fri Nov 30 17:37:21 -0800 2007 135607 arugala 1 3180338 Sounds like a double yay to me...the only hesitation would be if it clashes with your dinner menu. What are you serving for dinner? Tue Dec 04 19:34:43 -0800 2007 3169568 95577 yamalam 1 3180454 I LOVE ginger martinis. May I come? Tue Dec 04 20:36:15 -0800 2007 3169568 11407 JoanN 1 3181940 I'm guessing you mean "ginger vodka Martinis", likely a drink that consists mostly of chilled, slightly icemelt-diluted, ginger-infused vodka, not a proper Martini, which ought to include a detectable quantity of dry vermouth and a dash of bitters. I guess it depends on the crowd. If they are serious cocktail drinkers (which would be unusual for the typical mixed crowd at a large wedding reception), I'd call that drink too one-dimensional, dry, and unattractive. I'd aim for something with more balance, a more attractive appearance, a bit lower proof, and -- as a concession to the fact that most people won't appreciate a very dry drink -- a detectable but not overwhelming sweet note. (As a rule, I don't like vodka cocktails at all, but as a host, I aim to please the crowd more than myself.) Here's a drink I made as a specialty cocktail for a similarly large party a couple of summers ago. It's a pretty shade of pink, has a few flavors going on, and isn't quite as strong as a vodka Martini. MC Slim JB's Anastasia Cocktail: 2 oz ginger-infused vodka * 1 oz pure pomegranate juice (I like POM Wonderful) 1 oz Marie Brizzard Triple Sec ** 1 oz fresh lemon juice 1/2 oz simple syrup *** Shake long and hard (at least 20 seconds) over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a thin strip of lemon peel and a lump of crystallized ginger. (I don't recommend a sugar rim: too sweet.) * Infuse 750ml of vodka (I think Smirnoff 80-proof is ideal for this application, though I've also used Skyy to good effect) with 1/2 cup of peeled, grated fresh ginger for 3-5 days in a sealed container in the fridge, shaking occasionally. Strain out the ginger with a fine sieve and/or a paper coffee filter. ** Next best substitutes: Cointreau, then a good Curaçao. Avoid cheap Triple Secs, which are syrupy and headache-inducing. *** 5 parts sugar dissolved in 4 parts water. You needn't simmer this to make it; vigorous shaking is enough. If you prefer the cocktail a bit sweeter; increase this element a 1/2 oz at a time, but don't forget that the balance of a little tartness is good in a cocktail. In any event, I'd do plenty of experimenting before I mixed up a drink for two hundred guests. Invite some friends over with a cross-section of tastes (serious cocktail hound, someone who rarely drinks, perhaps the bride or groom or both, etc.), and tinker with a recipe. Be sure to spit rather than swallow, as at a wine tasting, or you'll be unable to tell the difference between recipes after a few. Save a bit of each batch (with ice removed) so you can go back and recompare recipes side by side as you get closer to your ideal. For the event, print up tent cards for the bar and maybe a few handouts with the recipe so interested folks can recreate the drink at home. Wed Dec 05 10:51:00 -0800 2007 3169568 10143 MC Slim JB 2 3186715 MC Slim JB, awesome thanks so much. I hadn't thought of making cocktails on my own as a trial, great tip. I plan on making this drink soon, it sounds like my new favorite drink. Would Absolut Vodka be a passable alternative Vodka? What makes the Shmirnoff or Skyy better alternatives? Thu Dec 06 19:39:57 -0800 2007 3181940 135607 arugala 3 3186902 I think Absolut would work fine. The reason I like Smirnoff is that I think it has true vodka character, i.e., it's essentially flavorless, and hence the ideal vehicle for infusions. It's also charcoal filtered, hence kind to you the next day. Better yet, they don't spend a ton of money on packaging or marketing, so you don't pay for that the way you do with so many super-premium vodka brands. Skyy is another nice-priced but quality vodka with only a very subtle citrus note that will be utterly clobbered by fresh ginger. (I'm in the camp that thinks super-premium vodkas are for suckers. Sorry, Goose drinkers.) Funny, I remember buying a round of Absolut vodka Gimlets for a bunch of Swedes I was entertaining on business at the bar at Biba, a beloved and now bygone Boston restaurant. None of them had ever had a Gimlet, but more surprising to me was that none of them had ever heard of Absolut, and were stunned to learn it was the best-selling vodka in the US, and a legend in liquor marketing circles. That clever print ad campaign put in on the map, and set the mold for the marketing of premium vodkas and later super-premium vodkas, basically proving you could command a huge markup on diluted grain alcohol merely with the right packaging and positioning. That brand is the progenitor of the entire super-premium liquor industry today, which has gone beyond the now thousands of brands of vodkas to just about every other distilled spirit. If you work in marketing, you have to whistle in admiration at what Absolut's American ad people achieved. It's perhaps the purest example of style trumping substance in consumer packaged goods history. Or it was, until marketers convinced Americans to spend billions on water in ecologically-disastrous plastic bottles, when our tap water is the purest in the world. Thu Dec 06 21:24:37 -0800 2007 3186715 10143 MC Slim JB 4 3239146 LOL... your rant on premium vodka is right on. I was interviewed by the NY Post on vodka a few weeks ago and ranted so hard about the thousands of so called super premium vodkas that the writer completely changed the course of the article. Of course IF I put out a premium vodka from my artisanal micro-distillery (I don't WANT to, but I may HAVE to for economic reasons) I would hope it will be an honest one, fermented from scratch and reflux distilled in a copper pot/alembic still. Not just watered down and rectified neutral grain spirits bought by the truckload from a big distillery making hundreds of thousands of gallons a day. Thu Dec 27 02:27:54 -0800 2007 3186902 10732 JMF 2 3236729 This recipe is a keeper. Thanks! Tue Dec 25 22:33:59 -0800 2007 3181940 149096 blue bike 1 3241011 An alternative to the gingerr-vodka martini is a ginger splash; 1 part ginger liquer(like Canton) 3 parts champagene and a dash of lemon bitters. This is very light and refreshing and not real sweet. It's also not quite as alcoholic as the martini Thu Dec 27 15:37:49 -0800 2007 3169568 106255 chazzerking