I know I’ve said I’m a seasonal drinker. But really, I have to say, vodka is my all-seasons alcohol. And this Grapefruit Martini, while beautifully pink and perfect for today’s uber-sweet holiday, is a year-round libation for me.
We’ve been a vodka drinking family for an awfully long time. And my “family,” I mean me and my mom. With the exception of his “first sips” of almost every drink the two of us make or order, my dad an appreciator of all, but a connoisseur of beer.
An advantage of having a mom who enjoys vodka and who has amazing culinary skills, is that I am able to come across the most amazing martinis on any night that I want to go to my parents’ house and convince my mom to make me one of her works of art. And in the winter, that usually means a citrus-y sweet and tart Grapefruit Martini.
For years, my mom created recipes and I drank them without question. They were so tasty! I never knew that vodkas mattered, and it certainly never occurred to me that a great recipe with a stellar vodka will send the whole thing out of this world flavor-wise. So later, I discovered Tahoe Blue Vodka, and learned all I had been missing in my drinks. But it turns out, which vodka you use really does matter, and even in recipes like this one where a flavored vodka is called for, I actually prefer Tahoe blue to the flavored vodka. It does something to the other natural flavors in the recipes that melds them perfectly and lets THEM shine, not the other way around.
When we first discovered this martini, I was pretty shocked that I liked it. Grapefruit and pears are not two fruits I would ever think to put together. And I don’t even always like them on their own. While I suspected the flavors would compete against each other, somewhat like toothpaste and orange juice, they actually end up balancing each other’s taste profiles. In fact, the combination creates a mouth-watering cocktail that you have to be seriously careful with. The two flavors blend beautifully, and they go down reeeeeeeeeally easy.
As February is the month of love, it makes sense to me that the cocktails of the month should be pink enough to survive on such a wonderfully mushy holiday (see the Kir Royale here), but bold enough that even male lovers will totally ignore the girly color in exchange for this stiff and perfectly-balanced libation.
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. I’m wishing you all as much love and contentment as you can possibly pull out of this short winter month.
- Juice of ½ Grapefruit
- 2 Shots of Grapefruit Vodka (plain Tahoe Blue works beautifully as well)
- 1 Shot of Pear Liqueur
- Shake all ingredients in a martini shaker with a few large ice cubes.
- Pour in a martini glass and serve.
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