Very Cold, Very Dry

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or as my friends like to call it, Christmakkuh!

The tree and the rest of the house has been decorated since the beginning of November. I have heard every popular Holiday song in existence, especially, All I Want for Christmas”. I refuse to play it at home. Let that song stay in 1994 where it belongs.

But what never gets old are the rituals we do every year: Watching every new Hallmark movie, relive the classics, make fried ravioli, bake Anginetts, our family favorite cookie, and devour Panettone French toast for Christmas Day brunch.

I have finally realized, especially this year, that all I really want this holiday season (and pretty much all year), are just those little moments. Life can be hard sometimes, but when you’re together with people you love, all those stresses melt away, even if it’s just for a little while.

In the spirit of the holidays, I’m doing something a little different for Martini Fridays. Instead of listing my favorites for the week, I’m putting my favorite icon, music and recipe that has brought me joy all year long.

Martini Icon of the Year…

My husband, Eric

Probably the only one who likes martinis as much as I do, he will always be my favorite person to drink them with. For over 12 years, we have perfected the perfect martini recipe, experimenting with different gins, garnishes, and the right way to mix it all together for one harmonious cocktail. He inspired me to start this blog, always brainstorming and contributing to some of the posts. He even inspired the name of this blog.

Thank you, Eric, for always being there for me. Here’s to many more martini adventures together.

Martini Music of the Year…

Here a few of our favorites we listen to every Friday while mixing up our martinis.

Nat King Cole and George Shearing, Let there Be Love

We listen to all of Nat Ling Cole’s albums on repeat, especially this one that features one of my favorite songs “Let There Be Love”. There’s nothing like sitting out on our deck on hot summer nights, sipping a martini, staring at the night blue sky, letting my mind wander.

Samara Joy, Linger Awhile

Probably my favorite artist that’s come out in the last five years, Samara Joy’s voice takes me back to the Ella Fitzgerald era of jazz. I love the lyric “Can I fix you a quick martini? As a matter of fact, I’ll have one too” in the song “Guess Who I Saw Today”

Red Garland’s Piano, with Paul Chambers and Art Taylor

This is the perfect choice for when you just want some beautiful jazz paying the background while you converse about today’s events. By now you’re noticing a theme here. Notice how 2 out of the 3 albums are from the early 50’s-60’s? According to my Spotify wrapped, my “listening” age is 85 years old. I just love the oldies.

Martini Recipe of the Year…

A Dirty Martini (Lindsay’s version)

Yes I have gone on and on in previous posts with recipes of the dirty martini, but it’s my favorite martini varietal. I love the brininess of the olive juice, and bleu cheese olives are a little snack.

I will keep trying and showing you fun recipes, but I’ll always come back to this one. What can I say, I love them dirty.

Lindsay’s Dirty Martini
Gin: Bombay Sapphire
Vermouth: Aglaea Vermouth Dry (or other dry vermouth if you don’t have this brand)
Garnish: Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives

Recipe:
You’ll need:
A scale (or measuring cup)
Ice
Cocktail stirrer
Cocktail Mixing Glass
Cocktail Strainer
Chilled martini glass
Bleu cheese stuffed olives* (see note below)
130 ml of Bombay Sapphire Gin (*see note below)
Splash of Aglaea Vermouth (or other dry vermouth if you don’t have this brand)
Approximately 1 tbsp of olive brine from a jar of martini olives. I use this brand. (*see note below)

Directions

Put a martini glass in the freezer, ideally at least 30 mins prior to drinking. If you forget, fill it with ice and set it aside until ready.

While the martini glass is chilling, place the empty cocktail mixing glass (or measuring cup) on the scale. Make sure the scale is set to “Tare” and on the milliliters setting. Tare means it won’t include the weight of the mixing glass, only the contents inside. Pour the Bombay Sapphire Gin into the glass or measuring cup until it reaches 130 ml on the scale. Next, place your thumb over the top of the bottle of vermouth, and carefully let just a splash or two go in. Then, put 1 tbsp of olive brine in the gin and vermouth mixture. Fill it with ice, then stir constantly for at least 2 minutes.

Take out your martini glass from the freezer, and strain the gin mixture into the glass. Put the olives in, and enjoy!

Notes:
– For bleu cheese olives, I like to hand stuff them myself. Any bleu cheese from the grocery store will suffice. You can get pre-made ones, but they don’t taste as good.

– I like a bigger martini, but the typical measurement is 100 ml for a standard martini. Put any amount you like.

– I would start small with the brine, then add more if you like them really dirty. Sometimes I’ll add more at the end if I feel it needs a little more olive juice flavor.

So put on your favorite playlist, sit back, relax and enjoy that first sip.

This will probably be the last blog of the year, as I’ll take some time off for the holidays, but I’m always here for suggestions, ideas, comments or any other musings you’d like to share.

Thanks for following along, and I can’t wait for what’s it store for 2026!