The weather may be frightful, but this martini is so delightful

“20 inches of snow could fall in Boston area this weekend!” one report says. “Boston could get 12 inches of snow”, a weatherman says on TV. ” Or we could “get a pretty good dumping”, according to another website. In true New England fashion, we have no idea how much snow we’ll get. What we do know is it’ll be COLD. Where your breath is so frosty it looks like you were smoking a cigar, and a puffy jacket only does so much to regulate your body temperature.

I’ll be wrapped up in my heated blanket with a martini (of course) in hand, trying not to increase our heat bill, while my family is in mid 60-degree weather in California. Not jealous at all! They don’t get to experience the fun of shoveling snow, or zig zagging on the sidewalk carefully trying to avoid patches of ice! It takes true grit to be a New Englander.

But one thing we can all enjoy together, without any envy, is a delicious martini. Somehow, this cocktail is both perfect for sitting on the porch in Goldilocks weather (that’s what I call it) or wrapped like a burrito with plaid pajamas watching a show about a Catholic priest in rural England solve murders! If that doesn’t sound like the perfect day, we can’t be friends.

So, since the snowstorm is supposed to start tomorrow, I thought I’d change up our usual Friday Martini series and post today so we can prepare ourselves for what’s ahead. Hopefully, your martini supplies are stocked!

In the spirit of it being negative temperatures, we’re going to make the only thing that should be EXTRA cold – our martini!

This martini is from Grill 23 in Boston. They wet the glass, freeze it, and then swirl ice around it. They also mix the gin or vodka mixture with crushed ice, so the first sip feels icy cold.

Which goes into my favorite gin or vodka of the week: Bombay Sapphire. It’s always been around, and every bar has it, and it’s Eric’s favorite. It’s the perfect London Dry Gin. It’s always on our bar, and for a good reason. It goes with everything.

Grill 23 Inspired Martini

While we still haven’t figured out how they make the ice stick on the martini glass (We’ve asked!), here is our adaptation of their iconic martini. The ice dilutes the mixture so it’s not too strong and keeps it cold longer!

Ingredients:
Approximately 3 oz (100ml) of Gin (We recommend Bombay Sapphire)
Splash of Vermouth (Dolin is a great brand)
Olives or Onions for garnish (We like these olives and onions)
Crushed ice

Tools:
Martini Glass
Carafe or Drinking Glass
Cocktail Stirrer
Mixing Glass (or Measuring Cup)
Scale (You do not need this if you’re using a measuring cup)
Garnish pick (for onions or olives)

As always, make sure your glass is in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. If you forget, you can either stick it in there while you’re making the martini or fill it up with ice and cold water, and set it aside.

Meanwhile, place your carafe or drinking glass (with no liquids in it) in the fridge to chill. This will ensure the martini mixture continues to stay cold.

Next, fill the mixing glass or measuring cup with the gin and vermouth. Add crushed ice until the mixture is covered to the top. Stir until well chilled, and the outside of the mixing glass is very cold. Pour into the cold carafe or drinking glass, then leave in the fridge again for another 5 mins. Take it out and mix it for 10 seconds again with crushed ice. Strain into the martini glass, letting some of the crushed ice into the mixture. Enjoy immediately.

My favorite martini tool of the week:

The scale. I recently had a party, and not only did everyone want a martini, but some wanted a smaller one, some a little larger. Thanks to this handy scale, I was able to accurately measure and insure everyone got what they wanted. I highly, highly recommend using this instead of a measuring cup. It measures multiple units and is so easy to store. You can find a similar version of the one we use, as well as all our other favorite martini tools, at this link.

Music I’m listening to:

I am loving Live-Action (Deluxe) by Nate Smith. This album came out last Friday, and I cannot stop jamming to it during cocktail hour. He is an amazing saxophonist, and has worked with artists such as Brittany Howard. I LOVE “Hop, Skip, Jump”. It’s funky, smooth, and a perfect addition to your playlist. You can preview it here

And, last, but NOT least, our martini icons to help us stay warm are a few of our favorites from the ultimate comfort shows we love, especially when we can’t leave the house.

One of our favorite comfort shows are the earlier seasons of Family Guy. The jokes about Connecticut, Rich snobs, and a parody on Calvin Klein ads will always stay with me. But the character that makes me tune in again and again is Brian, the martini loving, sarcastic dog who is best friends with a baby. Go watch episode 6 of Season 1 for my favorite scene.

Arguably the show that shows the most scenes with liquor, Mad Men, as the dapper (albeit problematic) men of Sterling Cooper wear tailored suits and drink like fish as they navigate the advertising industry in the 60’s. One of my favorite episodes is Season 1, Episode 6, where Don Draper and Roger Sterling go out for a three martini lunch and oysters. Don keeps encouraging Roger to indulge, as revenge for his advances on his wife, Betty. Funny scene of them stumbling as they climb the stairs afterwards.

I’ve heard this show is pretty good, and was very popular back in its heyday. Rizzoli & Isles focuses on two strong female leads. Jane Rizzoli is a homicide detective, and Maura Isles is the medical examiner. And it’s based in Boston! What else do you need?

Well, it’s time to make my martini and hunker down. Stay safe, stay warm, and may your martinis stay very cold and very dry!