Shaken, not stirred.
In honor of St. Valentine, the Pink Vesper is inspired by one of history’s sexiest characters – James Bond. Mr. Bond invented the Vesper Martini during a heated game of poker, and named the concoction after his first true love. On the surface Martinis seem simple, but there’s a science to making them. I promise, we’ll cover that in another post. Technically this cocktail isn’t a Martini at all because I’ve added delicious cherry and lemon juices. The addition of these and the removal of gin not only makes it more palatable, but gives the drink a beautiful rosy glow. This cocktail is the perfect combination of bright and tart flavors of fruit, a hint of sweetness from Lillet, with a subtle backdrop of vodka. It’s incredibly easy to make. So go ahead and whip one up for your special Valentine.
Ingredients for two:
- 3 shots vodka
- 2 shots cherry juice (just use the juice from jar of cherries)
- 1 shot lemon juice (about one lemon)
- 1 shot Lillet
- 6 dark cherries
- 2 cocktail picks (super cute ones found here)
- 2 low ball glasses (similar found here)
- cocktail shaker and ice (love this shaker)
Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add juices, vodka and Lillet. Shake it up! Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with 3 cherries on each cocktail pick.
Take a sip and let the romance begin!
A note on the cherries… I love the Dark Morello Cherries from Trader Joe’s. What you don’t want are Maraschino Cherries (they usually look, taste and smell like plastic). Just make sure whatever you get is not loaded with sugar, and your cocktail will turn out great.
Chin Chin!
Eva
Ps – more cocktail recipes!
