Egg nog is the most storied of holiday drinks. Easy to see why. It's creamy rich, sloshed with dark rum, brandy or whiskey and warmed with spices usually found sprinkled on cookies. Egg nog is the rosy-cheeked Fezziwig of the drink world, dancing its own happy ho-ho-ho jig through a noisy, overheated, over-priced, over-booked December.
But as we stand poised to rush into that most beloved/feared of months, let me offer a few words on why the martini, instead, should be your holiday drink.
The martini is as icy, as silent, as mysterious a messenger as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." It's the perfect antidote for the crazed season: clean, crisp, almost cerebral.
Make mine gin, not vodka. Tanqueray preferably, dry, straight-up.
Gin has a decided point of view; the infusion of juniper berries imparts the smell and taste of an unspoiled Alpine forest. The garnish must be green and pimento stuffed (red and green are Noel colors, after all); blue cheese is for salad. That said, I do like the idea of a caviar martini, where the classic drink is garnished with a spoonful of roe. It's surprising and decadent, the perfect antidote to all those "Rudolph" reruns.
Lastly, I like a martini stirred not shaken because shaking makes it cloudy and the texture a bit fizzy.
Don't dismiss me as some boozy Scrooge. I love the holidays as much as anyone, but the hustle, the bustle and the sheer excess of the American super-size, super-shrill, super-saturated celebration gets to be too much. To drink a martini in its easily tipable party-hat-shaped cocktail glass is to be forced to stop, sit and savor for as long as it takes to drain the bowl and order (or make) a second.
The martini - don't do the holidays without it.
Classic martini
Makes: 1 cocktail
How to make the superlative martini? "Icy coldness is a must, so store both the gin and glasses in the freezer," writes Mittie Hellmich in "Ultimate Bar Book."
Pour 2 ounces gin and ÃÂÿ ounce dry vermouth into a mixing glass or cocktail shaker over cracked ice or ice cubes. Stir gently for a few revolutions until container turns frosty. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Run a lemon twist around the rim, twist it over the drink and drop it in. Or simply drop in a green cocktail olive.
Drier? For a dry martini, reduce vermouth to ÃÂÿ ounce. For extra-dry, drop vermouth down to ÃÂÿ teaspoon.
Caviar martini
Makes: 1 cocktail
A clever twist from "Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails for Every Season," by Bridget Albert with Mary Barranco. The caviar, which never touches the drink as it rests atop the glass, is probably the only justifiable substitute for the pimento-stuffed olive or lemon zest.
Rinse the inside of a cocktail glass with a splash of dry vermouth, swirling it around and then pouring it out, leaving only residue inside. Add 3 ounces gin to an iced mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Stir until container is chilled. Strain into the seasoned cocktail glass. Garnish with caviar on a bone, shell or mother of pearl spoon (never metal).
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