I’m feeling in a retro mood – for some reason I started singing a Dean Martin classic (Volare) while walking home from work; that morphed into a Frank classic (Luck be a Lady). All this singing had me somewhat parched, though, and after mumbling a few more lounge classics as I hiked home I found I was developing a hankering for a Martini. So I picked up the pace, arrived at my tiny little 500 square foot home, and broke out the shaker.

I dove into my favorite cocktail book – for inspiration – which if you don’t have, you should go buy RIGHT NOW, because Simon Difford is a class act and his book is the FUCKING BOMB. Here, I’ll even stick in a pretty little graphic of the book that will earn me eighty-something cents in Amazon credit if you buy it. Seriously, it’s beautiful.

To that end, please feel free to explore the various goods and services suggested here on this site! Each offer leads to a fine product or service by good people which are well worth your time. You know?

Anyhow.

So the drink. I’m feeling like something classic, something swanky. And BOY, did Simon Difford not let me down. I came across this little number and let me tell you, it is one BEAUTIFUL Martini when it’s all said and done:

I gave this one a whirl and ladies and gents DAMN! It is one tasty, attractive beverage!

It’s got Sloe Gin, which is made from Sloe berries – which are, I guess, red (I’ve never seen them in the wild – just juiced, in gin form). It’s this amazing crimson color… and in a martini glass? This drink is just BEAUTIFUL. It looks like somebody shot you in the neck and then quickly caught your highly oxygenated neck-blood in a martini glass and then served it to you. Thankfully, that’s not the case… because, you know, “shot in the neck” and all that.

Anyhow! Enough banter! Go now and make the damned cocktail already! Simon calls it a “Classic Retro cocktail whose origins are unknown”. I call it beautiful, tasty martini goodness.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Dean Martin’s “Canadian Sunset” at the back of my throat and it needs to be belted out. Only the best for my annoying downstairs neighbor.

The Blackthorne English

1 1/2 ounces Sloe Gin
3/4 ounce of Plymouth Gin
3/4 ounce of Cinzano Rosso (sweet) vermouth
3 dashes of orange bitters (I only had regular bitters, it seemed to work out alright)
1 ounce of chilled water

Shake it all up with ice, strain into a chilled martini glass. If you’re entertaining, you might fine-strain it to take out some of the froth; but as I’m drinking alone tonight, I could care less. I’m already going to bed with me regardless of how the drinks work out.

Cheers,
JJ.

Here’s a modern spin of an old classic from the good people who bring you the always excellent Diffords Guides to Drinking (they also sell cocktail books, like this one which are FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. The Diffords cocktails books are GREAT, and they also sell quarterly “publications” from their webpage (”publications” is a loose term – they’re basically 300-some page softcover books) which list the best bars around the world, have even MORE drink recipes and loads of bartending tips, booze reviews, and the like. Big thumbs up for Diffords.

Anyhow, this recipe is one the Diffords Gang adapted from a recipe pulled out of the long-out-of-print The Savoy Cocktail Book (it’s from the 1930’s) by Harry Craddock – which is damned near impossible to find, unless you want to pay three hundred bucks.

Enjoy.

The Lutkins Special Martini

1 1/2 ounces of Plymouth Gin
1 ounce of Dry Vermouth
1/2 ounce Apricot Brandy (they recommend the Bols Liqueur one)
3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed orange juice

As we do with Martinis – chill the glass, fresh ice in the shaker, vavoom vavoom, decant into chilled glass. Garnish with a twist of orange zest.

A classic, reborn!

Cheers,

JJ.