Lillet Martini

Over the last couple of years, our house favorite for mixed drink has been a Delmonico No.1. The recipe:

3/4 shot gin
1/2 shot brandy
1/2 shot dry vermouth
1/2 shot sweet vermouth

Shaken with ice and poured into a chilled martini glass.

The co-signer began playing with the recipe one day. It has morphed into the following drink:

3/4 shot gin
1/2 shot brandy
1/2 shot dry vermouth
1/2 shot Lillet
peel of an orange or lemon for garnish

Lillet is a French aperitif from Bordeaux. It is sweet and slightly spicy. Normally, it is served chilled with a orange peel. It also makes a proper substitute for sweet vermouth in the Delmonico (which has been renamed in our house to honor it's inventor, the co-signer).

This past weekend when the cocktail hour was upon us, I decided to play a little more. What I've concocted turned out to be pretty darn tasty. It is a Lillet martini. The recipe for 2 is:

3 shots of gin
1.5 to 2 shots of Lillet
1 shot dry vermouth
garnish with strips of candied ginger

Shaken over ice and poured into a martini glass. It's refreshing. The sweetness of the Lillet is slightly tempered by the gin. The candied ginger is a must as it adds another level of spice to the mix.