Royal Martini
I love a fresh, yummy gin cocktail. Even better when it’s a fun color! Purple, sweet and just a little fancy, this Royal Martini recipe is a unique drink you’re sure to love.
Now, in all honesty, the only thing that makes this drink like a martini is the gin. But that’s okay. Mixology is subjective, right? This is a really smooth, lightly sweet and fruity drink. It’s an easy sipper, pairs with lots of different things and it’s quite easy to make.
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun coming up with new cocktails and perfecting my own versions of the classics. This purple gin cocktail is a creation all my own, so I’d really love it if you give it a try and let me know what you think.
If you are looking for something a little different, try one of these cocktails instead:
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Ingredients
- Gin – this isn’t a spirit that I’ve experimented with very much so I’ve only every tried Bombay Sapphire. I like it. Of course, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but it seems pretty smooth and I love the juniper essence.
- Blue Curaçao – this is a bright blue and fairly sweet citrus liqueur that helps make this drink purple.
- Cranberry Juice – my favorite is the Simply brand, which is cranberry juice cocktail. 100% cranberry juice would probably be delicious too, just maybe a bit more tart. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because this gin cocktail is better if it’s not too sweet.
How is Gin Made?
The process of gin distillation is pretty cool. You start with a base spirit, which is a grain alcohol made from agricultural products like corn, wheat or malt barley.
That’s then fermented and filtered. What’s left is a liquid called ethanol. Water is then added to achieve the desired alcohol by volume.
There’s 3 different ways that the flavor of the botanicals are infused into the bas spirit.
Steeping
The first method is called steeping. This is where the botanical ingredients are added directly into the base spirit, heated and then steeped for a set amount of time.
Vacuum Distillation
The second method is a pretty high-tech process. The botanicals are added into a flask with the base spirit, and then the pressure in the flask is lowered to nearly zero, so the ethanol’s boiling point becomes room temperature.
This allows the ethanol to fully distill without being heated. The botanical oils and essences are infused without heat, so they don’t lose their quality.
Vapor Infusion
In vapor infusion distillation, the botanical ingredients are suspended in a basket above the container holding the base spirit.
The base spirit is then heated, the steam rises, steams the botanicals, then the condensation drips back down into the lower container, infusing the base spirit with the botanical flavors.
The Right Way to Mix a Gin Cocktail
Yes, there’s a right and a wrong way, technically. Though we know 007 had his own preference.
There’s one cardinal rule when mixing a gin cocktail. Stir. Don’t shake, stir. If you shake gin, those beautiful floral and herbaceous top notes will dissipate and the flavor goes flat.
Stirring is much better for preserving the delicate flavor. Any gin connoisseur will tell you that Bond was wrong.
How to Make a Royal Martini
In a 6-8 ounce glass, add the gin, blue curaçao and cranberry juice. Stir it a few times with a spoon (use a bar spoon like this if you’re fancy) and then pour it into a martini glass.
Garnish with something pretty like this petunia and sprig of thyme from my garden. Yeah, I need to up my garnish game, but hey, that’s what I had available at the moment. Use what you have and get creative!
Royal Martini
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces cranberry juice
- 1 ounce gin
- ½ ounce blue curaçao
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a 6-8 ounce glass.
- Stir with a spoon a few times until well mixed.
- Pour into a martini glass and top with garnish of your choice.
Optional:
- You can add ice to the glass before mixing to help make the drink colder. Just use a cocktail strainer as you pour into the martini glass.
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