Fruit Blast Martini

A post on FoodGal showed a very refreshing cocktail and Carolyn's photo spurred me to begin mixing. I based on a Lemon Drop Martini recipe I have been using a long time.

You begin by making

Simple Syrup

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water

Heat to dissolve, store in a jar in the refrigerator.

With that in hand, you can make:

Lemon Drop Martini

What makes this drink great is the freshly-squeezed lemon juice. The sweet syrup and the sour lemon form a great balance in simple 50-50 ratio.

4 ounces fresh lemon juice (squeeze 3-4 lemons, strain seeds. Use some pulp if you like.)
4 ounces vodka, preferably chilled
4 ounces simple syrup

Dampen edge of martini glasses, then roll edge in fine sugar.

Place all ingredients in shaker and shake for a minute, until very cold. Pour into glasses and garnish with lemon twist.

And then, a short leap to:

Fruit Drop Martini



2-3 lemons
1 orange
3-4 kinds of fruit, such kiwi, cherries, berries
Springs of mint
4 ounces vodka, preferably chilled
2 ounces simple syrup

Dampen edge of martini glasses, then roll edge in fine sugar. Add a few pieces of fruit to each glass. (In the picture above, we went overboard: This would be more elegant with less fruit). Examples: Cubes of melon, blueberries, a slice of kiwi, a wedge of mini-tangerine.

Squeeze 2-3 lemons, 1 orange to yield about 4 ounces of juice. Strain seeds. Use some pulp if you like.

Add simple syrup to adjust sweetness. Syrup should about equal the lemon juice.

Crush mint well and add to shaker with the rest of the ingredients.

Place all ingredients in shaker and shake for a minute, until very cold. Pour into glasses and garnish with mint sprig.