Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Burning Mandarin


The Burning Mandarin Martini
inspired by Katsuya Restaurant

In my humble opinion, this quite possibly the best martini ever. The first sip is an intriguing combination of bright citrus followed by a slow burn, brought on by the serrano chiles that are muddled in the bottom of the cocktail shaker.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 martini

Ingredients:

2 slices of serrano chile
1 1/2 ounces Absolute Mandarin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce cranberry juice

Preparation:

1. Muddle one slice of chile in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, orange juice, and cranberry juice, along with one large handful of ice.

2. Shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with remaining chile slice.