Cocktails recipes are one of the ultimate double edged swords. If done right, they can make good times even better and life a little more enjoyable. On the flip side, arguments over what makes for a great drink have caused fights and ended friendships. This has become even more pronounced when discussing the various new takes of the martini. Whether discussing an appletini or lemon drops, the one consensus that can be arrived is to use good quality vodka when mixing up any new members â€claiming†to be part of the martini family. I say â€claimingâ€, because a true martini is made with gin and vermouth. All of the new comers are vodka based. So when mixing up that cosmopolitan or blueberry martini, stay away from rot gut vodka. Lower grade or vodka that hasn’t been filtered enough will have a hot taste and often an after taste that is best described as â€lighter fluidâ€. Now that’s not to say that you need to go out and buy the most expensive vodka at the liquor store, though if you can afford to splurge, then by all means treat yourself. What it does mean is that grabbing from the bottom shelf or â€store brand†vodka is a bad move. This goes even more so for a pre made martinis recipes mix. Often such producers will try to trim costs by using lesser grade vodka in the mix, and it reflects in the final product. Now certain martini recipes that call for the use of bitters, would be fine with say a mid shelf vodka, since the bitters will tend to be the most powerful taste in the cocktail. The other ingredients typically used in such cocktails recipes tend to be so heavily flavored that any alcohol content is fully masked. This is especially the case with triple sec. So if you’re going to try and save money on anything, it’s the schnapps, triple sec, and lime juice that should call for the bargain hunter’s eye. Don’t skimp on the primary liquor! Now a pre made cocktails recipes mix requires a more carful examination. Top shelf vodka is easy to identify, the quality in a mix is not so easy to determine. Filtering is key to good vodka, and the more it’s filtered, the better the final product will be. Rot gut and low quality vodka is filtered once, maybe twice. The better stuff is at least three, and top self five. If the mix names a specific vodka it uses, or discloses how many times the vodka has been filtered, then you can make a better decision as to its quality. If it doesn’t tell you, beware. As with anything, if it starts with a good foundation, then good results can be had. Enjoying a good martini and taking full advantage of the various cocktails recipes requires that foundation be good quality vodka. If not, no matter how great the rest of the ingredients may be, the results will be less than great.
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