Sazerac and Martini

In The Shift Issue of Blackberry Magazine, we explored what senses are activated before we sip a drink and how our perception of that drink changes once we experience the flavor. Enjoy recipes for creating the Sazerac and Martini used as inspiration for that conversation.

Sazerac

Ingredients:
3 oz. Rittenhouse Rye
½ oz. Demerara Syrup
6 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters

In the coupe glass:
6-7 spritzes of absinthe

To make:
In a martini pitcher, combine the rye, Demerara Syrup and bitters with ice. Stir to properly dilute.
Spritz the coupe glass with the absinthe.
Strain the drink into the coupe glass without ice.
Express* a lemon peel over the drink and discard the peel.

Cheers!

*Express refers to holding the peel above the drink and twisting it to help release the natural oil, then rubbing the peel over the rim of the glass before discarding it.

Martini

The ‘standard’ martini at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain is a basic recipe, but precise. We allow the guest to steer the ship on what they want: what spirit they’d like, how they want it served (up or on the rocks) and what garnish they prefer. While you can't go wrong with a classic twist or olive garnish, we also encourage putting a little bit of a Blackberry finishing touch on your martini, if you'd like to try something new. Try, for example, garnishing with a pickled ramp for a little change in flavor. Here are the base recipes for a classic gin or vodka martini from Blackberry.

Gin Martini:
2.5 oz. gin
.5 oz. dry vermouth
4 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Vodka Martini:
2.5 oz. vodka
.5 oz. dry vermouth

Shake with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist unless an alternate garnish is desired.

Other variations based on personal taste:
"Very dry" – vermouth rinse or spritz in glass
"Dirty" – .75 oz. olive brine (The olive brine does not replace the vermouth in the recipe.)