Recently I helped clients select and set up a bar cart for their home. The goal being - effortless entertaining. To be able to present a lovely cocktail or cheerily say to guests “ Everything’s on the Bar.” Let’s look at what we chose.

The Lionel Two Tier Bar Cart from Target is sturdy and large measuring 34"W x 17"D x 34.25"H with wheels for ease of movement.

Target had the perfect Ice Bucket.

At Home Sense I found Stemless Wine glasses, Champagne Coups, Gold Embellished Rocks glasses and cocktail napkins.

TA DA!

The Bar Cart looks marvelous under newly installed artwork and next to newly installed draperies.

The mood-board for the cart were shades of gold and amber. The client wanted to tell that story and it does so wonderfully. The clients are thrilled. I received a message: “Did I buy wine to add to the cart that matches the aesthetic maybe!?! Did I serve a guest last night from the cart! Oh yes I did!”

Nothing better than making your clients happy! I’m delighted to take my clients wants and fulfill them because I truly understand their style.

How about a few recipes:

DARK AND STORMY

1.5 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer
In a tall glass filled with ice add 4 – 5 oz of Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer and top with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Garnish with a lime wedge.

GIN MARTINI

2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Garnish with Olives
To make a Dirty Martini add olives and a bit of the brine from the olive jar.

CHAMPAGNE OR PROSECCO

Make sure the bottle is chilled. A bottle of champagne or sparkling wine should be chilled to about 45* F. If not cold enough the pressure inside the bottle will cause the cork to release very quickly. You do not want liquor spraying all over or a projectile cork taking an eye out!
Place bottle on a flat solid surface and carefully remove foil and metal cage. Cover the cork with a towel and with firm and careful pressure turn the bottle while gently turning the cork in the opposite direction.

I hope this inspires you to set up your own bar area - either for the holidays or 365 days a year. Make sure you’re checking in daily on stories and posts on Instagram and until next time be well and Cheers!

More Articles to Enjoy.

Shaken or Stirred? 12/23/2020
Cozy Cocktails 11/4/2020
A Cheery Warmly Goodly Wine 12/26/2018

This my friends was the cocktail my father always ordered - his drink of choice a Gin Martini with a Twist of Lemon Up. In honor of what would be Jim’s 97th Birthday today - I’m sharing a bit of Martini history and some recipes! Cheers!

Harry Johnson's New and Improved Bartender's Manual (1888) lists a recipe for a “Martini Cocktail” that consisted in part of half a wine glass of Old Tom gin and a half a wine glass of vermouth.

Fill the glass up with ice
2 or 3 dashes of gum syrup
2 or 3 dashes of bitters; (Boker's genuine only)
1 dash of Curaçao
1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of Old Tom gin
1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of [sweet/Italian] vermouth
Stir up well with a spoon, strain it into a fancy cocktail glass, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top, and serve.

The Marguerite Cocktail appears in the 1900 edition of Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual. This is believed to be a precursor of the Martini - because just a few years later in 1904 the recipe has been altered to a 2:1 mix of Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth, with a dash of orange bitters.

The first dry martini is linked to Martini di Arma di Taggia a bartender who worked at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City. He created a drink made with gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, citrus bitters, orange bitters and garnished with a lemon twist in 1911. The lemon twist is the original martini garnish and olives may have become an option when vodka was introduced as a gin substitute.

GIN MARTINI:

2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Garnish with Lemon or Olives.
To make a Dirty Martini add olives and a bit of the brine from the olive jar.

The GIBSON is a twist on a classic gin martini - with a cocktail onion.

The key to a great martini is to start with quality ingredients - since there are only two - this is not a cocktail where you want to be frugal

Every Gin is different and unique - you may want to alter the ratio of ingredients and/or try a different garnish with different brands.

Also be aware that Vermouth has a short shelf life because it's fortified wine, not a distilled spirit. If your bottle has been open for longer than 3 months, it's time to toss it.

A bunch of newer cocktails have the word martini or the suffix tini in their title. They are named this way because they are served in a martini glass. Most contain vodka and don’t share very much with the original drink.

POMEGRANATE MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces pomegranate juice
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1/2 ounce club soda
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Frozen red grapes
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add pomegranate juice, vodka, triple sec, club soda and lemon juice. Cover and shake 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with red grapes.

COSMOPOLITAN:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
Orange zest
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, juices and Triple Sec. Cover and shake for 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange zest.

ELDERFLOWER MARTINI:

1 ounce St. Germain's elderflower liqueur
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce lime juice
Pour the half-ounce of dry vermouth into a martini glass. Swirl the vermouth around in the glass coating the sides of the glass. Pour out the vermouth - do not use in shaker. Fill a shaker halfway with ice cubes add the St. Germain’s, gin and lime juice. Shake slowly until very cold. Strain the mixture into the vermouth-swirled glass. Garnish with lime peel.

the Martini Spoken Here sign belonged to Dad. — the ***Martini Spoken Here*** sign belonged to Dad.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner recently at the Black Forest Inn. I snapped a picture of a Black Forest Signature Martini and the Holiday Drink Specials with the five different martinis they offer.

APPLETINI:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
1-1/2 ounces sour apple liqueur
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Green apple slice
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, apple liqueur and lemon juice. Cover and shake for 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with apple.

RASPBERRY LEMON DROP MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces citrus vodka
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce Chambord
Raspberries
Chill a martini glass. Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Chambord. Cover and shake for about 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

CHOCOLATE MARTINI:

Ice
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces creme de cacao or chocolate liqueur
Chocolate truffle
Fill a mixing glass or tumbler three-fourths full with ice. Add vodka and creme de cacao; stir until condensation forms on outside of glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with chocolate truffle.

Stirring Versus Shaking

The Various James Bonds with their martinis

There's a lot of debate about whether martinis should be stirred or shaken. Most experts agree to the following rules:

If a martini contains only spirits - such as a classic martini or vodka martini - it should be stirred in a mixing glass with ice for about one minute. The idea is shaking will bruise the spirits.
If a martini contains fruit juices, it needs to be shaken in a cocktail shaker with ice for about 10 seconds to mix the ingredients properly.