French Martini Recipe

Before you start

The French Martini is a three-ingredient vodka drink from the late 1980s and 1990s, usually tied to New York bars of that era. The name comes from the black raspberry liqueur, which is French. Pineapple juice does two jobs here: it brings fruit and acidity, and its natural compounds whip into a fine foam when shaken hard, giving the drink a creamy head without egg.

Keep the raspberry liqueur in proportion. Too much and the drink turns jammy and purple; the right amount tints it a dusky pink. Fresh pineapple juice makes the best foam, but good chilled bottled juice works well too.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1½ oz) vodka
• 15 ml (½ oz) black raspberry liqueur — such as Chambord
• 45 ml (1½ oz) pineapple juice — fresh-pressed or chilled 100% juice
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for shaking
• 1 fresh raspberry or lemon twist — optional garnish

Method

1. Chill a coupe in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice to the shaker.
3. Fill two-thirds with ice and shake as hard as you can for 15 seconds. The long, violent shake whips the pineapple juice into foam.
4. Double-strain into the chilled glass. A pale pink foam about 1 cm (½ in) thick should form on top within a few seconds.
5. Garnish with a raspberry dropped onto the foam, or twist a lemon peel over the top and discard it.

Tips for success

• Shake longer than you would for a citrus sour. Pineapple needs the extra agitation to foam fully.
• Fresh pineapple pressed in a blender and strained gives the thickest foam and brightest flavor.
• If your pineapple juice is very sweet, add 5 ml lemon juice to keep the drink lively.

Substitutions

Black raspberry liqueur

Crème de framboise or crème de cassis both work; cassis is darker and more tart.

Vodka

Gin adds botanicals and makes a drier, more complex version.

Pineapple juice

Canned juice works but foams less and can taste metallic. Avoid juice drinks with added sugar.

Troubleshooting

No foam on top

Shake harder and longer with plenty of ice, and use fresh or not-from-concentrate juice.

Too sweet and fruity

Cut the raspberry liqueur to 10 ml and add 5 ml lemon juice.

Bits of pulp in the glass

Double-strain through a fine strainer, especially with fresh-pressed juice.

Storage

Serve immediately; the foam fades within a few minutes. Refrigerate opened pineapple juice and use it within about 5 days, or within 2 days if fresh-pressed. Raspberry liqueur keeps in a cool cupboard.

Safety notes

Contains about 45 ml of 40% ABV vodka plus liqueur, about 1.2 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and never drink and drive.