THE ANTIQUE MARTINI

THE ANTIQUE MARTINI
Bacardi Black Razz Rum
Muddled Raspberries
Fresh Lemon Juice
Simple Syrup

I'm not a big fan of antiques. They are pretty and all; they're just not my style. Yet, today I found an antique that I simply had to have. It was the ANTIQUE MARTINI on the cocktail menu at the Burntwood Tavern in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

After a morning of fighting the crowds while finishing up my Christmas shopping, I stopped by the Burntwood to meet my sister and good friend Holly for a cocktail, or two, or three. The ANTIQUE MARTINI was made with the ingredients listed above, the key one being the Barcardi Black Razz. It's a lively spirit the combines rum with both raspberries and black sapote. Black sapote is known as the "chocolate pudding" fruit. When ripe, it has a custard- like consistency and slightly chocolate flavor. Barcardi Black Razz came out earlier this year and, as I found out, it has a terrific flavor perfect for mixing.

The raspberry and sapote flavors were full-blown in THE ANTIQUE MARTINI and made the cocktail absolutely irresistible. My sister found this out when she ordered THE ANTIQUE made with top-shelf vodka instead of the Bacardi Black Razz -- a big mistake. Her cocktail had a completely different, very strong and tart flavor. It was undrinkable and she quickly flagged down our patient waiter Derek for an ANTIQUE made the right way. Lesson learned: Never mess with the recipe on the cocktail list. As it was, the martini was sweet, slightly, tangy and went down quickly while it was cold. Guess antiques are my style after all.

Drink Up^
Cocktail Connie