The Great Boxing Day Martini Extravaganza of 2009!

This was born out of a trip to Outback Steakhouse for dinner with my parents a few weeks ago. Ali had just gotten a new job and we wanted to take the 'rents out for a nice dinner to celebrate that- and as a 'thank you' for letting us and all our stuff stay at their house for six months earlier in the year. The bloomin' onion was excellent, the steak as good as advertised- and for dessert: a Gingerbread Cookie Martini!

And that was so good, we decided to buy a bunch of booze, get on the old interweb and find 'holiday' martinis to make and sample in the spirit of Yuletide! Thus was born The Great Boxing Day Martini Extravaganza of 2009!



Carrot Cake Martini
1/2 oz Bailey's
1/2 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
1/4 oz Cinnamon Schnapps

Tasting Notes: This was my contribution to the line-up and there's a little bit of a story behind it-- a couple of years ago, I sampled one of these at Giovanni's downtown and it tasted so delish that when we tailgating for a game (whom we were playing has long since slipped my mind) I made up a whole Nalgene bottle of the stuff, drank it and was completely smashed by about 8 AM that morning. The next day, I woke up having slept through most of the game, having no clue who had won, having seen 'Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang' and in ownership of a size XXXL neon pink t-shirt that said in big, black letters on the front: 'Whose Buckman?' Who Buckman is and why he was on a t-shirt is still a mystery to me- and I'm also a bit fuzzy on just how I got the t-shirt as well.

This was not a bad way to start things out- I would, however, recommend doubling the amounts listed above, because as you can see from the pic, it didn't produce a large martini. We also used Goldschläger for our cinnamon schnapps- which imbalanced the flavors a bit, as the higher proof of Goldschläger gives the cinnamon more of kick than regular schnapps does.

Grades:
Tom: B+
Ali: B- (little too much cinnamon)
Mother Nixon: B-/C+




Gingerbread Martini Take I
1 shot Bailey's
1 shot vodka
1 shot Gingerbread liqueur
(because instructions are for suckaz!)

Tasting Notes: The vodka was a bit strong with this version- we all agreed that the proportions needed to be re-jiggered a bit, primarily because the gingerbread liqueur we found was extremely bland and got overwhelmed by the vodka and to some degree the Bailey's. We decided that better proportions would be:

1/2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz gingerbread liqueur
1/2 Bailey's (and add more if necessary)

But overall, not a bad martini.

Grades:
Tom: B+
Ali: B+
Mother Nixon: B+ (but with less vodka, an A-)




Yuletini
2 parts Creme de Cacao
1 part Goldschläger
Float cream on top, sprinkle cinnamon dust on top of that. Drink.

Tasting Notes: Probably the least favorite of the line-up, this turned out to be a mish-mash of flavors that just didn't produce anything in the least bit appetizing. We did add more half and half and it helped, but pretty much nothing could save this one.

Grades:
Tom: C
Ali: C
Mother Nixon: C




Cocoa Candy Candy Martini
1/2 oz creme de cacao
1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
1/2 oz vodka

Tasting Notes: The overwhelming favorite of the line-up, this thing tasted like a candy cane, smelled like a candy cane and was just generally awesome!

Grades:
Tom: A
Ali: A
Mother Nixon: A
Amanda (who had joined us by then): A




Gingerbread Martini Take II
1 1/2 oz Gingerbread liqueur
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Bailey's

Tasting Notes: Turns out our hunch was entirely correct- better proportions made for a much better drink. The ingredients were more balanced- and although it could maybe use just a touch more Bailey's, it was another solid winner, edging out the Coco Candy Cane Martini for the title of overall winner!

Grades:
Tom: A+
Ali: A+
Mother Nixon: A-