Like any good sommelier/husband Jay has been trying to get me to expand my horizons in the beverage department. He has helped me make strides, even to the point of really enjoying and appreciating red wine. But whiskey, I just did not think that would ever happen. Then one a night like any other it happened, my awakening, and it came in the form of a Canadian Martini.
For some time Jay had been perusing a multitude of “bartender bibles” and spirit recipe books. While flipping through the pages he would talk about what he was seeing, recipes that caught his eye. Truthfully I think that he mentioned the Canadian Martini because we love Montreal and I am very much a Canadian-American. We chuckled at the name as it reminded us of the dive Martini bar we frequented in Canada. I love martinis so I was interested in what the Canadian twist would be.
Ginger Ale (preferably Canada Dry, of course)
Crown Royal
That’s right….Canadian whiskey. At first I felt betrayed again, calling something a martini and having it contain whiskey! That is no martini. But Jay prevailed in convincing me to try one.
That sweet whiskey smell was there, like brown sugar, molasses and caramel, but this time with a hint of ginger. I took a sip…waiting for the deception to occur again. But wait! This time the smell delivered with the flavor. The sweetness of the ginger ale brought out all those flavors I had always smelled in whiskey and the whiskey heat brought out the spiciness of the ginger in the ginger ale.
So like many of life’s surprises this has now become my favorite drink, my go to after a long hard day. I am not sure if I will ever become an “on the rocks” or “straight up” whiskey drinker but I am a Canadian martini fan for life. I never should have doubted my fellow Canadians…or my personal sommelier.
Drink Up!
Margot
I love whiskey myself, looks great to me!
ReplyDeleteThat looks pretty good! Our Canadian friends in Vancouver introduced us to the "Caesar". I had never heard of it before, but it's quite tasty. Basically, it's a Bloody Mary made with Clamato juice instead of tomato juice.
ReplyDeleteI am not a whiskey fan either, but this combination does sound intriguing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the dislike of whiskey, Margot. You described it perfectly. Smells like it ought to taste fantastic then, WHAM - what was that??? I'll have to try this and see if I, too, can be converted to drinking the stuff :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not big on whisky either, but my sister would love this drink! It's definitely something to make when she comes to visit next. Thanks!
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