French Martini

The French Martini a fresh fruit martini (aka a fruitini) made with vodka, black raspberry liqueur
and pineapple juice, shaken and served in a martini glass.

Sweet and fruity with strong flavors of both black raspberry and pineapple. The vodka provides a smooth backbone making for a delightful sipping cocktail.

“You’ve got those black raspberries and honey flavors coming straight through and then Absolut Vodka really elevates all the flavors. The feeling of that fresh pineapple juice shaken up is like velvet on the tongue,” says Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan, Bartender and Absolut Global Brand Ambassador.

Despite its name, the French Martini is not French and is said to have been created in New York City during the late 1980s. It’s named a French Martini because it uses black raspberry liqueur, which originated in France.

The cocktail gained popularity in 1996 when it was featured at a vodka-themed bar in New York and later at a renowned restaurant in Soho, New York where it truly took off.

In the late 90s, the cocktail had crossed the pond, landing on the menu at a trendy London bar known for its fruity vodka-based creations, becoming a favorite among its clientele.

“It’s a very cheesy drink from the 80s, I’m not gonna lie but with the right ingredients, you can elevate this into a real modern classic and one I’d serve in any of my bars… if I had a bar!” says Rico. Here are a few tips that will really elevate your drink:

• Pre-Chill Your Martini Glass
  It’s a small detail but it makes a big difference. Place your cocktail glassware in a freezer for approximately 30 minutes beforehand. Drinking a chilled cocktail from a chilled martini glass is one of life’s simple pleasures.
• The Perfect Hue for Your Perfect Drink
  As Rico explains, despite popular assumption, the French Martini should not be bright red:“It should actually be a kind of like a dirty pinkish reddish hue because the pineapple juice mixed with the red liqueur isn’t going to be a perfect red color. Instead, you’re looking at that Scarlet almost maroon style of color as opposed to like a bright red”.
• Double Strain Your French Martini
  Double strain your drink for a silky-smooth sip. Use a Hawthorne strainer together with a fine mesh strainer.Why should you double strain your drink? Because single straining only catches the big stuff, leaving the pesky ice shards and fibrous fruit pieces out. Double straining is an essential step in ensuring your cocktail reaches bar-level perfection.
• Make Your Own Pineapple Juice
  The rule of thumb when making cocktails – no store-bought juice allowed! As long as the fruits are in season and available, we almost always recommend that you make your own juice for cocktails. 

  So, to make the perfect French Martini, grab a pineapple, slice it into chunks, and put in your juicer or blender. Then, strain out the pulp with a sieve. Trust us, fresh juice will make all the difference to your drink.

• Add a squeeze of Lime Juice
  Even though a traditional French Martini has just three classic ingredients, you’ll see in the video that Rico adds a squeeze of fresh lime juice before shaking. Why?As Rico explains, “When you’re making drinks, the salt and pepper of the drinks world is sweet and sour, which creates balance. Although pineapple is actually the most acidic fruit on earth, it’s also one of the sweetest and we’ve already got two sweet ingredients in this drink but nothing to balance it out.” Therefore, Rico opts for a squeeze of lime to cut through the sweetness and make the drink a lot more balanced.

  I’ve tried the drink with and without the lime and I’ve gotta say, I’m definitely with Rico. Try it for yourself and see which you prefer!

• French Martini with Vanilla Vodka
  If you’ve tried a Pornstar Martini – another extremely popular “fruitini” – you know the combination of vanilla and pineapple combo is incredible. 

  Add black raspberry liqueur to the mix, and you’ve got one mind-blowingly tasty cocktail. Simply follow the recipe here and swap Absolut Vodka for vanilla vodka.

• French Martini with Champagne
  Add a splash of champagne to your French Martini before serving for an extra dose of French elegance. À votre santé!

• Though the French Martini doesn’t resemble the classic vodka and vermouth martini, its name suggests otherwise, so, hey, we recommend serving it in a chilled martini glass. 
• To garnish, use a single pineapple leaf from the pineapple you’ve just juiced. Place the leaf directly into the drink and you’ve got a drink that everyone will be looking at with curiosity and envy. 
• Alternatively, a pineapple wedge perched on the rim of the glass also makes for a popular garnish.