The Midsummer Night's Martini at DeJohn's
Simple, cool and delicious.
OK, we're not martini connoisseurs . We've been known to order them shaken, not stirred, straight up with a twist just because we've heard it before. But we're also not fond of sticky fruity drinks with lots of juice and umbrellas in them. If you like a summer drink that's dry and cool with just a hint of citrus and a few bubbles, you may just find your new favorite cocktail at DeJohn's on Lark Street.
That's where we found ours.
The Mid Summer Nights Dream Martini was invented last summer when the bartenders at DeJohn's were looking for something fun to do with the new lime-infused Tangueray Rangpur gin. So, they poured it into a martini glass, gave it a little extra splash of lime and added (this is our favorite part) "a fizzle of champagne." Then they garnished it with a few crushed eucalyptus leaves.
Wait, what?
Yep, eucalyptus. And it worked very nicely. Unfortunately eucalyptus is apparently pretty hard to get, so they've switched to an orange twist, but we still ask if they've found some every time we stop in.
The Bottom Line
The Rangpur provides the essence of citrus without being sticky, and the champagne lightens the whole thing it up, but keeps it dry. The combination makes for a cool, clean finish that goes down dangerously easily and is best sipped slowly. Yes, you'll be tempted to go for another round but (trust on this) one is plenty.
Find It
DeJohn's
288 Lark Street
Albany, NY 12210
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Comments
I'm suddenly very thirsty...and it's only 12:15...
... said mwj on Jul 15, 2008 at 12:17 PM | link
Ah! I'm jealous! How long will they keep that sucker on the shelves! I want one waiting for me when I come to visit :)
... said heathah on Jul 15, 2008 at 4:33 PM | link
@heathah--It's part of a pretty fabulous looking summer martini menu.(We haven't tried the others yet. They're tempting but the favorite keeps pulling us back). But we ordered one back in February when we were desperate for a taste of summer and the bartender was happy to comply!
... said Mary on Jul 15, 2008 at 4:47 PM | link
I love DeJohn's... it seems like no matter how busy John is running his three restaurants he always has a minute to say hi and make sure everything's good with us. And of course everything always is good with us!
... said Tim on Jul 15, 2008 at 6:25 PM | link