Cocktails of the Week - Emerald Martini and Nicky Finn

Michael has been wondering about all the "fern bar" drinks I have been serving over the past few weeks. And I'll admit they haven't really been strong "cocktails". So I decided to go back to some basics, or at least great twists on them anyway.

Emerald Martini

• Vermouth (Nothing but Noilly Prat here)
• gin or vodka (Bombay Sapphire for us)
• splash of green Chartreuse

Follow the directions for the Perfect Martini, only add a slight splash of green Chartreuse along with the gin or vodka.

As the recipe says, just add a splash of that unique French liqueur, Green Chartreuse to a perfect martini. Be careful with it, though, as a little goes a long way. You want it to look a very very pale green, and to offer up just the slightest hint of extra taste. This is one Martini recipe that might actually work better with vodka, as the vodka wouldn't cover up any of the Chartreuse taste. I'd go even lighter with the Chartreuse if I used vodka. But this made for an excellent drink to start the evening. Clear, crisp, with just the hint of the herbal liqueur. I wonder how it would work with the Yellow Chartreuse, which I have never tried?

Nicky Finn

• 1 oz brandy (Courvoisier)
• 1 oz lemon juice (the last of the Meyer Lemons - sigh)
• 1 oz Cointreau
• Splash Pernod

Shake all ingredients over cracked ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

As you might recognize, a very close cousin to the classic Sidecar, with slightly different proportions and, of course, the addition of the licorice-flavored Pernod. Like the earlier use of Chartreuse, you need to go very easy with the Pernod, as just a little bit adds plenty of flavor to the drink. I've also added a splash to a regular Sidecar recipe to great effect. Another very successful cocktail.

We followed that up with a fairly short Serious Sam 2 session. We did get by one more level, and I think we made it to the final part of the next level, but weren't able to push through. And then we watched another episode of The Sopranos. It's the first one on the last disc for Season Three, and was a pretty good one where a couple of them get lost in the woods of New Jersey.