I’m more of a purist when it comes to martinis: coat the glass with a little Vermouth, fill it to the rim with Sapphire, and serve it up along side a couple of Gorgonzola-stuffed olives (don’t even think about putting them into the glass!). But when I found this martini recipe by chance (or did it find me?), reading the list of ingredients tickled my pickle. So when our neighbors invited us to Christmas dinner last year, I volunteered to bring this “specialty drink” for happy hour. Was it loved by all? Let’s just say the keys to Santa’s sleigh had to be taken away!

Herbaltini
adapted from Sunset magazine (November 2005)
Makes 1½ quarts; about 8 servings

• 24 fresh mint sprigs (4-inches each), rinsed
• 12 fresh rosemary sprigs (3-inches each), rinsed
• ¾ cup superfine sugar (I use a scant ¾ cup of regular sugar...but you can also make superfine sugar by whirling it a bit in a food processor)
• 2 oranges (6 ounces each), chilled, rinsed, and quartered
• 2¼ cups gin, chilled in the freezer
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 7 limes), chilled
• ½ cup water, chilled
• 1½ cups club soda, chilled (Emmett and I like our drinks a little stronger than most so we only use about 1 cup of club soda…or less!)
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (not optional)
• Blood orange, chilled and sliced, for garnish (optional)

Note: it’s very important to keep your liquids chilled as described above…that way you don’t have to use ice cubes which will definitely water down the magnificent flavors.

In a 3-quart pitcher, combine mint sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and sugar. With a long-handled wooden spoon, muddle (or crush) the herbs and sugar together. Squeeze juice from oranges into pitcher, then drop quarters in. Press a few times with spoon to release oil from the peels. Stir in gin, lime juice, and chilled water. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Serve (see below) or cover and chill for up to a day (the longer it chills, the better the flavor).

To serve, slowly pour chilled club soda into the picture, down the side. Stir gently to blend. Pour through a strainer into chilled martini glasses or cocktail glasses. Float a mint leaf and on top. Lightly squeeze a blood orange slice so that just a drop or two of the juice comes out (don’t mix it into the drink…just let the red juice swirl naturally) and float the slice in the glass. Serve at once, over and over again until Santa becomes your best friend.

Nutrition Information (per serving):
159 calories
0.1g total fat (0g saturated fat)
0mg cholesterol
11mg sodium
16g carbohydrate
0.1g fiber
0.2g protein