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04/05/2002 Archived Entry: "Snickers Martini"

It’s so instructive to have a 23-year-old around the house. You learn so much about the younger generation, current style, trends, and sillliness among the more important things, such as their perspective on the state of the world and us, their parental generation.

Sean Brady is my young assistant, and when I passed along a bottle of Godiva liqueur, he got creative in the of-the-moment mode and came up with a new cocktail. I found that instructive, too.

Read on.

By Sean Beauchamp Brady
The menu choices are daunting. I can’t decide between sweet and savory. I wish I could try one of each. That would be gluttonous. I probably couldn’t walk home. I order, and within minutes, an out-of-work model too thin and too blond for her own good effortlessly places my drink on the low table in front of me. A martini glass filled with vodka, edge rimmed with Tang powder, sits in front of me. I am quickly seduced by the $12 libation.

If case you haven’t noticed, lounges are the new trend in nightlife. People aren’t just lounging in New York. They are lounging in Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles. They even, dare I say “faire lounge” quite well in Montreal.

I find this new breed of bar to be fairly standard, almost formulaic. First, they must have ambient music. I say ambient because people and their conversation reign supreme at a lounge. It should be non-intrusive and only dance-y enough to inspire one to move their shoulders from side to side and purse their lips in a model-like pose. There is no overt dancing in a lounge.

Second, the place must have atmosphere. An easy way to achieve this is to use a theme. Tiki, aquatic, or Asian themes have been popular choices lately. No matter the theme, lighting is usually only provided by flickering candles strewn casually about the room.

Last, specialty drinks are an essential element of lounges. Almost invariably, there will be a small leather-bound menu at each table suggesting anywhere from 10 to 50 creative concoctions. The selection generally ranges from traditional gin martinis garnished with seafood-stuffed olives to more exotic drinks made with kumquat-infused vodka.

After many a night of sipping, if not gulping fake martinis priced as high as entrées, I was inspired to mix whatever alcohol I had lying around my house in hopes of discovering the next “Cosmopolitan.” (by the way, don’t drink those anymore, you’ll look passé). For a fun flashback to age 8, I created the Snickers Martini. It reminds me of the supermarket candy aisle. Wouldn’t we all like to have one of these before heading out to the local A&P?

Snickers Martini
Makes one cocktail

Ice
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 1/2 ounces Frangelico liqueur (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
1 1/2 ounces chocolate liqueur (I like Godiva)
Shaving of chocolate or Hershey’s Kiss (optional)

Place a few cubes of ice in a martini glass and fill with water to chill and set aside.

Place a few more ice cubes in a cocktail shaker add all of the liquor and shake well.

Discard the ice and water from the martini glass and strain the cocktail into the well-chilled glass. Garnish with a shaving of chocolate or a single, unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss dropped in the center if you’d like.

Note: I like to keep several martini glasses in the freezer to keep them ice cold. In this case, skip the first direction that instructs you to fill the glass with ice and water.

Variation: For a different flavor --think Toblerone Chocolate Orange -- try substituting Cointreau for the Frangelico.