cocktail no.4 | almost perfect
An Aquavit martini.
Bradstreet Craftshouse used to be a place you could find me pretty regularly. When it originally opened in 2009, it was one of the first in the Minneapolis cocktail scene. I am not a cocktail historian, so if this is not accurate…oh well.
The original Bradstreet holds lots of memories for me. It was where I learned to love cocktails (Juliet & Romeo started my journey). It was where I processed a lot about work, life and love (thank you, Eric). It was the first stop of an epic birthday party I planned (“Gay Princess Pub Crawl” – a monarchy inspired limo crawl). It was where I lectured my best friend about his dating strategies (“Just talk to them like you talk to me!” - we’re married now). It was where I had the perfect martini.
It was a dreadfully long and hopelessly stressful workday. I needed something, anything, to pull me out of my funk. The invitation to happy hour was accepted almost before it was delivered. We were the first at the bar and rewarded with our favorite seats and a ready bartender. I couldn’t quiet my mind long enough to make a decision and, like a fog, my mood was slowly expanding along the bar. Wisely pressing forward despite my lack of order, Jourdan (I think) began to make me a drink. Moments later, he placed a martini in front of me and expertly garnished it with a lemon tweel. I had never ordered a martini at Bradstreet, so this was a perplexing offer. It is possible, read likely, that I frowned or grimaced. He ignored me and turned his attention to other patrons. It was a beautiful cocktail, so I acquiesced.
I inhaled the bouquet of gin, vermouth and lemon; it was sublime. I felt a calmness wash over me and carry away the ills of the day. I put the martini glass to my lips and took a sip. Nothing was what I expected, but everything was as it should be. The drink was the precise answer to a question that I still cannot articulate. It was crisp, chilled, and refreshing. Stirred so brilliantly that I could feel all the flavors in my mind but tasted only the singular perfection.
It remains, to this day, the best martini I have ever had. To be fair, I don’t order many martinis. How can any mere cocktail match the mood and the memory of that moment? Why set a cocktail (and the bartender) up for failure like that? So, when Joshua shared his thoughts for the February cocktail, I was nervous that disappointment lied in wait.
Much to my delight, I was wrong. The cocktail is lovely, chilled and bright. It’s a drink I’d be happy to receive from any bartender on any day. It evokes the memory of my martini but charts its own course. It is not perfect. It is almost perfect, which is much more regularly attainable.
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 ounces Vikre Ovrevann aquavit
1 ounce Du Nord L'etoile vodka
1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc
2 dashes Dashfire lime bitters
Steps
Put a cocktail or coupe glass in the freezer to chill
Pour bitters into a mixing glass over ice
Add the other ingredients to the mixing glass
Stir until well chilled, approximately 30 seconds
Take the chilled glass out of the freezer.
Strain the cocktail from the mixing glass into the chilled glass