Super PAC (pear, apple, cranberry) Martini

My editor and I were at Costco a few days ago and decided to pick up a bottle of Ketel One Vodka and see if we could come up with a new martini for the holidays. After a bit of pondering, my editor had a great idea and the "Super PAC Martini" was born. Watch out-one to many of these and you won't be able to cooridnate your activities.

Some of the more famous martini drinkers include Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jackie Gleason, Ernest Hemingway and of course the most famous of all Bond, James Bond. Bond's request to have his martini "shaken not, stirred" has become lengendary and has even made it to popular culture. In Casino Royale he even gave the exact recipe, "three measures of Gordons, one of vodka, half measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold, add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?". Ernest Hemingway drank a martini that he called "The Montgomery" named after Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The Montgomery at Harry's Bar was 2 oz. Gordons gin, 1 teaspoon vermouth plus a few drops, pour into a martini shaker filled with ice, shake then pour into a martini glass and garnished with an olive on a tooth pick. By the way, the Gordons gin that Hemingway would have had is not made any more. The closet you can find to it will be Tanqueray.

Both of these martinis are an aquired taste. If you're new to martinis they can be tough to get through. We were trying to create a martini that is festive for the holidays yet would still appeal to both the non-martini drinker and the seasoned pro. We wanted something that had the right elements yet would look pleasing in the glass and taste just as good.

The Super PAC martini stands for pear, apple and cranberry and is a dirty martini. We used Bosc pear that was pureed, the puree adds the sweetness that is needed to balance the Ketel One vodka. Next we added apple and cranberry juice. This martini can start your guests off at your holiday party. Nothing better than to make a fresh martini as the drink requests start to roll in.

So let's get started... ...

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Super PAC Martini

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***Ingredients***

2 teaspoons pear puree' (cut Bosc or Red Bartlett pear into quarters, then puree in a small mixer)
1 oz. Ketel One vodka
1 1/2 oz. apple cranberry juice

***Preparation***

Pour pear puree', vodka, apple cranberry juice into a martini shaker filled with ice, shake until ice cold. Pour into a martini glass, garnish with a slice of pear.

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Here are a few other martini recipes that you can use at your holiday party.

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Apollo 13

Absolut Mandrin, peach schnapps, triple sec and spoon full of Tang shaken to an icy chill and served up wqith a fresh orange wheel.

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Black Martini

Belverdere vodka and Chambord raspberry liqueur served up and garnished with an orange twist and fresh raspberries.

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Caramel Apple Martini

Absolut vodka, Pucker Apple Sour and Butterscotch liqueur served up with an apple wedge and caramel apple garnish.

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The Cherry Berry

Cherry Kirchwasser, Stoli Raspberry vodka, Absolut Kurant and strawberry liqueur served up with a sugar rimmed glass ande fresh berry garnish.

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Chocolatini

Belverdere vodka and Godiva chocolate liqueur served up in a chilled glass sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings.

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The Classic

Bombay Sapphire, dash of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth shaken not stirred, served up and garnished with olives.

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The Cosmopolitan

Absolut Citron, Cointreau, splash of cranberry juice served up with a lemon twist.

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Dirty Little Secret

Belverdere vodka, splash of dry vermouth and olive juice served up or on the rocks with kalamata olives.

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Espresso Martini

Ketel One vodka, Tia Maria, shot of chilled espresso served up finished with chocolate covered espresso beans.

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Grand Cosmopolitan

Absolut Citron, Grand Marnier, dash of sour mix shaken and served up with an organge twist.

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Key Lime Pie

Vanilla vodka shaken with a splash of Rose's Lime, dash of heavy cream and a pinch of sugar, served up in a graham cracker crumb glass with freah lime wheel.

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Mai Tai Time

Creme de Noyaux, Bacardi light rum, Meyers dark rum, Absolut Citron and a splash of pineapple juice served up and finished with rings or fresh lime and orange.

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The Margarita

Patron tequila, Cointreau, dash of Rose's Lime Juice served up with a salted rim, lime wedge and a jalapeno stuffed olive.

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Perfect 10

Tanqueray Ten shaken to a perfect chill and served up, garnished with a black olive.

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The Silver Bullet Single Malt

Grey Goose vodka shaken with a splash of Bowmore 17 year old single malt scotch, served up with a lemon twist.

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The Twilight Time Martini

Absolut Citron, Chambord raspberry liqueur, Blue Curacao, splash of cranberry juice shaken and served up and garnished with mandarin oranges and cherries.

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Tropical Martini

Absolut vodka, Midori melon liqueur, Malibu coconut rum, dash of pineapple juice garnished with a strawberry.

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The Ultimate Gimlet

Grey Goose vodka and just a hint of Rose's Lime shaken and served up in a chilled glass with a fresh wedge of lime.

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The Vegetarian

Cocktail mushrooms, peral onions, red bell pepper stick, jumbo black and pimento stuffed Spanish olives served up or on the rocks in any garnish lovers choice of premium vodka or gin.

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Window Cleaner

Bacardi light rum, Blue Curacao, splash of Rose's lime and a touch of sugar served with a wedge of lime.

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