Photos by Aja Campbell
Just in time to celebrate both the recent Harvest Moon and the upcoming National Vodka Day, bartender Juan Carlos Mesa, of the casually elegant Italian restaurant Brio on NYC's Upper East Side is showing us how to make his Harvest Moon Martini.
The cocktail features aromatic allspice, the sprightly flavor of honey crème blood orange, a delicate piquant touch of pure honey vinegar, both from fifth-generation bee keepers Honey Ridge Farms, and the well-rounded creaminess of Chopin Potato Vodka, to create a vibrant fall cocktail.
Harvest Moon Martini Ingredients:
2 oz. Chopin Potato Vodka
1 oz. blood orange honey crème dilution (3 parts water, 1 part honey crème)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. (splash) of honey balsamic vinegar
Fresh orange peel
3 allspice seeds
1 fresh basil leaf, for garnish
Method:
Crush orange peel and brush along the rim of a chilled martini glass. Combine liquid ingredients with this peel and the allspice seeds in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously 10 times to break the allspice seeds and release their flavors. Strain into martini glass, smack basil leaf between palms to release flavorful oils and place on surface of cocktail.