Sometimes a girl just needs a cocktail, the sort that comes in a trendy glass in a trendy bar in the downtown of a trendy city. Last Friday was that day for me, a day filled with the exuberance of decidedly non-trendy children in a decidedly non-trendy suburb. There wasn’t anything particularly bad about the day, there just wasn’t anything particularly good about it either, and as it waned, I wanted to treat myself to a drink. And not just any old drink, but the sort that might have been downed by the girls of Sex and the City. Since I had no girl’s night on the horizon, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I had a couple of flavour combinations in mind, but not being a “mixoligist”, I thought I should do a little research before throwing things together. A google search elicited several possibilities, but none were quite to my liking. I knew I wanted my martini with gin, and everything I found was based on vodka. But I decided to forge ahead anyway, and see if the flavour I settled on, Ginger Lemon, would mix well with gin. Gin has more presence than vodka, with its evergreen juniper scent, and people either love it or hate it. I fall into the first group.
Another possible issue was that this drink was surely going to have to be made with sugar. I’ve tried some of my other sweeteners in alcoholic drinks and have found that it doesn’t really mix well and leaves a funny aftertaste that makes me feel ill. However, alcohol has the funny side effect of lowering my blood sugar and can offset the sugar in a drink. I don’t take advantage of this fact very often but decided that, for sanity’s sake, I was going to allow myself my tasty cocktail. I did keep it to a minimum, making the ginger syrup with only about half the sugar called for. I knew it wouldn’t get as syrupy as it was supposed to, but hoped it wouldn’t make a difference in the final outcome of the drink itself.
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The Results I’m no Carrie Bradshaw, but I loved this cocktail and it really helped whisk me away from my mundane family life. Or rather, it relaxed me and helped me go with the flow of my mundane family life with much more equanimity. It was fairly tart, so if you are not a diabetic or a low carber, you may want to make the ginger syrup full strength, and/or rim the glass in sugar (I only did that for the pictures!). But I like tart things, and I loved the way the ginger and lemon combined with the gin. I am sure it would be fine with vodka too.
I would definitely make this again, for those times when a girl just needs a cocktail. Fortunately for me, it makes a good bit of ginger syrup, which I just popped in a jar and put in the fridge. It should last there for a few weeks. With three small kids, I am sure I will be needing a cocktail some day soon.
Ginger Lemon Martini (makes 2)
4 oz gin (or vodka)
3 tbsp ginger syrup (recipe below)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Rimming sugar (optional)
Add ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into two chilled martini glasses (rimmed with sugar if you’d like). Garnish with a twist.
Ginger Syrup
1 inch piece ginger root, peeled
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup sugar if you want it more syrupy)
Slice ginger into thin coins, then slice coins into strips.
Add ingredients to small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil gently for 20 minutes, until thickened. Strain through a sieve and let cool.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Sometimes you just need a drink! Good for you treating yourself to something special:-) Sidenote- I just watched Sex and the City 2 the other night… such a let down!
Sandra says
🙂 I drink once in a blue moon(meaning every few years one drink LOL!), but this looks awesome!!! Great photos!!!
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
I know what I making this weekend. Gin is my favorite booze. And these look oh-so sophisticated!
Our Eyes Eat First says
looks like something great to look forward to at the end of a long day. lemon and ginger just work so well together!
Now Serving says
send me one of those and it would make my day! 🙂
foodblogandthedog says
I love the colour, a pale elegant ginger. It reminds me of those beautiful sushi ginger petals. I'd go with the vodka though, gin is not for me, I've tried but the smell is enough to turn me off !;D
Taryn says
Holy deliciousness! I am going to need to make this ASAP!
Susie Bee on Maui says
Nice one! I have a bottle of Maui lemoncello in the freezer and have been contemplating how to integrate it into a girly cocktail; now I'm inspired to get on with it!
Megan @ Pip & Ebby says
My husband ordered a lemon-ginger martini a while ago at a restaurant and we have been meaning to attempt to throw one together on our own at home. This is a great place to start! Looks like Carrie Bradshaw would be proud! 🙂
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom says
We have a favorite gin cocktail with lemon juice, sugar syrup and Galliano so your martini definitely sounds like a winning drink recipe to me. Wonder if I could make the ginger syrup with candied ginger?
sara @ CaffeIna says
I never make myself cocktails at home. Somehow I don't trust my mixology skills 🙂 I will have to follow your steps and this trusted recipe.
Magic of Spice says
I could use a couple of these right now 🙂 Love the flavor combination. I do usually use vodka, but I'm open 🙂
Cake Duchess says
Love the flavor of ginger and I bet this martini is delicious!:)
The Mom Chef says
I happen to have ginger syrup in the fridge right now and a nice bottle of vodka (I'm in the other camp) so I just may need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing your discovery. It looks amazing.
Kimmy Bingham says
Beautiful! I love lemon and vodka in pretty much any combination!
Foodiva says
I'm glad that you took matters into your own hands and came up with this fabulously flavored cocktail. It looks like what every sexy girl should be sipping at home on a Friday night – kids or no kids!
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
Sometimes the day just calls for a great cocktail at the end of the day and yours fits that bill. Love the combo of flavors!!!
Nami @ Just One Cookbook says
I'm light weight on alcohol but this just looks very tempting! We moms work really hard everyday, and sometimes we need a break. I'm glad you had a nice one with this beautiful drink! Totally deserve it. 😉
Diane says
Sometimes…a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!
Great flavor combo – I may try making a "skinny simple syrup" so I can have it a little sweeter – sure is pretty though!
Pretend Chef says
This is a great cocktail to put together for when I host the next girl's night! Yummy!
Sarah says
Looks yummy! I love Gin!
Parsley Sage says
Genius! Gin = ♥. Now all you need is a really hot bartender that will come over to your house to mix it up for you while you drool all over the counter top. It makes the drink taste better. Honestly 🙂
Charlie @ SweetSaltySpicy says
I hate gin but I'd love to try this with vodka since I love ginger & lemon :).
Beloved Green says
This is great, I've been in the kitchen all week working on mixed drink ideas for a fundraiser I am helping at this weekend.
Candace says
Something about drinking a martini makes me feel a little less like a suburban mommy and a little more like Carrie Bradshaw. Love the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
You're right, sometime we DO just need a cocktail to take the edge off. This looks deliciously refreshing!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
I want this… so not fair! But you can have another for me k? 🙂
Cooking Rookie says
Great recipe! stumbled 🙂
Diethood.com says
Oh my worrrrrd… I wish I could have a sip of that!! Wow… it sounds sooo good… lemon and ginger in a martini… dreams are coming true!
Karen says
This sounds interesting…I'm not normally a big gin fan, but something about the ginger and lemon with it make me think I could drink this martini no problem! Glad it helped whisk you away, at least for the evening. Cheers!
celia says
Can't wait for happy hour: I'm totally ginger-obsessed, and always up for a cocktail…especially one styled so beautifully!
Jill Colonna says
OMG. Just seen Lauren's first comment and didn't even realise that there was a Sex & the City 2. How sad is that? Looks like I need a glass or even 2 of your lovely ginger and lemon cocktail. And yes, like you, I would love it tart, please! Cheers.
Maria says
Gorgeous photos!
Jim, not Mike says
I just made this and substituted some delightfully strong ginger ale for the syrup. My small town grocery store doesn't seem to even realize ginger comes from a root. Was quite delicious! Of course, because of the fizzy nature of the ginger ale, mine was stirred, not shaken.
createwithmom says
lovely refreshing summer presentation
Kim Kelly says
Wow!! Your photos are beautiful!! Sharp, clear and just lovely.
Oh, how I've always wanted to like martinis. Unfortunately, I'm just not a vodka or gin girl. Love the glasses though! And I really want to shake it in the shaker… ah well. I'll just have to make them for my girlfriends and then serve myself up something with tequila…
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Lemon and ginger, two of my very favorites! This is my kind of cocktail.
kita says
It's Friday night, I've had one of 'those' weeks – I'll take two please. I love a great martini and by the sounds of this it is. The ginger and lemon combo sound to die for.
Katrina {In Katrina's Kitchen} says
A girl's gotta feel like a firl sometimes! And drinking out of a facy glass at home can be just the cure for those I-could-have-stayed-in-my-pajamas-all-day-and-nobody-would-have-noticed-blues. Well, that's what I tell myself anyway. 🙂 ♥ ya!
Matthew "mmwine" Horbund says
I love the idea. I had some samples of Dragon Bleu White Ginger Vodka at a trade show recently, awesome stuff. I may need to tap you for my new Spirits/Cocktails/Beer site 🙂
Erika says
I'm not much of a drinker, but oh, this one is calling me….
Jason Phelps says
Definitely the right combo of flavors for a tasty cocktail! Try Meyer Lemon & Ginger sugar syrup.
Jason