This post is sponsored by Smirnoff. All opinions and recipes are 100% my own. This post is intended for those who are of legal drinking age, so please drink responsibly!
This Chocolate Covered Cherry Peppermint Martini, you guys. Zomg. You guys didn’t know I was master mixologist, did you? It’s OK, that was a long time ago, in what feels like another life. A sometimes fun, often way too crazy, life. Ha. Such is youth!
I learned a lot in my bartending days. What alcohols taste best together, what proportions will keep you from dropping dead, and how to make a mixture of 101 and 151 taste like fruit juice. Seriously, you won’t find very many people who can combine those in a shot and have it not taste like death.
But, that is beside the point!
One of my faaaaaaaave things was layering drinks. There is nothing more aesthetically pleasing than a drink that is layered. In order to properly execute a layered drink, however, you have to know your liquid weights.
Zomg that sounds hard. I know. But really, it isn’t! There are tons of cheat sheets out there that let you know what liquid measures what and etc. But a few basics are clear: grenadine is the heaviest, and vodka is the lightest. Vodka is lighter than water! Since we’re making a chocolate covered cherry peppermint martini, let’s go over our layers.
The bottom layer is grenadine. You can swap for a cherry liqueur should it so suit, or even Creme De Cassis, though its flavor is more berry than cherry. It still works. The next layer is clear Creme De Cacao, otherwise known as chocolate! Yum. And then the top layer is some green-tinted, limited edition Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Vodka!
Did you guys know the bottle is scratch and sniff??? It’s amazing. I love it. You will love it too.
The trick to layering is to pour SLOWLY. Get the first layer down to the bottom, and then slowly pour the next layer on top by letting the liquor slide down the side of the glass. If you pour too fast, it will plunge into the layer beneath and mix. Which, I mean, is OK in the end, because you need to stir it to drink it, but it won’t be as pretty. I like pretty. So once you finish the middle layer, you repeat with the top, pouring very slowly and carefully along the inside of the glass.
And just like that you’re done!
This chocolate covered cherry peppermint martini is perfect for winter parties, so be sure to try it out sometime soon, especially before Smirnoff ends the run on this limited edition Peppermint Twist variety!
Be sure to check out my fellow imbibers as they joined me in making delicious drinks with Smirnoff Peppermint Twist!
Peppermint White Russian
Raspberry Peppermint Fizz
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Grenadine
- 1.25 oz Creme De Cacao
- 1.25 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Vodka
Instructions
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Add the grenadine, shake vigorously, then strain into a martini glass. Repeat with the creme de cacao and vodka, using a fresh shaker and ice each time. Strain each layer slowly into the glass, letting the liquor slide down the side of the glass to create each layer.
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Ladi Lane says
I give it 5 stars because yours is beautiful and when I made it I fell in love with the flavors!
It took a long time to pour but my green ended up bleeding into the clear layer. I am not sure how to get it to not do that.😔
GeGe says
I made this drink, but I didn’t get the green tint. I’m wondering if this is the wrong picture for this drink.
BNC says
Hi, GeGe, before you do the pours of each liquor, you have to prep the vodka- use green food coloring to tint the Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Vodka
ivy says
what do you use to tine the peppermint vodka green
BNC says
Hi, Ivy- I used green food coloring from the grocery store baking aisle to tint the Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Vodka. I made a container of the tinted vodka in advance.
pam says
So festive! I would love it if you would link it up to Tipsy Tuesday at Grey is the New Black.
heather @french press says
OMG, this is the prettiest holiday cocktail ever! I don’t think I’d want to stir it and drink it, just stare at how pretty it is