By Meg Hodson
This shop is part of a social shopping marketing insight campaign.with Pollinate Media Group and Wet-Nap, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #showusyourmess http://ow.ly/vJcEA
I'm kinda known for my martinis. Whenever we have a group of guests over to our house for a party, it's pretty much expected that I will be shaking up martinis. My signature martini is lemon drops, but I often will create special ones for each party. As many of you know from past posts on my blog, I like to create new cocktail recipes!
I've been asked many times how I make such yummy drinks. So, I thought I would compile the perfect list of must have essentials for the perfect martini bar.
1. A Stainless Steel Shaker. The key to a good martini is that they are ice cold. So, it's very important to use a metal cocktail shaker. By adding lots of ice when you mix your cocktails, the metal helps make your drinks extra cold, which translates to extra good!
2. Quality Ingredients. Although it might seem obvious, it's important to use top notch ingredients for your drinks. When people ask me what my secret is, my answer is usually this. Please do not buy cheap liquor! Even a mid-price brand like Smirnoff will serve you well. Depending on what recipe you choose to use, always use fresh squeezed juice. If you don't have that kind of time, a fresh juice at your local market will do (I love using Newman's Own in a pinch!). Be sure to also use fresh fruit, filtered water, and bar sugar (also known as baker's sugar.....extra fine and much easier for mixing and rimming glasses).
3. A Shot Glass For Measuring. Although it might seem like a little more or a little less of one ingredient might not make a big difference in the taste of drink, please reconsider. Even though I have mixed hundreds of martinis in my life, I still use a shot glass for measuring. When you are using "potent" liquors as part of your recipes, it is very important to get the measurement right. Yes, feel free to mix 2 drinks in one shaker if you like, but just be sure to measure correctly.
4. Martinis Are Sticky! No matter how careful you are at measuring, shaking, and pouring your drinks, a martini bar gets messy and sticky fast. Crumbles of sugar inevitably fall on the counter, your fingers get sticky, the cocktail shaker gets dirty. If you want a clean, beautiful presentation for your drinks, you need a good way to clean-up quickly and efficiently. This is why I love Wet-Nap wipes. They come in handy dispensers for easy, quick clean-ups of sticky situations. They also come in attractive packages that look cute on your martini bar; in fact, they matched my napkins perfectly! They are also great for wiping down your glasses and shaker to make them sparkle. I love the Citrus Scent and it blends well with the smells of my martinis, especially lemon drops. You can easily find Wet-Nap at Wal-Mart for a super low price (mine were under $2!)
5. Glasses Please. Although plastic might be more economical and unbreakable, nothing beats pouring your pretty drink into an equally pretty glass. For me, nothing beats using real glasses for my drinks. Plus, they will stay colder longer, an added bonus.
So, get those supplies ready and start mixing! If you'd like to make Wet-Nap part of your next martini party, you can click here for a coupon for .55 cents off your purchase. What a deal! Happy shaking!
This just in! Enter the Most Original Mess Contest. Upload a photo entry of your messy kids and share the link across social media. The photo with the most votes wins a $1,000 giftcard to Walmart and a year's supply of product. Voting will close on June 16. CLICK HERE for information on entering!
