It has been a few weeks in the making, but we finally got our acts (and schedules) together for a long-awaited shaker night. As the days get shorter and fall starts to creep in, we appreciate the last of the summer nights.
This week, we have a guest in from Holland, Michigan…the fabulous MJ. This woman is not only kind, fun and an inspiration – she is also a martini virgin!!!! Oh yes, let the corruption begin. 😉 What better way to cap off a weekend of the Hollywood Bowl, Disneyland and trips to Venice Beach then an evening of cold drinks and fabulous food?
(Shaker One also would like to celebrate the nail biting USC victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes – apparently USC snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat from the Buckeyes in the last few minutes of the game.. Go Trojans!!!!)
This evening started out with a Pineapple Drop martini.
{Shaker One here, seriously- I need to get on this infusion thing}
Our guest Shaker, MJ, liked her first martini. She felt it tasted a bit like a pineapple margarita – she did sample more then one baby martini (she opted to use the baby martini glass – she is not too much of a drinker, normally..) She thought it could use a bit more pineapple… or “be more pineapply.)
2.5 olives… Shaker One concurs and Shaker Two is ok with that rating.
Shaker One produced another lovely menu… oregano grilled shrimp, herbed orange salad and some lovely La Brea Bakery bread (mmmmmmm). The shrimp was amazing – perfectly marinated and grilled. The orange salad was good, but would have been a bit better served over a bed of mixed greens then alone.
Our second beverage selection of the night is a Strawberry Basil martini from foodandwine.com.
It is a pleasant combination, though consensus was that we would like the strawberry flavor to be more pronounced. Perhaps infusing the vodka a bit more with strawberries… but overall, it is a nice drink with an interesting herbal element.
MJ gives is 2 olives (she likes the pineapple more, so she could not rate this one higher) she would also like it a bit more with all strawberries and no basil. She is a self proclaimed “foo foo drinker”
Shaker One gives it 3Â 
perhaps 3.5 with a few mods.
perhaps 3.5 with a few mods.Shaker Two coughed up 2.75 olives 
We opted for a St Germain and champagne cocktail as a lovely finish..and discussed the merits of Dave Navarro, hair bands, and future plans for a “welcome back to the country” for Shaker Two after her upcoming international European tour.
To finish off our evening…. a somewhat made-up concoction based on a White Russian a bit with some variation…namely vanilla bean ice cream and Frangelico added to the traditional Kahlua (coffee liqueur), vodka and Baileys.
This was a lovely dessert drink (served with chocolate covered strawberries)
Recipe:
1 3/4 oz vodka (we used Stoli)
1 3/4 oz Irish cream
2/3 oz Frangelico
2/3 oz Kahlua
scoop vanilla bean ice cream
MJ sez….the drink is quite tasty, a little strong (for a non-drinker) might like it a little less alcohol (more like a Kahlua and cream, then a white Russian.) She gives it 3 olives – being her favorite martini of the night.
Shaker One like the heart strawberry sliver garnish and likes (total girlie warning here) how it looks. Taste wise, for a dessert martini, was nice. It is a little sweet and a bit heavy. Pleasant and lovely, but not something she would normally order… 2.5 olives. (Shaker Two concurs)
