What is a French Martini?

The French martini is contemporary classic cocktail made with vodka, Chambord raspberry liqueur, and pineapple juice. It was created in the 1980’s in New York City and became really popular during that time. You can probably guess it’s a fruity cocktail with the raspberry and pineapple. It’s quite tropical and has a lot of depth, thanks to the Chambord liqueur.

luckily, you can easily tweak this cocktail to your liking by upping the anti on the vodka. Some like it sweeter, some like it more boozy. I think my variation is right down the middle. Not too sweet and not too strong—a crowd pleaser.

What is Chambord?

Chambord is a French raspberry liqueur made from red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, citrus peel, honey, and cognac. Chambord was always the mysterious bottle in my parent’s liquor cabinet. What the hell is that obscure round bottle and what do you put it in? All rants aside, it’s a really popular and easy-to-find raspberry liqueur. Dust that bottle off and let’s go.

How to Make a French Martini

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a large cup of ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds until foamy. The French martini takes on a nice foamy head thanks to the Chambord and pineapple. If you’ve shaken adequately, you’ll have a creamy white collar floating at the top of the drink, almost like an egg white cocktail. I’ve never seen anything like it without using egg whites.

Garnish with a sliced raspberry half. I can guarantee it will float if your cocktail has a nice foamy top. Speaking of guarantees, if you like this cocktail, you’ll also love the porn star martini.

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