Joie de Vivre Martini

Now that you have your holiday menu set, your cookies baked, party outfit lined up and your hair did, time to get to the cocktails. This is one of my favorite times of the year despite whatever is going on, family will come together and we will be happy. No cranky butts allowed. Yes, I wrote that.

I’m pretty certain this is true of most families. So to celebrate the holiday joy, I’ve put together a drink I call a Joie de Vivre Martini that celebrates the season in color with a deep dark red hue and then punched it up with some sweet and tart flavors of blackberries and some Nocino liqueur. And hopefully it’s only the sweet part of the flavoring that celebrates your holiday season.

A few notes:

• If you aren’t able to find Nocino in your area, you can order it online. Nocino is a liqueur made from green walnuts and is bittersweet in flavor.
• You can also replace the Nocino portion by using a dash of bitters instead.
• For a less sweet drink, skip the simple syrup portion.

Joie de Vivre Martini

Ingredients:

• 3 Blackberries
• 1 part Grey Goose vodka
• 1/2 part simple syrup (recipe follows)
• 1/4 part crème de cassis
• 1/4 part nocino

Instructions:

Place blackberries in a cocktail shaker and muddle. Then pour in remaining ingredients, shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Simple Syrup:

• ·¼ cup water
• ¼ sugar

Instructions:

1. Place water and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.