The VUE Martini

Ricky Wang, VUE Bar

RW: This is our twist on a mango martini–one of the most popular fruity martinis around. It’s made with 45ml of 42Below vodka, 15ml of Grand Marnier, three large spoons of mango purée and 10ml of lemon juice. You can shake or stir a martini, but if you use purées you should shake it, because you need to blend the ingredients correctly.

TW: You also need to get air through the drink. A lot of people think that if you shake a martini you’ll bruise the gin. I think that’s debatable. I think its best is not to make rules at all about any of this. It all comes down to taste and what you prefer. I prefer a stirred martini simply because half the time a drink is watered down when it’s shaken.

CY: That’s the reason not to shake. If the ice is made with impure water and you shake it, the water will get into the drink and affect the taste.

SZ: Especially with a perfect martini. Any impurities are going to affect the taste a lot more than in a drink made with lots of other strong flavors.

CY: I prefer to stir my martinis but, if you want to shake, the ice should be hard and it should be clean. If it’s a very busy time in the bar, like a Saturday night, then the ice gets melted quickly. If you shake a drink with this kind of slushy ice then it affects the taste a lot, so I prefer to stir.

SZ: This one’s strong. You can really taste the alcohol.

TW: It’s good. A little bit too strong. It could be sweeter, perhaps using a mango syrup as well as the purée.

CY: A lot of people put too much mango in their mango martinis so all you can taste is the fruit. This is a good one. I think it’s a little strong though. In our mango martinis we use lime juice. He used lemon, I’d use lime.

TW: I’d use lime juice, too, for a softer flavor.

SZ: This is good for me. It’s strong and not too sweet, but the garnish of fresh mango is there if you want a burst of sweet flavor.

Ingredients: 45ml 42Below; 15ml Grand Marnier; three large spoons of mango purée and 10ml of lemon juice. Garnish with fresh mango.

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