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What will they think of next? (February edition)

This month I'm looking at top-selling cocktails from "in" spots in the U.S. and Canada to add to our collection of great drinks recipes.

In two of the examples, the establishments have infused the basic ingredients to create new twists on old favorites.



The One Martini

Toronto Star writer Linda Barnard pried this recipe out of the folks at celebri-chef Mark McEwan's One restaurant in the Hazleton Hotel, located in the Yorkville section of Toronto. It presents layers of sweet, sour and spice.

Fresh ice
2 oz. apple-pear infused vodka
1/2 oz fresh pineapple juice
Splash of fresh lime juice
Splash of simple syrup

Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Makes one drink.

(Note: The infused vodka is made at One. To duplicate it, you'll need one clear glass bottle or jar with lid, 1 cup apples, peeled and cut into small pieces, 1 cup pears, peeled and cut into small pieces, 750ml of plain vodka, a cinnamon stick, 4 whole closes. Put the whole batch into the bottle or jar, Cap tightly and steep in the refrigerator for a week, shaing it occasionally. Strain and use.)


Today's Harvey Wallbanger

This is an update of the '70s fad favorite, classed up by Stephanie Schneider and Andrew Boggs at their Huckleberry Bar, which opened four months ago on Grand Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. They use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of the concentrate in the original recipe, and infuse the vodka with citrus.

2 oz. citrus-infused vodka
4 ozs. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 ounce Galliano
1 orange slice, for garnish.

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the vodka, orange juice and Galliano. Garnish with the orange slice. Yield: 1 serving

(Note: To infuse the vodka, use 3 lemons, one-half orange and one-quarter grapefruit, all sliced, in a 750ml bottle of vodka. Steep 2-3 days.)


Cirrus Blossom

Todd and Ellen Gray, owners of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC, created this cocktail with Cirrus vodka from Richmond, VA. Cirrus creator Paul McCann tells me "It was originally done for the Cherry Blossom festival, but we are revising it for Valentine's Day."

2 oz. Cirrus vodka
1 oz. Bols cherry brandy liqueur
1/2 oz. Cointreau or triplesec
1 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz. sugar syrup
1/4 oz. grenadine syrup

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

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