Thursday, January 7, 2010

Key Lime Pie Martini

This "Artic Blast" a lot of us are getting pummeled by has me dreaming of Jimmy Buffet songs, flip-flops, vibrant colors, the smell of meat on the grill and lots of alcohol  cute fruitty drinks with crushed ice and those cute little paper umbrellas in them.

Those of you that have read my blog for any length of time know I enjoy a glass or two of red wine in the evenings, it helps my creativity.  Every now an then I stray to the hard stuff.

To be fair to my mother who is a martini purist, this adult beverage is very loosely a martini.  You see, when I was growing up, my dad made a pitcher of martinis every night for as long as I can remember.  He and my mother would have two before dinner.  My dad would sit in the kitchen and he and my mom would talk while she cooked dinner.  

Their martinis we pretty weak by bar tending standards.  My dad put a lot of crushed ice in the pitcher.  My parents just wanted to relax, talk about the day's event and enjoy each others company, not get trashed by mealtime.  Their choice was vodka with a splash of vermuth garnished with a stuff olive and sometimes a cocktail onion or a little curley twit of lemon peel.   I acquired a taste for martinis in my college days but I like my very, very, very dirty.  I'm not big on the vodka taste but I love the salty taste of the olive juice.

So on to today's offering.  I can't say I came up with this drink.  My girlfriends and I concocted this back in the day.  One word of warning, this is one of those drinks that's really good, goes down smooth and fast.  Only drink one or you will get sicker than a dog.  Don't say I didn't warn you!



Our cast of characters - grahma cracker crumbs, Ke-Ke Key Lime Liquor, Vanilla Stoli and heavy whipping cream.




Rim your martini glass with the graham cracker crumbs.  Put about 1 cup of crushed ice in your shaker, 1 ounce of Stoli, 2 ounces of Ke-Ke and gently shake.  Pour through the stainer into your rimmed glass.





Top off with a couple of tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and garnish with come graham cracker cumbs.  This tastes just like Key Lime Pie.

A couple of my other favorite warm weather cocktails using Ke-Ke are:
Limeade - this one is really good, especially if you've just finished doing some gardening!

2 ounces KeKe in a glass filled with crushed ice  (use a Tom Collins glass), then fill the rest of the way with Sprite or 7-UP, garnish with a lime wedge


Creamsicle - just flat out good anytime!
1 ounce KeKe in a glass filled with crushed ice, then fill the rest of the way with orange Crush.

Aren't you glad I spent some time in my 20's doing research for you, my dear readers?

Stay warm!



34 comments:

Cathy said...

Wow, your key lime pie martini is dessert in a glass with a kick! I drink wine most of the time but on special occasions do like a cocktail. I need to be more adventuresome about that. Oh, I do remember those martini days.

Sasha said...

Mm, looks yummy. Key lime pie-flavored things are the best : )

Ashley @ The Happy Little Home said...

Those sound great! I'm with you on the dirty martinis. I get seriously irritated when i go to a restaurant and order one dirty and it's not :)

April said...

Looks delish!! I would like to be somewhere in my flip flops and a cute little drink right now.

Claudia said...

I remember the days of parties and martinits from my parents. hey always had a scotch before dinner (never did fall into that mode). Your martini is so festive!

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a fabulous creation! I'm not sure I could actually drink it, but it sure does sound lovely.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

I spent the last 35 years doing research... Loving that dreamsicle, and would strike a blow for liberty with this anyday

and I am SOOOOO tired of winter

Anonymous said...

A key lime pie martini sounds incredible - very unique, love it!

pam said...

I say we bring back the daily cocktail hour!

The JR said...

Both of those sound good. I rarely drink, but when I do I want it to taste very good.

I like that story about your mom and dad. Sounds great that they shared the events of the day with each other like that.

The Blonde Duck said...

This artic blast is making me mad. I don't do cold. I'm a duck.

Barbara said...

That looks divine AND decadent! Two things I like! And yes, I may live in Florida, but we have to get further south right now because we are as cold as you. Or nearly.

The Diva on a Diet said...

Its always "now and then" in Divaland! ;) LOL

Katherine, this cocktail looks delicious! And, you're so right, perfect to remind us of warmer days during this wicked winter we're having. Love that you've given some other variations as well. I'm printing these out!

Chef E said...

Oh yum, is that what we will do one day, sit and sip martinis :)

I might have to make a chocolate one for my dessert tonight!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Everyone in my family loves gin martinis. I'm a vodka girl myself and I like my smoky with a tiny dash of scotch (to make it smoky of course). It actually matches your blog name.

I like your key lime twist to the martini idea, but I'm crazy for anything key lime. I also like my martini up. It's so elegant.

I'm always in the mood for a little Jimmy Buffett and flip-flops too. Maybe we stayed in the islands too long and it's in our blood.
Sam

buffalodick said...

Ketel One vodka, large Gorgonzola stuffed olives, and wave the dry vermouth over the humidifier.. Pour me something long and strong- make it a Hurricane- It's 5 o'clock somewhere...

chow and chatter said...

very cool and snowy looking love it

Pam said...

Now this is MY kind of cocktail - yummy!

Anonymous said...

for pitty-sakes LOVE this. I'm a martini fan, a key lime fan, a pie fan. Perfect

Donna-FFW said...

My language, Katherine.. you are speaking my favorite language. Absolutely phenomenal sounding.

Julie said...

wow...liquor and pie! I'm in!

Marguerite said...

Oh cher, you are killing me with this fabulous drink! Yummmie! I will buy the ingredients tomorrow, and make this my weekend drink! Cheers!

Debbie said...

These are all new to me. I need to branch out from my white wine apparently.

Reeni said...

This looks so very scrumptious! A dessert and a drink all in one - it doesn't get much better than that!

teresa said...

what a fancy adn fun drink!

Marjie said...

My grandmother used to drink martinis after work every day. She was a tiny little thing, but I swear she had a hollow leg, she could pack away so many drinks! As for Jimmy Buffett and umbrella drinks, well, we need a little global warming to help us out on that one. Hang on for a month; you know spring's coming to you soon!

Chris said...

Enjoyed the story about your parents. I have NEVER had a martini in my life. They just don't appeal to me, because I had too many bad experiences with vodka before I turned 21.

Anonymous said...

Nice! That is quite a kick to the humble key lime pie!
My dad enjoy a glass or two of red wine in the evenings, too. It helps him relax.

Joanne said...

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts so I'm pretty sure this would be dangerous if I ever made it. I imagine I would be drunk pretty quickly because I would never be able to stop at one! Great idea. I will definitely be serving these at my next party.

Katy ~ said...

LUV me lime in my cocktails (think gimlet). I would LUV this. Oh, after a couple of these, I could be convinced it's summer, grins.

NKP said...

Yum! I want the creamsicle one!

Judy said...

Very clever recipe....great for a party drink. I will save this.

tamilyn said...

I thank you and your liver for the research!

Wendy Ripaldi said...

I have been looking for a key lime pie martini recipe ever since I had one at a local eatery, City Range. I have found lots of recipes but your fantastic recipe had the creamy, smooth texture I have been looking for. I know your post was several years ago but wanted to give you a thank you for helping me find the perfect summer by-the-pool cocktail. Very hot here in Landrum, SC! We are in the mountains and it is already too hot!!!