French martini
Vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice, shaken until frothy. Fruity, soft and pink.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Martini glass
- Strength
- 1.8 UK units
How to make a French martini
- Chill the glass. Fill a martini glass with ice and water and leave it for a few minutes, until the glass is cold.
- Add the ingredients. Pour the vodka, raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice into a shaker and fill with ice.
- Shake hard. Shake for 15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is cold and the drink sounds thicker.
- Strain and garnish. Empty the glass and strain the drink in through a fine strainer, so you get a pale pink liquid with a thin froth. Add a raspberry and serve.
- Glass
- Martini glassNo martini glass? A coupe.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- A fresh raspberry or a lemon twistOr: A thin pineapple leaf.
What you need to make a French martini
Kit
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Fine strainerA small tea strainer catches ice shards.
Bottles we'd use
- ChambordThe classic raspberry liqueur, with a deep fruit flavour.Find it on Amazon
- Pineapple juiceChilled, not from concentrate, gives the best froth.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The French martini story
It is usually traced to Keith McNally's bar Pravda in New York, around the late 1980s or early 1990s, and the raspberry liqueur is typically Chambord, a French brand, which may explain the name. There is no strong record of who made it first, so treat that as the commonly told version.
It is a gentle drink, with fruity flavour more than sharpness. Pineapple juice gives the froth when you shake it hard, so use a good one, and keep the raspberry liqueur light, because it is sweet. If it tastes too sweet, add a squeeze of lemon.
French martini: your questions answered
What is in a French martini?
A French martini is made with 40 ml vodka, 10 ml raspberry liqueur and 40 ml pineapple juice. Garnish: a fresh raspberry or a lemon twist.
Is a French martini shaken or stirred?
A French martini is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a French martini?
Made to this recipe, a French martini contains about 1.8 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a French martini in?
Serve a French martini in a martini glass. No martini glass? A coupe.
