Shaken Not Stirred

Over the years, my drinking palette has changed. In high school, I could drink Natural Light beer with ease. As a teen, it's easy to throw back a few beers at backyard parties every weekend and NOT get that dreaded beer belly. When I went to college, I moved into vodka tonics as a refreshing cocktail in the hot Arizona weather and I'd order comforting Jack and cokes when the weather turned cold, which was almost never.

After college, Red Bull Vs were my favorite, then I ventured into different wines. At some point, it was a fun to pop a bottle of bubbly, either sparkling wine or Champagne. Most of which was sparkling wine. I'm a stickler for calling sparkling wine Champagne. If it's not from the Champagne region of France, it's NOT Champagne.

There were few occasions at family dinners, when I would try my mom's vodka martini with an olive. One sip, and I could never quite get into the bitter all alcohol taste. Maybe they were dirty martinis, of which, I don't like sipping olive juice. Steakhouses like Mastro's or Ruth's Chris will serve up a blue cheese stuffed olive martini, which pairs perfectly with a petite filet. Oooohhhh, my mouth is watering.

Lately wine, mainly reds, give me a headache and allergies. It's those histamines. I'm staying away for now or atleast the weather cools off. So, I decided that if I was going to have 1 drink with dinner, it would be a vodka martini shaken. I suppose if you can only have 1 drink, it might as well not be a watered down vodka soda or an overpriced glass of 2 buck chuck type wine followed by a catnap.

When I saw the Ultimat Martini listed on the drink menu at Bottega Louie, I ordered it. The cocktail was refreshing not bitter, and with olives not stuffed with those pimentos. I hate those pimento anyways. They ruin the olive taste. The martini glass was a bit on the small side. Not like the large martini glasses served at Mastro's, but suitable for a 1 drink kind of night.

I think next time I'm going to ask for Grey Goose vodka. I don't do Dutch or Russian vodkas, so I won't be ordering Ketel One or Stoli. Count me out. Ultimat vodka is Polish, so maybe that's why I took a liking to last night's martini. Nonetheless, my drink of choice is ever changing with my mood, age, and season. Kind of like, I never choose the password retrieval question that asks, "What is your favorite drink?" I would have to take several guesses at that and always find it quite amusing that that's actually one of the options. So, a martini it is, for now atleast.