WILD, RED, PUCKERED AND RUBY

The gold is in the cordial bottle Over the last couple years the cordial category has gone through an unprecedented growth spurt. I don't think as many products have been introduced since prohibition was repealed. In the value market DeKuyper started the whole new wave years ago with the Peachtree schnapps and the floodgates opened. In that value market every company developed a line of fruit and spice schnapps. The premium category was a bit slower to introduce new products with Kobrand's Alize leading the way. The idea of mixing cognac and fruit flavors caught on big time and Alize has three products now with the recent introduction of the Alize Wild Passion, as well as some competition from the Remy Amerique company with their Remy Red. The premium cordial category got a nice boost from the popularity of drinks like the Cosmopolitan and everyone rushed to get a premium orange liqueur on the market to compete with Cointreau.

when the apple Martini burst on the scene a few years ago, everything became apple flavored. Sales of DeKuyper's Sour Apple Pucker went through the ceiling and even obscure products like Berentzen's Apple Lliqueur and Bad Apfel Liqueur started to show some movement in the market as everyone experimented with their version of the apple Martini. ( See mine below)

The flavor of the moment according to our Sex and the City research staff is the Grapefruit Martini or the Ruby as a couple of brands call their version and attempt to take ownership of what they hope will be the next cosmo. Skyy lists a recipe on their web site with 3 ounces of Skyy Citrus and 6 ounces of ruby grapefruit juice. They serve the drink in a martini glass so I assume it is a very big drink or that recipe is for two. Absolut Citron is claiming original rights based on the fact that on the show the drink as ordered was made with Absolut citron and Ruby Grapefruit. In any case the grapefruit has graduated from the breakfast trey to the cocktail tray. Alize's new product is a pleasant mix of mango and grapefruit and they have some competition from Diva another cognac and grapefruit product. I like the mango flavor note in the alize product because I have been promoting a mango margarita for a couple of Cinco de Mayos' and I am introducing the Wild Passion into my Mango Margarita recipe.

WILD MARGARITA

1 ½ ounces of 100% blue agave tequila ½ ounce Alize Wild Passion ¾ ounce Cointreau or triple sec ¾ ounces of fresh lime juice shake well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass with half a salted rim. Note: to make this a frozen drin increase the lime juice to 1 ounce and add two ounces of simple syrup to the recipe then blend with ice.

DALE'S SOUR APPLE MARTINI

2 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Sour Apple Pucker 1/2 oz. Triple sec or Cointreau 3/4 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice Shake well with ice and serve up in a chilled Martini glass Garnish with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple.