I Vote for Root Beer Martinis

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz

There are so many reasons for posting this root beer martini recipe today.

#1 
In case you haven’t heard, tomorrow is election day and as it turns out this year, also my birthday. Yikes.

#2 
Root beer is one of my all time favorite drinks. 

#3 
Creating a martini with a nostalgic, all-American flavor is my perfect way to celebrate this historic presidential election and my birthday (see #2) From what I have seen on social media this past week, it seems plenty of people will be cocktailing it up tomorrow night. Frankly, we’ve earned it.

No matter what side of the aisle you are on, most of us are fed up and want this over already. The bickering, the bantering and the booing have all taken a toll on our country’s collective psyche. It’s all been one insane electoral ride this year and these last weeks seem particularly excruciating. 

#4 
I made a version of these for my July 4th barbecue party this year and they were a big hit, not just with me but with practically the whole dang crowd of 24. I needed a good excuse to break them out again (see #1)

So tomorrow night, to celebrate both my birthday and the fact this election will finally come to an end, I am hunkering down in front of the TV with a Chinese or Indian food take-out feast, root beer martinis and my German husband (who has gotten endless entertainment out of this insane American election season) to see this political circus to it’s end. 

To add some presentation pizazz to the cocktail, I crushed up some classic root beer barrel candies and dipped the rim of the martini glass in the dust. 

Root beer dust is magic, people.

However, the real key to this root beer martini, aside from using a good quality vodka, is adding excellent quality root beer. I got your back on that last one.

Brewed for over three days, Bundaberg Root Beer is simply delicious and made with real sarsaparilla root, licorice root, vanilla beans and molasses giving it a rich, unique color and flavor. It beautifully amps up the flavor in this cocktail.

Bundaberg is a family owned, Australian brand which doesn’t seem very patriotic of me. Hear me out. I’ve got a bigger point here. In Australia, you get fined 10 dollars if you do not vote. Think about that and what a privilege it is to cast your ballot. Make sure you get yourselves to the polls tomorrow. 

And if you like root beer. Make these. They have my vote. 

Root Beer Martini Recipe
Yield: Makes 1 martini

Ingredients:

  • 3 Root beer barrel candies
  • 1+1/2 shots vodka (root beer flavored vodka if you can find it)
  • 1 shot root beer liqueur
  • 2 shots Bundaberg root beer

Directions:

  • Place the candies in a small zip lock bag and use a kitchen mallet to pound them into dust.
  • Pour the root beer candy dust out onto a plate and flip a martini glass upside down on the plate. Turn the martini glass back and forth to dust the rim of the glass.
  • In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the vodka, root beer liqueur and root beer in together. 
  • Shake, strain into the glass and serve.
Disclaimer: Bundaberg sent me the root beer gratis but the opinions expressed in this post are mine entirely. 

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