As the name suggests, the Flame of Love cocktail recipe has a fiery ingredient and was created for a famous member of the Rat Pack.
As with many beloved cocktails, the Flame of Love has an interesting backstory, but this tale is steeped in old Hollywood. In the 1970s, on Beverly Hill’s Beverly Boulevard stood Chasen’s restaurant.
The spot was adored and frequently visited by some very famous faces (Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan each had booths named after them and, while filming Cleopatra in Rome, Elizabeth Taylor was craving Chasen’s legendary chili — so had several orders flown out to her.)
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The preferred haunt of the Rat Pack, the ‘King of Cool’ Dean Martin was a regular visitor. But, when Martin became bored of drinking martinis, he asked bartender Pepe Ruiz for something different. So, Ruiz rinsed a glass with sherry before creating a martini. He then lit the zest from an orange peel, and added a flamed orange.
The drink was a hit. So much so that Frank Sinatra went on to order a round of the flamboyant cocktail for everyone in the restaurant.
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Flaming the oils can be tricky but once you get the hang of it, the pyrotechnics are sure to delight. And it’s not just for show, either — the flamed oils add a smoky yet sweet dimension to the martini.
Grey Goose Flame Of Love cocktail recipe
Ingredients
– 2 oz Grey Goose vodka
– ¼ oz Fino sherry
– Orange zest
Method
Rinse a chilled glass with sherry and discard excess. While squeezing a large strip of orange peel over the sherry-rinsed glass, use a match to carefully flame the oils spraying into the glass; repeat several times with additional peels. Stir the vodka with ice until chilled, then strain it into the prepared glass. Flame a final orange peel over the finished drink, and garnish.
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