My Version of the Orange Dream Martini

New Year's Day was a helluva a tired day for me. After working a super slammed New Years Eve at the Bleecker Street Bar, unwinding a bit at Home Sweet Home and having a New Year's Day breakfast with Momma-San and the kids I finally got to sleep at 11am. Unfortunately I had things to do that day and it was "up and at'em" by 3pm. So after running, we decided to have dinner at the Applebee's in Parkchester. As tired as I was, I decided to order something light off of the cocktail menu. For this I chose the Orange Dream Martini. Here is how it is described:

Orange Dream Martini: Creamy Pinnacle Whipped Vodka shaken with ice, orange juice and garnished with Whipped Cream

Now this cocktail was indeed light, which was what I was looking for. But I felt as if there was something missing. In essence it was a Whipped Cream vodka screwdriver with whipped cream. It was kind of bland. Something was needed to zing it up a bit. So I purchased a small bottle of the Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka and got to working on the zing part of it.

Now I initially thought that maybe adding Triple Sec to the mix would give it an extra layer of orange flavor to the cocktail. Maybe even stepping it up by using Grand Marnier or Cointreau would do the trick. But I decided to go with something entirely different. A few weeks ago I bought a sample sized bottle of an orange liqueur called Gran Gala Liqueur.

The label says that it is a "Rare Triple Orange Liqueur Made With VSOP Brandy"  It is an 80 proof liqueur (40% alcohol by volume). Here is how their website describes Gran Gala:

Bring exceptional taste and smoothness to your cocktails with Italy's Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur. Hand-picked from beneath the Sicilian sun, Tarroco, Bionda and Rossa oranges are infused with mature, barrel aged Italian Stock '84 VSOP brandy. The result: Gran Gala's rich amber color, velvety-smooth feel and full-bodied, sweet fruit flavor.

A quick taste brings a swift burn to the throat which slowly turns into a mild and flavorful orange taste. I was satisfied that this would give the zing that I was looking for my version of the orange dream. So keeping with the feel of the original recipe, here is my version of the Orange Dream Martini:

Sisco's Orange Dream
1.5 oz. of Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka
1 oz. of Gran Gala Orange Liqueur
2 oz. of Orange Juice
Whipped Cream

Build over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain in a chilled cocktail glass. Swirl whipped cream on the top of the cocktail.

So what do I think of it? The Gran Gala gives it a bit of a stronger zing that seemed to be missing from the original Orange Dream but to be honest, it still feels a little blah. Its also a little sweet.Perhaps its just not my kind of drink. Momma-San says it tastes like a strong Creamsicle. I guess this will be something I make for my sister or Stella next time they come over. Their palates lean more towards the sweeter cocktails.

Until Then, Happy Drinking
Sisco Vanilla