Martinis with Absolut Elyx

Last week I was invited by Absolut Elyx to host a martini making class, which took place at the Polpo Restaurant in Greenwich Connecticut.

My two friends Meg and Abbey were able to join me for the class, where our bartender Noah mixed us up some Swedish Mules and gave us a little history lesson on the martini. The drink dates back to the 1800's and while it was originally a mix of gin and sweet vermouth, it soon evolved and expanded to be made with dry vermouth and vodka (and now a days, anything served in a martini glass).

We then got to try Absolut Elyx on it's own, which had a very smooth mouth feel with little burn. The vodka is made only from wheat from a single estate and is made in a vintage still completely crafted of copper. Only eight people know the specific recipe, and all eight must taste it and agree that it's ready before it can be bottled.

As all three of us were (are) novice martini makers, we discussed and sampled the different types of vermouth (we liked the 'wettest' of the three 'dry' versions) and the differences between a martini and a dry martini - which relates to the quantity of vermouth used. I decided to use equal parts and an olive garnish for mine.

I also spent a lot of time gushing over the copper pineapple which was specially designed for Elyx as a nod to both the copper still used to create the drink and the symbol of hospitality. The pineapples will soon be available for purchase for $85 each at AbsolutElyx.com. If you need another great reason to buy a pineapple (other than the fact that it's a copper pineapple) Absolut Elyx has partnered with Water for People and every pineapple sold will give people clean water for a month. Additionally, every bottle of Absolut Elyx purchased will give clean drinking water for a week, so even if it's as small a choice as requesting Absolut Elyx in your next drink out, you will be helping people gain access to clean drinking water.

To finish off our night Polpo treated us to some appetizers which included some amazing meatballs, lovely cheese, and their namesake, octopus.

I feel so much more sophisticated now that I know the difference between all the martinis, and how to mix my own - thank you for a great event Absolut Elyx!

Absolute Elyx hosted this event, my views and options are my own.