Green with Envy - The Dew Drop Martini

While searching for a green liquor to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with two of my longest-serving friends from high school and my all-around favorite (Irish) human beings, I stumbled across Midori. That discovery led me to create a new neon colored cocktail that will make everyone who hasn’t had it green with envy! And it also provides a perfect cocktail to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this weekend!

The Dew Drop Martini - Photo by Laurie Geis

Jeanne and Joanne Doran and I have been friends for 43 years now. We met in high school and have stayed in touch all of these years after. They are Irish, and twins as well. And two of the absolute best most loyal friends a guy could ever ask for! A couple of years ago, they came down to Florida to visit Laurie and I soon after we moved down here, and their visit overlapped with St. Patrick’s Day. Now, I could really care less about St. Patrick’s Day and have actually never celebrated it – until 2022. Because Jeanne and Joanne said it was a requirement for the Irish to recognize and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (my gut tells me it’s just an excuse for them to drink more one day a year!).

Jeanne, Joanne, and I in Hawaii circa 1993

So, the task assigned to me was to provide libations worthy of the event, which means I needed to make something green. My first thought was to just buy some green food coloring, add it to whatever drink I wanted to make for them, and be done with it. But I decided that 43 years of friendship deserved better, so I went in search of a liquor which would do the trick. Enter Midori!

Midori is a melon-based liquor that was originally from Japan and first released in 1964. Eventually, it made its way to the U.S. and was re-branded as Midori (a 750 ml bottle will set you back about $20-25). This liquor is bright green, and extremely sweet. One sniff of the stuff brings back vivid memories of getting the flu and taking shot after shot of Nyquil to sleep at night. In fact, side by side, Nyquil and Midori aren’t really that different in appearance (Nyquil is a bit darker and Midori quite a bit greener and brighter), and to a very small degree, in flavor as well. But where Nyquil takes on more of a black licorice flavor and has a vivid burn thanks to the alcohol in the mix, Midori actually has a sweet and pleasant honeydew melon flavor. The mouth feel is syrupy (again, like Nyquil) but it’s soft and smooth going down. Nyquil comparisons aside, I decided I could definitely work with this versatile liquor!

I ended up making Midori Sours for the twins on St. Patrick’s Day and they were quite tasty and easy to make. They are simply two parts Midori, one part citrus juice (lemon or lime), and two parts soda water served on ice. In fact, the drink was so tasty that I started experimenting with this liquor and ended up with a new concoction that uses Midori, lime vodka, and citrus juice as the basis for a sweet and sour (and very green) martini! The lime vodka counters the sweetness of the Midori, while the citrus (in this case, fresh squeezed lemon juice) adds a nice sour component to the drink. Shaken and served in a chilled martini glass with honeydew melon balls for garnish, this martini is a refreshing and fun drink to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, or any day you feel like a green cocktail!

And as fate would have it, Jeanne and Joanne are returning to Sarasota next week for another visit, so when you make this cocktail this weekend to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, make a toast to great life-long friends in their honor!!

Dew Drop Martini (makes 1 cocktail)

This neon green cocktail is perfect for anytime of the year, but particularly fitting for St. Patrick's Day! It's both unique in flavor (honeydew melon) and color and has the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Serve with melon balls as a fun garnish!

Ingredients

2 oz. Midori

1.5 oz. lime-flavored vodka

1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon

Small honeydew melon balls for garnish

Directions

Chill the martini glass in the freezer until ready to use.

Pour the Midori, vodka, and lemon juice into a shaker. Add ice and shake until frost forms on the shaker, about 20-30 seconds. Strain and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the melon balls.