Asparagus Martini

 

 My dad was a martini man. His recipe was simple — a 5:1 ratio of gin to vermouth. This became my “go to,” and it never fails.  As you know from the book review that I posted on Sunday, April 28^th, I recently read Death in le Jardin by Ian Moore. When main characters Richard Ainsworth and Valérie d’Orçay are served an asparagus martini, it gave them pause. In all honesty, it would me too. I mean, I like martinis, and I like asparagus, but I don’t know that I would like a combination of the two. Naturally, I had to look into this, and it’s actually a thing. I found a number of recipes, and because Richard and Valérie found that they not only began to tolerate it as the book progressed, but began to actually like it, I figured that I should give it a try as well. I am a new convert. Refreshing, complex, and satisfying, this will make many appearances come summer. Asparagus martinis for all!

Asparagus Martini

 2½ oz. gin

½ oz. dry vermouth

2 stalks fresh asparagus, cut into thirds

Few drops of fresh lemon juice

You’re going to need to plan ahead for this, because the ingredients have to infuse. So the night before you plan to serve it, chill your martini glass in the fridge, combine the gin, vermouth, and broken stalks of asparagus in a cocktail shaker, or jar with a lid*, and refrigerate overnight.

When you’re ready to serve your asparagus martini, remove the asparagus, set aside, place ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes, and shake. Pour into your chilled martini glass, and place the top end of one of your asparagus spears into the glass. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice, and serve.

 * I placed my ingredients into a ball jar, and vacuum sealed it before I refrigerated it to make the infusion more intense. I used this vacuum sealer that I absolutely love!

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Death in le Jardin by Ian Moore, Reviewed

Prior to reading Death in le Jardin, the fourth in the Follett Valley Mystery series, I had not been acquainted with this series or author Ian Moore. It took m​e no longer than reading the first page to absolutely fall in love with the characters, the writing style, and the anticipation of what was to come.

 Insouciant, middle-aged Richard Ainsworth is living the sweet life in Saint-Sauver in the Follet Valley, a quiet French backwater, puttering around his posh B&B with sidekick gal pal, former bounty hunter, and possible assassin, Valérie d’Orçay and her pampered Chihuahua, Passepartout.

 When the housekeeper of their B&B is charged with murdering her brother-in-law, who was at one time her fiancé (gotta love the French) life gets complicated. Their investigation sends them to a rather bizarre garden town/commune filled with a variety of strange and dodgy people.

 In addition to being a wonderful and complex mystery, the story is very atmospheric. The descriptions were so vivid and detailed that I felt as if I were there right along with the characters. The characters themselves are rich, well developed, quirky, and strange, you name it, and you’ll find it in this book.

 At this point I might add that there is no need to have read the previous books in this series (although you will definitely want to), as this stands quite well on its own.

 I can’t remember the last time I had such a good time reading a book. It was a wonderful bonus that I was surprised by the conclusion of the mystery. Wonderful.

 It is scheduled for publication on June 6^th; you can preorder here.

 Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrago Publishing Co., and author Ian Moore for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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