The “Flame of Love” is an elegant take on the classic martini. Created 45 years ago for Dean Martin by Pepe Ruiz, the bartender of Chasen’s in Beverly Hill, the Flame of Love is one of the most famous variations on the martini. Martin, who was a legendary martini drinker, came into Chasen’s one day and requested Pepe surprise him by putting a twist on the classic martini. The result is a delicious cocktail enriched with bold notes of Fino Sherry and caramelized orange peels. Fellow Rat Packer, Frank Sinatra also became enamored with the cocktail after Martin did.
Here’s the full recipe:
The Flame of Love
3.0 oz elit by Stolichnaya vodka
.25 oz fino sherry
3 orange peels
How to make:
Pour sherry into chilled glass, swirl to coat inside and discard excess. Using a match or lighter, express and ignite the oils from 2 orange peels so the burned oil coats the inside of the sherry-coated glass. Stir elit with ice until very cold and fine strain into the coated glass. Finish with one more flamed orange peel. Share the Flame of Love with your current flame (of love, obviously).
