You may know our friend Lillet as a tasty apértif usually served over ice, often garnished with an orange slice or peel. Lillet itself is produced in Bordeaux, and is actually a blend: 85% wine, 15% liqueur of oranges and quinine.

I was looking for a special drink for a special occasion, and my Martini research turned up the recipe from Casino Royale, which mixes gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet, which is no longer made and sounds a bit too bitter anyway due to very high quinine content. Seeking a drink with a bit more purity of flavor and a bit more strength, I played around with different proportions, and came up with this vodka Martini recipe, which is both delicious and bracing:

Advance work: Fill your Martini glasses with ice and water. Let chill for about 15 minutes.

12 oz vodka (preferably Ketel One, but Smirnoff is ok)
1 oz Lillet blanc
Pour vodka and Lillet into a cocktail shaker. Shake well (or stir vigorously, if you’re one of those people. A quick aside on so-called “bruising” – all this means is watering down your vodka. Keep your vodka in the freezer, and you won’t have much trouble with this). Let sit for about 30 seconds. Spear one large or two small olives on a toothpick, and place a toothpick in each Martini glass. Strain into the glass, pouring over the olives. Alternatively, replace the olives with a twist of orange peel, but the olives give the drink a nice salty-sweet blend. I usually remove mine about halfway through the drink, though. Serves two, or four lightweights.

Lillet now runs about $15.99 at your friendly neighborhood state store. It’s commonly available – even the wine desert at Girard and Germantown carries Lillet blanc. At some stores you might find Lillet rouge as well – this is a sweeter and, um, redder version of Lillet, and can be drunk just as Lillet. Or you can tweak Spain’s version of getting drunk on a Sunday afternoon (weirdly, sweet red vermouth on tap with orange slices, over and over again), and watch the Eagles in a way that might make your uncle from the Northeast beat you up.

– Nicholas Gilewicz