FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

by Mark R. Vogel

However, equally traditional is rolling it into a blini with either melted butter or sour cream. (Some also like minced onion or chopped hard cooked eggs.) A blini is basically a crepe that is made with activated yeast and buckwheat flour. There are many blini recipes, each with different variations. Try this one:(at bottom: recipe: blini)

There are two classic beverages served with caviar: champagne, which we'll need a whole other article for, and my favorite, Russian vodka. We need to discuss martinis, vodka martinis, and yes, shaken, not stirred.

Rinse a martini glass with water and place it in the freezer. Pour three ounces of your favorite vodka into a cocktail shaker filled about three quarters with ice. Shake it vigorously and strain into the chilled glass. A few points here:

Technically this is not a true martini because I've eliminated the vermouth. I see no point in adulterating the taste of perfectly good vodka.

The martini should be cold. James Bond was right. Shaking intensifies the chilling effect of the ice and infuses the vodka with tiny ice crystals. You could leave your bottle of vodka in the freezer but then it becomes somewhat syrupy.

The glass, ice, and shaker should be very clean. The slightest impurities will produce a noticeable change in taste. You can always tell a sloppy bartender from the taste and temperature of your martini.

Use a high quality vodka. You may be able to hide some of the flavor of an inferior vodka in a mixed drink, but you won't get away with it in a martini.

Premium vodkas are also smoother and most suited to drinking in pure form. Here is one case where the higher price is worth every penny. I recommend Stolichnaya. As the Russians say when they toast: Na zdorovie! (To your health).