How do you like your carrots?

My little bird has a thing for carrots. They are, I think, her favorite veggie...at least today. Tomorrow it may be bell peppers, but hey, as long as she's got a favorite veggie, a mama can't complain, right! Hmmm, a bell pepper cocktail....

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​This martini was inspired by my daughter's love of carrots, and my love of ginger. Carrots and ginger are like peas and...oh wait. You get me, they just go so well together. Google carrots and ginger and you get over 21,000,000 results! From roasted carrots with fresh ginger, to carrot cake smoothies, to cold carrot and ginger soups, there are so many options for this pair. 
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What a gorgeous color, yes? So bright and luscious. It's a perfect blend of sweet, spicy and veggie! Who knew carrots could make such a lovely cocktail? Carrots and ginger also pair extremely well with citrus flavors. I had to choose between wild orange, grapefruit, lemon and tangerine. The first would add too much sweetness to an already sweetened drink. Grapefruit and lemon would add a bitterness, since the oil comes from the rind. Tangerine was the perfect middle ground, not too sweet and no bitterness. 
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Ingredients

• 1 ounce carrot juice (freshly juiced or I used Bolt Farms)
• 1 ounce good vodka 
• 1/2-1 ounce of Ginger Essentially Simple Syrup 
• 4 drops Tangerine essential oil

Method

• Add ice and water to your martini glass to chill it
• Combine fresh ice and all ingredients in a shaker 
• Shake it all about
• Dump ice water from martini glass ;)
• Strain shaker into your glass and garnish with tangerine rind, shaved carrot or candied ginger
• Drink your veggies!

Have you made a veggie inspired cocktail? Tell us all about it! And, if you're interested in the essential oils I use, please e-mail me!