Greek Mati Cocktail
Evie Papageorgiou is the Greek-American heroine of the Moving the Chains series, so what better way to kick off the Cocktails & Books pairings than with a Greek-themed drink! A mati is the Greek word for the protective amulet worn by people all over the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. It's used to ward off the "evil eye." It was once believed that when someone looked upon you with anger or jealousy, that they could curse you. Symptoms ranged from as mild as a headache to as fearsome as a string of extremely bad luck, physical illness, or death. The mati wards off these bad vibes, even if they're unintentional.
Ingredients:
1 part chilled vodka
1 part blue curaçao
4 parts lemonade
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T caster sugar
1 part blue curaçao
blueberry
Combine vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Using a clean shaker, combine whipping cream and sugar. Shake thoroughly. Float on top of blue layer in the glass. Reserve one part cream mixture in shaker. Add another part blue curaçao to the cream. Shake just until the color is even. Pour the blue cream mixture in a small circle in the center of the white layer. Float a blueberry in the middle.
Tips:
To make floating the first cream layer easier, pour over the back of a spoon.
Don't forget to chill your martini glass and vodka.
You can substitute Crystal Light or whichever lemonade you prefer, as long as it's chilled.
Do not substitute for the caster sugar. If you can't find it in your local grocery store, Amazon carries it.
To make floating the blue cream layer easier, don't pour it straight from the shaker. Transfer into a smaller tumbler or bar jigger to pour, and use the back of the spoon trick again.
The biggest blueberries aren't necessarily the best option here. Smaller ones float better.
If the layers mix, it'll still taste great! Layered drinks take practice! :)