Tangarine Tango Martini

I love orange.  It is such a happy color, and I know not many people call it their favorite color, but I do.  It works out well because with my coloring as an Autumn it flatters my skin tone so I can wear it.  I was absolutely thrilled when I heard in January that "Tangerine Tango" was the color of the year!  I think orange doesn't get enough attention...it is always blue so it seems which people prefer.  Why am I talking about color?  Well, I made a delicious cocktail, as it is Friday and it was called "Tangerine Tango"! 

So....hopefully the color talk makes sense now.  I called it that because it was the most beautiful shade of orange, a sassy orange deserving of a name like tangerine tango! 

I need no reason to make a cocktail, but it being Friday, and the end of a week full of ups and downs was reason enough! So what was in this concoction? 

I had just gotten my hands on a bottle of Mandarin Napolean, so I knew I needed to use it in a delicious drink.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, Mandarin Napolean is a cognac based orange liqueur.  It has a warm smooth orange flavor and is so good that it could be sipped alone! 

I combined it with a bit of bourbon, a splash of Campari, which made the drink's color even more beautiful and of course I added some tangerine juice, because I have a big bowl of them in my kitchen right now. 

It was a lovely drink.  Almost too lovely to drink...but who am I kidding that never stops me!  It was delicious!  It was smooth and rich with the cognac and bourbon and the sweetness of tangerine and mandarin was wonderful!  A tango in my mouth, and so I thought "Tangerine Tango" was the perfect name for it!  If you would like one, I have included the recipe so you can recreate it!  Happy Friday to you all, cheers! 

Tangarine Tango Martini

(Tangerine, bourbon, Mandarin Napolean and Campari)

Makes 1

Drink:

6 large ice cubes

3 oz bourbon

1/2 oz campari

1 oz Mandarin napolean

2 oz fresh tangerine or other fresh orange juice

orange zest or slices for serving

In a martini shaker add the ice, bourbon, campari, mandarin napolean, and juice and place top on shaker. Shake until well blended. Pour the drink into a chilled martini glass through a strainer, garnish with orange zest or slices and serve!