The Key Lime Martini is just what it sounds like: a candy ‘tini that tastes like key lime pie. This is one seriously delicious cocktail, and it’s all about the flavor.
Key lime is a transporting flavor that takes you away to the tropics the instant your tastebuds start to analyze it. The lime is nice and sharp, but this drink is also sweet and creamy.
Like the pie, the Key Lime Martini keeps you coming back for another taste, because you just can’t stop enjoying the strangeness of a flavor that’s equal parts tart and mellow and sweet.
The vanilla vodka contrasts nicely with the tart lime. They’re what makes it taste like the pie, adding a rich vanilla flavor.
There’s also coconut cream, but it’s in such a small quantity that it doesn’t add much coconut flavor. It just enhances the other flavors. And the heavy cream adds richness and creaminess.
It’s also a very pretty drink to look. That beautiful light green contrasts with the golden graham cracker crumbs on the rim.
Naturally, the Key Lime Martini makes a great dessert drink. It’s also terrific for parties because you can mix it up in a pitcher ahead of time.
Rim the glasses ahead of time, and you’ve got a very easy drink to serve to guests. If you haven’t rimmed glasses before or want to brush up on your technique, check out my tutorial on how to rim a glass.
Be sure to use lime juice (rather than water) to rim the glass. It’ll hold the graham cracker crumbs on much better.
The rim might sound challenging, but it’s really not. This drink is easy to make, even for novice bartenders.
Getting hold of key limes isn’t always easy. Sometimes they’re in grocery stores, so you can just buy a few and juice them yourself. But they’re often not available.
You can also buy quality key lime juice online, which is great for when it’s off-season or you just want the convenience of having something that’s already in a bottle.
As for the cream: if you live outside the US, you may not have a product called “heavy cream”. It’s equivalent to double cream. In this recipe, “thickened cream” would work, too.
Basically, you want a cream that’s around 30-36% fat. Anything in that range will work.
I’ve noted in the recipe that you can use regular lime juice in a pinch. It makes a small difference in flavor, but it’s still wonderful.
What I would not recommend is using a sweetened lime juice from a bottle. There are enough sweet ingredients in this cocktail already.
If you enjoy this one, check out the Mango Key Lime Margarita, which is a frozen margarita made with key lime juice and pureed mango. On that one, you rim the glass with chili pepper or salt.
Key Lime Martini Recipe
The Key Lime Martini tastes a lot like a Key Lime Pie. It features vanilla vodka, Coco Lopez, Pineapple juice, cream and graham cracker crumbs on the rim of the glass.
8 minPrep Time
8 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vanilla vodka
- 1/2 ounce key lime juice or regular lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Coco Lopez cream of coconut
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1 ounce heavy cream
- Graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Rim a cocktail glass with the graham cracker crumbs.
- Fill a martini shaker with ice and put all the other ingredients in it.
- Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish with a wheel of lime or a lime twist.
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