The Crème Brûlée Martini is a cocktail that easily replaces crème brûlée at the dinner table. Its decadent vanilla custard flavor will impress your guests. This drink has a vanilla vodka base that contrasts beautifully with the creamy custard and is topped off with a hard caramel garnish.
In this recipe, you will need to make crème anglaise. It is a straightforward vanilla custard sauce made with egg yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks for a minute or two until they are very smooth.
Whisk in the sugar for about 2 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the yolks have turned pale yellow.
Warm the milk in a double boiler until it is barely simmering or reaches 180° F. Do not let it get too hot.
Pour the milk slowly into the sugar and egg mixture while whisking constantly. If you pour too quickly, the eggs will curdle or cook, which is not what you want.
Return the mixture to the double boiler and cook it, occasionally stirring, until it reaches 185° Fahrenheit. The crème anglaise should be thick but pourable.
To cool the crème anglaise, place the top of your double boiler in a bowl of ice water. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Stir the crème anglaise occasionally until it has completely cooled.
Set aside.
To Make the Caramel Strings:
To make the caramel, combine white granulated sugar and water in a mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and set aside.
After 8 minutes, the mixture should begin to brown, and remove from the heat as soon as it is amber-colored.
Immediately immerse the saucepan in a bowl of ice water or a cold water-filled sink to prevent the caramel from cooking.
Remove the pan from the water once it has stopped sizzling, and stir in the caramel.
Using a spoon, drizzle the caramel in a web-like shape onto a baking sheet that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray.
Allow the caramel to harden for about 15 minutes before removing it with a spatula.
Fill your pan with boiling water and soak it for a few minutes to dissolve any remaining caramel.
To Make the Creme Brulee Martini:
Pour the vodka, crème anglaise, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker.
Fill halfway with ice.
Shake vigorously before straining it into a cocktail glass.
You can use hard caramel strings to decorate.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
Recipe Note
As an alternative garnish, dust the top of the cocktail with powdered sugar and top it with a few fresh berries in the style of a crème brûlée. A pinch of ground nutmeg or cinnamon, combined with powdered sugar, would also be nice.
