Key Lime Pie Martini

A sweet and creamy dessert martini that brings all the flavors of a tropical key lime pie. This key lime pie martini is great as a Memorial Day brunch cocktail or after-dinner nightcap.

With great success, I’ve served this cocktail as part of a dessert table for a Memorial Day barbecue. My other dishes included:

• Grilled Bbq Pork Chops and Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken
• Israeli Salad – cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil for a delicious, healthy side dish that’s so refreshing.
• French White Bean Salad – a light, protein-packed vegetarian option that also goes great with grilled meats.
• Green Chile Creamed Corn – a spicy, creamy side dish that tastes like summer.
• Southern Potato Salad – what’s a barbecue without potato salad?
• Macaron Peach Cobbler – a vintage dessert that’s still a family favorite.

WHAT IS IN A KEY LIME PIE MARTINI?

• How many of us love the crust of a key lime pie? To recreate that flavor, rim the glass with a combination of crushed graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar.
• Key limes for garnish and to rim the glass before dipping them into the graham cracker crumbs.
• Key lime juice – either fresh or bottled.
• Vanilla vodka and plain vodka – you could use all plain vodka and add ¼ teaspoon vanilla. The vanilla vodka is mild in flavor but smooths out the flavors and tartness. It’s well worth investing in a small bottle. It also works great to splash into a Cosmopolitan or other sweet cocktails.
• Pineapple juice – enhances the flavor of the lime and adds sweetness. You don’t actually taste pineapple in the cocktail.
• Sweetened condensed milk – this really adds to the key lime pie flavor but could be swapped for half and half or cream and a bit of sweetener, if needed. I’ve found this product in a squeeze bottle, which makes it super convenient to use in recipes like this one that doesn’t require a whole can.

HOW DO I MAKE THIS COCKTAIL?

1. Rim the glass with lime juice and dip it into a graham cracker/sugar mixture.
2. Next, fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and pour in all of the ingredients.
3. Shake until the outside of the shaker is very cold.
4. Strain into the rimmed martini glass and garnish with slices of key lime.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FLORIDA KEY LIME AND A PERSIAN LIME

The big display of limes at the grocery store are Persian limes, which are large and tart in flavor.

Key limes are smaller and have thin skin. They tend to be slightly sweeter and much less acidic than Persian limes. They also have a fruity, distinctive aroma.

You can use the limes interchangeably without causing a noticeable difference in taste. Key lime desserts will have less of an acidic bite and a milder, sweeter flavor.

Need to use up those last few key limes? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Key Lime Chippers – Key lime in a cookie? Yes, please!
• Strawberry Key Lime Margarita – like chocolate and peanut butter, strawberries and key limes just go together.
• Tequila Lime Chicken – Even poultry is better with a bit of lime.
• Chili Lime Baked Sweet Potato Fries – healthy and spicy, but feels rich and decadent.

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