On a slightly related note, there's also the research I did for my blog
Claire's Big World. Being a worldly woman of adventure, I figure Claire enjoys well made, classic cocktails. A running gag in the blog is her effort to make martinis while in the distant "sticks" where her employer, Team Wyvern, is based. She is especially fond of the Vesper, a drink invented for Ian Fleming's James Bond novel,
Casino Royale.
The problem is that one of the main ingredients, Lillet Blanc, is not really easy to find where I live. Fortunately, my favorite liquor store could special order it and also, it turns out that it's pretty good drink. All the recipe versions "Claire" mentions on her blog were actually tested by me. I arrived at a slightly altered version that uses half vodka and half gin, as well as a full measure of Lillet and a small shot of orange bitters. I still need to find a better orange bitters than the non-alcoholic brand I have. Another thing is that this drink is effin' STRONG... it's around five ounces of booze as I made it and even with normal 80 proof (40%) vodka but using the recommended high alcohol gin (regular Tanqueray, which is 47% alcohol) it will kick your ass!
The thought that she can regularly knock back two of these and still function is pretty hilarious.
By the same token, her preference for both vodka and gin martinis with a 3 to 1 ratio of spirit to vermouth (always Noilly Prat) and are shaken was arrived at with much experimentation. The olives (either garlic or bleu cheese stuffed) must be Mezzetta, since my wife and I tried several brands before we settle on one we liked best.
Bottom line is that all the drink recipes on Claire's Big World were tested by me with a bit of help from my wife (who isn't normally a martini fan) and will actually work. And after several months of detoxing, I feel almost back to my old self again!
Seriously, I barely drank any alcohol for several months after I got the drink recipes "dialed in".