Naked Lady Cocktail

Yes, there is such a thing as a naked lady cocktail. And yes, it is strangely named, but other than the name, it is rather delicious and worth a try.

I assure you, I was not naked when I made this cocktail. (That would be a naked bartender cocktail.)

On my Soapbox

I’m always surprised when I come across a cocktail or shot recipe with a name that’s weird or potentially offensive. Why did someone choose such a name? While I am not a prude, there are certain cocktails (including shots) with more risque names that I refuse to promote. It’s just not necessary. First off, the names are offensive and usually to women. Secondly, there are tons of cocktails and shots with normal names that are delicious and fun to blog about.

Why did someone even name this particular cocktail after a naked lady? I’m assuming it’s because the color was reminiscent of a Caucasian woman without her clothes on, but leave me a comment if you know differently. I think over the years the color has gone from a pinkish to a deeper flesh tone.

As you all know, I blog about cocktails every Friday and although the name of this cocktail is strange, I don’t find it offensive. Besides, it is simply scrumptious and, although it could probably use some rebranding, it’s well worth making and drinking.

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Helpful tips

• The standard naked lady cocktail recipes calls for grenadine, which I don’t use it because it makes the drink too sweet and not balanced.  Try it my way first and if you still prefer it sweeter, add 1 ounce of grenadine.
• You can use white or gold rum, but just know your choice will affect the color of the cocktail.
• You won’t be using simple syrup to sweeten this cocktail because sweet vermouth is a sweet alcohol.

Tips for buying and washing lemons

• The way to pick a great lemon at the market is to first heft it in your hand.  The heavier lemons have more juice than the lighter ones.
• When picking a lemon, smell it too.  The more lemon fragrance, the fresher the lemon.
• Try to gauge the thickness of the rind.  The thinner the rind, the more juice it will yield.
• Wash your lemons before juicing.  Here’s how:  place the lemons in a bowl with three cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. After 10 minutes, remove the lemons and run them under cold water, using a brush to scrub the skin.
• If I’m washing one lemon, I just use a natural non-scented hand soap and scrub the skin with a brush.  Then I rinse the lemon off well with cold water.
• Before juicing the lemon, roll it between your palm and a hard surface like a counter.  Doing this will help release the juice.

How to make the naked lady cocktail

Pre-step

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and get a measuring glass and two martini glasses. Cut two thin lemon wheels.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour into the shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – white rum, sweet vermouth, apricot brandy and lemon.

Step two

Measure 2.5 ounces of rum.

Step three

Measure 2.5 ounces of sweet vermouth.

Step four

Measure out 1 ounce of apricot brandy.

Step five

Measure 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Step six

Cap the cocktail shaker and shake it for 15 seconds.  Divide and strain the liquid between the martini glasses and float a lemon wheel in each naked lady cocktail.

Here’s the vertical view.

Delicious! It’s such a nice balanced cocktail and is perfect for sipping before a meal!

Other popular rum recipes

• Butter rum muffins
• Scorpion bowl
• Rum swizzle

I hope you enjoyed this naked lady cocktail recipe!

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST  to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

First published January 2017.