The Murder on the Orient Express Martini

Drinks with Reads is devoted to Murder on the Orient Express today in wild anticipation of the movie release. Don't forget to check our other Murder on the Orient Express party preparation posts, especially the Poirot-inspired Mustache Sandwiches and train cake. 

Murder on the Orient Express is probably the most famous of Agatha Christie’s works. It definitely has one of the best settings and setups of all time: a luxurious train, a dead body, a group of suspects who all had a reason to want him dead, a snowstorm that has left the train stranded, a Belgian detective who may be the only person who can outwit the killer.

“All my life I had wanted to go on the Orient Express. When I had traveled to France or Spain or Italy, the Orient Express had often been standing at Calais, and I had longed to climb up into it” - an excerpt from Agatha Christie: An Autobiography.

Christie ended up traveling several times on the luxurious Orient Express. Her second marriage to an archeologist, Max Mallowan, meant that she continued to travel the world, this time on archeological digs in Iraq and Syria. Her inspiration for the book, however, did not come to her when she was traveling with Max. It was on a solo journey when the train was delayed due to heavy rains. She learned that at times snow made the journey equally perilous and an idea formed.

Always the keen observer, she was able to note the layout of the train and the people who traveled on it. Using these, and perhaps even the famous kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, she crafted one of the most well-known and much revered mysteries of all time.

 

We created a brand new martini to celebrate the release of the new movie and the audio book, starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. We wanted something as complicated as the plot and as wonderful as Christie’s creativity. There's a good reason why she is called the Queen of Mystery.

Orient Express Martini

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Death’s Door Gin

.5 oz. Blood Orange Shrub

1 oz. of Pearl Sake

1 oz. of Bouhka Fig Brandy

3 Drops of Smoked Orange Bitters

Instructions:

Pour all ingredients into a shaker full of ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy while watching Murder on the Orient Express.

I want to thank Bottle Shop 33 in Denver, CO for being our creative consultant on the drink.