At last, a drinkable pomtini

June 16, 4:52 PMDrinks ExaminerBill Dowd

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  Blu Stone Bistro's Pomtini

COLONIE, NY -- I was meeting a group of friends for drinks and dinner at the new Blu Stone Bistro & Bar near the Albany International Airport the other night. As I enjoyed an icy-cold Bombay Sapphire martini, I noticed a group of young ladies — if my wife were editing this she would say I could stop right there — at the other end of the curved, 40-foot bar enjoying a cocktail I can only describe as pale copper in color.

In reply to my query, the bartendress told me it was a special recipe pomegranate martini.

The sudden popularity of that particular fruit is enduring in the past few years after having been relegated to biblical passages and exotic cookbooks for eons. The fact that some people think it has health properties doesn’t hurt.

I’ve found most pomegranate cocktails too sweet for my liking. Even the Great and Powerful Oprah couldn’t win me over with her recipe using sweetened pomegranate juice, citrus vodka or tequila, Cointreau and, if one liked it, sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon. No thanks, even though our own Upstate-raised foodie and chat maven Rachael Ray championed Oprah’s recipe.

At the Blu Stone — which opened recently in this state capital suburb across from The Desmond conference center and hotel -- the recipe calls for, roughly, two ounces of Absolut Citron Vodka, and half-ounces each of Pama — a pleasantly tart pomegranate liqueur, Triple Sec and pineapple juice, shaken briskly over fresh ice, and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.

Luscious stuff, as several members of our group quickly decided. The pineapple taste is evident, but its sweetness is offset by the vodka and even the Pama, giving the imbiber a pleasantly fruity taste with just an edge of tropical tang.