Martini time...

Brasserie Jo brings a distinctly French charm to this American city. 5 p.m. is the appointed hour for cocktails, and here the martini is king. 

"It's great to see a businessman at the bar with a martini in one hand, smoking a cigar, or a woman having a martini, holding a cigarette holder," says owner Jean Joho. "It has a chicer, sexier look than a mug of beer. A martini must be served in a very cold martini glass." Be like Bond and make your martini with a hint of vermouth, shaken, not stirred. Brasserie Jo has a martini menu that puts new twists on the traditional.

Blonde Martini

1. Pour the gin and Lillet Blonde into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake for 20 seconds;
2. strain into a chilled 10 oz. martini glass and garnish with an orange twist. 

French Martini

1. Pour the gin and Pineau into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake for 20 seconds; 
2. strain into a chilled 10 oz. martini glass.