THE REMINGTON BAR'S SEDUCTIVE RED MARTINI

I'm an Obama fan, and, understandably, I've been all pumped up after the recent caucuses. I know it's still too early in the game, but a girl's gotta have dreams. Feeling on the left side of feisty, I really wanted to pick a fight with a Republican, so I headed to the Remington Bar (1919 Briar Oaks Ln., 713-840-7600) at the Hotel St. Regis. This swanky bar reeked of money, fat cats, leather and just a bit of old cigar smoke from days past. I was disguised in my best corporate suit with a fake Gucci bag and my hair in a French twist. To further fool the right-wingers, I asked Oscar to serve me the overpriced seductive red martini — a yummy mix of vodka and champagne. Now all I needed was a worthy opponent. Then I spotted him — Armani suit, gray hair, perfect. I used all my girl powers to get him to sit at the bar. But as he sauntered past me, I saw the ponytail. Shit. There's no ponytails in Republican Land. Oh well, he was cute, so I let my hair down, kicked my bag under the bar and asked Oscar if he could serve me something blue.

1 ounce Absolut Ruby Red vodka

1 ounce dry champagne

Splash of cranberry juice

Splash of grapefruit juice

Packet of sugar

Lemon twist

Mix all ingredients with ice. Shake well. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Have the audacity to talk about the issues.