You might be surprised by the appearance of this Martini. Where’s the olive? What’s with that color? It turns out that the Martini most people know: gin, a touch of dry vermouth, and a pimiento-stuffed green olive – is a variation from the mid-20th century. The classic recipe from the late 19th century is made with italian (sweet) vermouth, orange bitters, and a twist.
In the variation shown here, I’ve used less well-known brands. My reaction to the first sip (also my first taste of these ingredients) was “wow, that’s different!” I was a bit surprised because I make the recipe regularly, and just didn’t think it would change that much. It’s really good, and it’s a lesson in the combinatorics of mixology… even a tiny number of recipes leaves a lot of room for experimentation by merely varying the brand.
Here’s the recipe:
- 2 1/2 oz Spring44 Old Tom gin
- 1 oz Dolin Rouge vermouth
- 2 dashes Fee Bros orange bitters
- Twist of lemon
Mix in shaker on ice and shake or stir until very cold. Strain into cocktail glass and add twist.
One other interesting thing I learned buying this gin, which is made in Colorado: apparently “Old Tom” is a style of gin, not a brand. Who knew? (Apparently Will does but he was rather subtle about this little tidbit.)
