Monday, November 17, 2008

martinez cocktail

1 1/2 oz Hayman's Old Tom Gin
1 1/2 oz Craigie's Antica Vermouth Replica
1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist orange peel over drink and drop in.

For my second drink at Craigie on Main, I took the recommendation I got on Facebook from Tina who had been there the night before, and went with the Martinez. I have written about a few of the Martinezes I have at home and around town, but I felt the need to write about this one as well. While I have had a Martinez made with the Old Tom Gin, a sweeter old school style of gin that was reintroduced to market, Tom's housemade vermouth cinched the experience. He did his own take on Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth. The cinnamon was most notable in the botanicals and Tom mentioned cherry bark as well; it was vermouth taken in a very opposite direction from his more subtle amber recipe (described in the Camino Cocktail entry). When I spoke to him about his take on the drink, Tom mentioned that the idea he had was more aperitif driven which is why he chose to cut down on the gin and Maraschino liqueur ratios relative to the vermouth.

3 comments:

Cocktail Maps said...

...I've fallen in love with the Martinez Cocktail. Despite being from the land of Beer and Cheese (Wisconsin) there is a growing resurgence in classic cocktails that has been lead in large part by a micro-distillery in Madison, WI - Death's Door Spirits. Their gin, a pre-prohibition style gin (sweeter gin) mixes as well as any Gin I've tried in classic cocktails.

Aside from the Gin in this cocktail, utilizing a high quality Sweet Vermouth makes all the difference in the world. If you can find it - Carpano Antica is the best in my opinion and will amaze you when mixed in all your favorite cocktails. Aside from the Carpano Antica, the Punt e Mes is a nice choice as well.

frederic said...

I have definitely read good things about Death's Door products although they have not made their way over to Boston. Neither has Carpano Antica (although it can be had in NYC) even though we can get Punt e Mes from the same company.

One of my favorites to make the Martinez is Oude (or Jonge) Genever as the malt flavors add a lot.

explosivebeer said...

I, too, love the Martinez, and Carpano. I have a bunch of white wine left from last year's batch and would love to delve into the world of vermouth making. I've scoured the interwebs for Craigie's Antica Vermouth Replica recipe, to no avail. How close was your sweet vermouth attempt to his concept? Any suggestions on tweaks you'd make?