rutte old simon martinez

2 oz Rutte Old Simon Genever
1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Fee's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist. This is a modification of the recipe in their book; the drink prepared for me was closer to 3:2 and shaken.

This year, some swag appeared in my room on two different days perhaps by way of the cleaning staff as the agents. This swag included Q Soda, Red Bull energy drinks, small bottles of spirits, and drink tickets for the Carousel Bar downstairs at the Monteleone. I am not sure if this was due to my media credentials, for I was staying at the Monteleone due to the deal they offered me for being a presenter. With many of the seminars being dry or pretty close to it especially as compared to previous years, I decided to treat myself between the first two talks to a Martinez via the ticket Rutte had left for me. Their Martinez recipe utilized Genever which I have done with lighter examples such as Boomsma Oude and Jonge in the past, but it lacked the Maraschino that is often included in the modern day accepted Martinez. I have definitely seen liqueur-less Martinezes in the literature that were described as "Prepared like a Manhattan but with gin" (as well as ones that call for curaçao as the liqueur instead).
Once mixed, the orange oil filled up the drink's nose. Next, grape with a light malt note filled the sip, and the swallow let loose the rest of the Genever notes in a malty blast that was very low on the juniper. The combination sort of hit a midpoint between an Old Tom gin Martinez and a Manhattan, and the lack of extensive new charred barrel aging is probably what kept the drink in the middle ground.