The Perfect Gibson

Gibsons can be divisive.  You either love them, or you hate them. 

Fortunately for those who have maybe had a bad Gibson or two, there is a way to improve this cocktail, making it eternally enjoyable. 

First of all, be selective with your gin.  In my personal opinion, Gibsons are best when made with an herbaceous gin such as Monkey 47.  Monkey 47 is made from 47 botanicals, and has dominant flavors of wood, dried citrus, spice, and fresh aromas reminiscent of the forest after a heavy rain. 

A perfect Gibson is made with just a touch of Dry Vermouth, and a beautiful, pickled pearl onion.  Make sure you have a quality dry vermouth on hand, one that is not terribly opinionated such as Dolin Dry. 

In my opinion, the best cocktail onions are made by Filthy, and fortunately for lovers of Gibsons and Monkey 47 alike, they made a limited edition release of Monkey 47 Filthy Onions made with the same botanicals as the gin itself.  These onions are sweet, briny, and complex and are a perfect treat at the end of the drink. 

I have no idea how to get these onions in the real world, but I've asked the twitterverse, so let me get back to you on that one. 

The Perfect Monkey 47 Gibson Martini

3 oz Monkey 47 Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1 Filthy Monkey 47 Pearl Onion

Stir gin & vermouth with ice in a mixing glass until chilled.  Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a pearl onion and a stylish cocktail pick.

Enjoy!

Gooseberry Fitty Fitty Martini

One of the best surprises I had this summer was realizing we have gooseberries growing in our new front yard (did I tell you we left New York?  We left New York).  By late summer they were a dark red color, and bright and tangy to eat.  I have made a few things with them this summer, but my favorite is this Gooseberry Fitty Fitty Martini.

This cocktail was inspired by the vermouth service at New York's Caffe Dante, where they pour chilled vermouth over frozen grapes as to not let the vermouth dilute while you enjoy the drink.  In my opinion, Martinis deserve the same attention to temperature - they need to remain consistently cold, but with out dilution, and certainly without a "cocktail stone" that will be sure to break that vintage crystal coupe.

I put the gooseberries in the freezer, and tested a few martini options with the frozen gooseberries at the bottom of the glass.  My hands down favorite combination for this cocktail is half vodka and half Lo-Fi Dry Vermouth made from a white wine base and infused with fennel, coriander, cardamom, elderflower, cherry, anise, and chamomile. 

Both of the Lo-Fi vermouths, sweet and dry, are really incredible - I cannot recommend them enough.  They are fantastic poured over a king cube or stirred into a simple cocktail (I say simple because you want to let these vermouths show off a bit).  For this cocktail I used Purus Vodka, a clean tasting Italian vodka made from organic grains and water sourced from the Italian Alps.  This particular vodka works well in this cocktail because it lets the vermouth play the lead role. 

This cocktail has quickly become one of our new house favorites - and is worth spending hours harvesting those sweet little gooseberries when they become full and ripe.  I have a Tupperware container full of the little berries stashed in the freezer with hopes of rationing them through the winter. 

I imagine this cocktail could be easily re-created using fresh currants or small gooseberries found in the market - just pop in them in the freezer the night before you plan to imbibe. 

Gooseberry Fitty Fitty Martini
Created by Gastronomista

1.5 oz Purus Vodka
1.5 oz Lo-Fi Dry Vermouth
1/4 cup Frozen Gooseberries

Place frozen gooseberries in the bottom of a coupe, and set aside.  In a mixing glass, stir the vodka and vermouth with ice until chilled, and strain into the coupe over the gooseberries. 

Enjoy!

The Icelandic Martini

Sometimes a girl needs a martini - strong, succinct, and effective.  Martinis vary depending on an individual's taste, from dry to dirty, but I personally like mine with a flavorful base spirit and bone dry.  I've recently fallen for Reyka vodka, made in Iceland and filtered through local lava rocks.

Distilled in one of the world's six Carter-Head copper stills, which allows the master distillers to better control the spirit from beginning to end.  The alcohol vapors are passed through indigenous lava rocks, giving the spirit its earthy and slightly sulfuric flavor.  The spirit is then blended with water from local springs that rest on 4,000 year old lava beds, and then filtered through actual lava rocks, known for their filtration capabilities.  The result is a creamy vodka with subtle flavors of vanilla, hibiscus, pink peppercorn, bright citrus, and flamed orange peel.

The Icelandic Martini pairs Reyka with Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters' extremely limited edition Icelandic Bitters, which I've somehow scored a bottle of  (thank you Mr. Rowan!).  Inspired by the Icelandic landscape and made with herbs and plants such as cardamom, thyme, moss, and anjelica, these bitters pair flawlessly with the clean taste of Reyka.

I realize you, the home cocktailer may not be able to re-create this amazing and transformative tipple, I can only hope that more Icelandic Bitters will soon be released to the general public.  Until then, you might be forced to harvest your own herbs off the gorgeous isle of Iceland to garnish your martini yourself.  Good Luck.

The Icelandic Martini

3 oz Reyka Vodka
1/4 oz White Vermouth
1/4 Dropper full of Icelandic Bitters

Stir over ice, and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a lemon peel.

Cheers!