World Martini Day celebrates one of the world’s most iconic cocktails in all its dirty, wet and dry forms, and to mark this year’s occasion six iconic distilleries from around the world have shared their latest and greatest Martini recipes.
These Australian, UK and New Zealand distilleries are known around the world and you are likely to have their products in your bars. And despite hailing from different parts of the globe it is interesting to note some common trends, such as orange bitters, being used in a number of these recipes.
The distilleries are Warner’s Distillery, Hickson House Distilling Co, Poor Toms, Scapegrace, Hayman’s Gin and Four Pillars and you can see each recipe below.
Warner’s Founder, Tom Warner, said: A dry gin martini is the undisputed King of cocktails – sophisticated, dangerous and delicious, what more do you want? There’s nowhere to hide, so you want a great gin, and our new Harrington Shiraz is perfect. Smooth and fruity upfront, with a bone-dry finish.”
Warner’s Harrington Shiraz Martini
Ingredients:
- 70ml Harrington Shiraz Gin (or Harrington Dry Gin)
- 10ml Dry Vermouth
Directions:
- Add generous ice to a mixing glass
- Coat with 10ml of dry vermouth and strain liquid into a separate container
- Add 70ml gin into the mixing vessel with the coated ice
- Stir till adequate dilution is achieved, roughly 24 sec
- Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass
- Express the essential oils from a freshly peeled lemon over your martini and garnish with the peel
At the heart of the Four Pillars Green Apple & Rhubarb Gin, is rhubarb juice grown on the Warner’s farm in the UK. Which is what Distiller Cam Mackenzie uses in his Martini recipe along with Lillet Blanc and orange bitters. Cam said: “That touch of appley sweetness and the tartness of the rhubarb work so well with the aromatics of the Lillet Blanc.”
Four Pillars 50/50 Martini
Ingredients:
- 30ml Green Apple & Rhubarb Gin
- 30ml Lillet Blanc
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Directions:
- Stir ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with an orange twist
Hickson House Distilling Co has just launched a food-friendly gin, Hickson Rd Seven Spice Gin and the Seven Spice Gin Carrotini is a savoury martini that pairs brilliantly with dishes like chef Sean Connolly’s Dry-Aged Muscovy Duck, just created specially for the launch of this unique gin. (Check out the duck recipe here).
Hickson Rd. Seven Spice Carrotini
Ingredients:
- 40ml Hickson Rd. Seven Spice Gin
- 20ml aquavit
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Directions:
- Shake and pour into a martini glass
- Garnish with small roasted carrot infused with Lillet Blanc
Still in Sydney, the combination of Poor Toms Strawberry Gin with Lillet Rosé provides a bright, floral & fruity flavour palate, making a very approachable Strawberry Martini; lightly offset by the rich, nutty complexity of Amontillado Sherry. “Great cocktail pairing for a dessert – goes especially well with cheesecake. Capiche?” says Poor Toms’ innovation guru Sean McGuire.
Poor Toms Strawberry Martini
Ingredients:
- 60ml Poor Toms Strawberry Gin
- 15ml Lillet Rosé
- 5ml Amontillado Sherry
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, fill with ice and stir until drink is thoroughly chilled
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and express orange oils over the top of the drink
- Garnish with an orange peel twist.
New Zealand’s Scapegrace Distillery crafts small batch gin using 12 botanicals, and spring water 80 years after it rained down on NZ’s Southern Alps and they have kept it classical, with the Scapegrace Dry Martini.
Scapegrace Dry Martini
Ingredients:
- 50ml Scapegrace Classic
- 10ml Dolin Dry Vermouth
- 1 dash of orange bitters
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, pack with cubed iced and stir until glass is frosted.
- Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with cured olives
Finishing strongly back in England, Hayman’s Gin pioneered the distinctive taste of London Dry Gin, made in Chelsea way back in 1863. Today, the Hayman family recommends the historic Old Tom Martinez; named after Martinez in California, which some argue is the birthplace of the Martini.
Hayman’s Old Tom Martinez
Ingredients:
- 40ml Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
- 20ml Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
- ¾ tsp maraschino liqueur
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Directions:
- Stir with ice
- Strain into a coupe
- Garnish with orange zest
- And enjoy!
