Martinez Cocktail

In the 1880s, Old Tom gin, a style with quite a bit more sweetness than London dry, was just beginning to gain popularity in America. This is the drink that put it over the top.

Serves
makes 1 cocktail
Time
5 minutes

ERIK DELANOY

By Aubrey Slater

Published on April 24, 2020

In the 1880s, “Old Tom” gin, a style with quite a bit more sweetness than London dry, was just beginning to gain popularity in America. This is the drink that put it over the top.

If there is a cocktail family tree, the classic martini is surely a descendant of the Martinez, though it also shares some of its DNA with the Manhattan. Aubrey Slater, Bar Manager at Mother of Pearl and Honeybee’s in New York City, makes her Martinez the traditional way with “Old Tom” gin, a slightly sweet style that was popular in the 19th century, and which is, in some cocktail circles, coming back into vogue. We find that a dark, bittersweet Italian vermouth, like Punt e Mes, balances the fragrant cherry sweetness of the Maraschino liqueur. While irrevocably linked to the martini, this cocktail drinks like none other with a bold, complex, and lightly sweet flavor profile.

In the 1880s, Old Tom gin, a style with quite a bit more sweetness than London dry, was just beginning to gain popularity in America. This is the drink that put it over the top.

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Equipment

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Ingredients

1½ oz. “Old Tom” gin
1½ oz. Punt e Mes
¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Angostura bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
Orange twist, for garnish

Instructions

Step 1

In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the gin, Punt e Mes, Maraschino liqueur, and the Angostura and orange bitters. Stir until well-chilled, then strain into a martini glass or coupe and garnish with an orange twist. Serve immediately.