The Martinez

• 2 oz. Sweet Vermouth

• 1 oz. Old Tom Gin (@asburydistilling Barrel-aged Gin) 

• 2 Dashes Maraschino

• 1 Dash bitters (Angostura)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. 

Stir with cracked ice until very cold. 

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Garnish with a lemon twist.

Often overlooked, and easily misconstrued, the Martinez lies somewhere near the root of the fabled Martini’s origin. It bears a striking resemblance to the Manhattan as well. There is a lot to unpack here, so I’ll not concern us with any claims as to the who first invented the damn thing. What is known is that vermouth becomes available around the 1860’s. Jerry Thomas publishes the first-ever bar guide in 1862. In 1887, 2 years after his death, the first printed recipe for the Martinez cocktail appears on the pages of the newly updated edition of his How To Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion. It’s interesting as a drink because no one ever orders one, but it contains elements everyone likes, but doesn't completely understand. Old Tom is a sweeter- than-dry gin, aged in oak like a whiskey. Sweet vermouth is wine, that has been infused with aromatic herbs, spices, roots, barks etc. (much like bitters) and fortified with a little distilled alcohol, often grape brandy, but cold be anything. Luxardo Maraschino liqueur is the result of a two-year infusion using the whole plant of a proprietary type of Italian sweet cherry called Marasca that is then distilled, aged another year or two, then diluted, sweetened and bottled (in a hand-packaged woven-straw sleeve no less!). So to read this recipe after understanding the ingredients is to behold a missing-link type creature that, though a little odd-looking, fits right into the evolutionary tree where it belongs. What we have here is a reverse Manhattan, meaning a 2 parts to 1 vermouth-to-spirit ratio, substituting a rich, barrel-aged gin for whiskey, and adding extra body, aroma, and sweetness in the form a few drops of Luxardo. Full, round and jiucy, but not too boozey. Sounds great to me before or after a great meal.

P.S. Try a drop or two of Luxardo in your next Manhattan, it’s completely delicious.