Today, Friday 3rd August marks Cocktails & Bars’ third birthday so here are 3 early Martini variations where each cocktail consists of 3 ingredients.
If you’ve been following Cocktails & Bars on instagram, you may have noticed our new weekly series under the hashtag #FridayNightMartiniRitual. With today, Friday 3rd August being Cocktails & Bars’ third birthday, and coincidentally the third instagram post in the series, we’re presenting three early Martini variations where each cocktail has 3 ingredients.
The Martinez cocktail is often attributed as being the pre-cursor to the Martini but we’ve looked beyond this blend of sweet vermouth and gin. Below are 3 three-ingredient cocktails where each is a slightly different early variation on the Martini: the Turf Club Cocktail, Alaska Cocktail & Tuxedo Cocktail. The recipes have been adapted for the modern palate.
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Early Martini Variations: Turf Club Cocktail Recipe
Also knows as the Turf Cocktail, the Turf Club cocktail has had several variations. In How to Mix Drinks – A Bar Keeper’s Handbook by George Winter 1884, it is made up of equal parts of Old Tom gin and Italian vermouth, 2-3 dashes of Peruvian bitters. George J. Kappeler’s 1895 Modern American Drinks specifies one dash of Angostura bitters, 3 dashes of orange bitters, one jigger Old Tom Gin and a lemon peel garnish while Harry McElhone’s 1922 ABC of Mixing Cocktails, presents it as having 2 dashes of Orange Bitters, 2 dashes of Maraschino, 2 dashes of Absinthe, 1/2 French Vermouth, 1/2 Plymouth Gin, garnished with an olive.
This version of The Turf cocktail is adapted from The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book which cites 2/3 Holland Gin (genever), 1/3 Italian vermouth and a dash of Angostura bitters.
Ingredients
- 60 ml dry gin
- 30 ml dry vermouth
- 1 dash of Angostura bitters
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: Sicilian olive
Method
Add all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with a Sicilian olive.
Early Martini Variations: Alaska Cocktail Recipe
The Alaska cocktail is a variation on the Martini which replaces dry vermouth with the sweet, herbal and honeyed notes of Yellow Chartreuse. The drink first appeared in the Savoy Cocktail Book as a mixture of 3/4 dry gin, 1/4 Yellow Chartreuse shaken and strained into a cocktail glass while The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book specifies Tom Gin.
Ingredients
- 45 ml dry gin
- 15 Yellow Chartreuse
- 1 dash orange bitters
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: lemon twist
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until very cold. Strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Early Martini Variations: Tuxedo Cocktail Recipe
The Tuxedo Cocktail features in The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book 1935 reprint as 2/3 Plymouth gin, 1/3 sherry, a dash of orange bitters. This variation takes the Martini to the drier end of the flavour spectrum through the use of fino sherry in place of vermouth. A more modern Martini variation that uses fino sherry is the Tequila Gibson.
Ingredients
- 60 ml dry gin
- 30 ml fino sherry
- 1 dash of orange bitters
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: lemon peel
Method
Add all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with a lemon peel.
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