Our “Looking Back” series continues with the Dorothy Parker Martini Experience, created by Phil Gandevia, aka Dr Phil at Eau de Vie Apothecary in Sydney.
Dorothy Parker Martini Experience – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Dorothy Parker: The Martini Quote
Dorothy Parker was a journalist, writer, and poet born in 1893, and in the cocktail world she is best known for this famous quote:
I like to have a Martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I’m under the table,
After four I’m under my host.
Although some writers dispute the origins of the famous Martini quote, it continues to be associated with the American poet known for her sharp wit.
The Dorothy Parker Martini Experience
The Dorothy Parker Martini Experience is the invention of Phil Gandevia, aka Dr Phil. He created the bespoke experience at the now-closed Eau de Vie Apothecary in Sydney for our sister website Gourmantic‘s fifth birthday celebrations in 2014.
Eau de Vie Apothecary was an intimate bar located just before Eau de Vie Bar at the Kirketon Hotel. Headed by Phil Gandevia at the time, the bar offered a unique concept with experimental drinks and creative flavours.
With the premise of taking the Eau de Vie Martini experience to new heights, Dr Phil set up a cosy booth as if it were a scene out of a chemistry lab. The apparatus held four spirits, two vodkas and two gins, four types of vermouth, including one Australian, one French and some infusions. A range of bitters, aromatic sprays and garnishes were laid out on the table.
Syringes were used to draw out the desired liquids to customise the Martini experience, stir them in a mixing glass and strain them into nitrogen chilled glasses, with the reminder poured into a sidecar over crushed ice.
Here is what was on offer:
- Spirits: West Winds Cutlass Gin, Tanqueray Gin, Beefeater Gin, Wyborowa Polish Vodka
- Vermouth: Noilly Prat infused with sage and green apple, Lillet Blanc infused with pink grapefruit, Causes & Cures Australian vermouth infused with nashi pears, strawberry and tarragon infused vermouth
- Bitters: hickory-smoked apricot bitters, orange bitters, smoked celery bitters, Abbott’s bitters
- Aromatic sprays: absinthe, rose, smoky whisky, pink grapefruit kaffir lime and blood orange
- Garnishes: rosemary, orange and lemon peel, olives, pickled onions
With so many combinations and permutations, four Martinis ended up as follows:
- West Winds Cutlass Gin with pink grapefruit infused Lillet Blanc, hickory-smoked apricot bitters, smoky whisky spray.
- Tanqueray gin with Causes & Cures Australian vermouth infused with nashi pears, orange bitters, an aromatic spray of pink grapefruit, kaffir lime and blood orange.
- Beefeater gin with Pomme Vermouth (Noilly Prat with sage and green apple), smoked celery bitters, absinthe spray.
- Wyborowa Polish vodka, strawberry and tarragon infused vermouth, Abbott’s bitters, rose spray.
Dorothy Parker would have been proud… and no one ended up under the host!
Click through the next pages to view more images of the Dorothy Parker Martini Experience.
