"I am always on the prowl for snacks, and since one of the elements of a great martini is the garnish, I decided that the snack would become the main part of the drink."Servings: 1
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes Ingredients
for the crudités:
pickled vegetables (cauliflowers, carrots, pickles, etc.)
fresh nuts and dried fruits (your favorite kinds)
lemon peel, for garnish
bitters and olive oil (optional, see note below)for the martini:
2 ounces|60 ml gin (Plymouth, Fords or Dorothy Parker)
1 ounce|30 ml Dolin dry vermouthDirections
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes Ingredients
for the crudités:
pickled vegetables (cauliflowers, carrots, pickles, etc.)
fresh nuts and dried fruits (your favorite kinds)
lemon peel, for garnish
bitters and olive oil (optional, see note below)
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2 ounces|60 ml gin (Plymouth, Fords or Dorothy Parker)
1 ounce|30 ml Dolin dry vermouthDirections
- First, prepare the crudités by sourcing your pickled vegetables, citrus, and whatever snacks you desire on the plate. Go to your local farmer's market and assemble a batch of fresh vegetables (I went to the Pickle Guys on Manhattan's Lower East Side for pickles), and I hit up Sahadi's and Kalustyan's for fresh nuts and dried fruits. Assemble a melange of great drinking snacks, and make sure they are colorful and bright.
- Next, it's time to make the martini. Use a well-chosen gin. I love classic, high-proof gins such as Old Raj, Plymouth, and Ford's. Another favorite is the locally-made Dorothy Parker from NY Distilling by Allen Katz, the owner and master distiller there. Second, a dry vermouth with vibrant botanicals is very important. I like to use Dolin from Chambery, France. It's very important to keep vermouth refrigerated and sealed as this preserves it from oxidation.
- The last element is mixing a martini properly. I prefer a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth. You can get the full expression of botanicals in harmony this way which is, to me, the beauty of a great martini. You also want to get that martini as cold as possible so it's super refreshing.
- Stir until ice cold. Spritz with lemon peel and discard. I prefer garnishing with citrus peel or some castelvetrano olives. An odd number of olives—either one or three, and never two—is the way to go. You can guess why: I'm a gentleman.