The Martinez

A New Chapter

My husband knows me very well (and he should after being together for 19 years!) I’m not one for clothes or shoes or fancy bags but give me a good book and I am overjoyed. Now, give me a book about cocktails and I’m ecstatic. A while ago he gave me Drinking the Devil’s Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails by Duggan McDonnell.

*Note about San Francisco - I grew up there. Not as in my childhood was spent there (I’m a Maineiac to the bone) but I grew up there (#adulting is what the kids are saying - right?). After graduating college I immediately followed a boyfriend out there. San Francisco is where I got my first “real job”,  where I had my first “real” dining experience at Zuni, paid rent, explored and drank like a grown-up (no more red Solo cups for me).

So when I opened this new cocktail book I thought I would be familiar with the all the cocktails mentioned. I diligently read the preface and introduction and anxiously turned the page to cocktail No. 1 - the Martinez. The what?? Never heard of it and definitely never drank it. How is this possible?  I started paging through the book - No. 2 is the Mai Tai - I get that one with the history of Trader Vic’s.  The Pisco Punch, The Negroni, The Irish Coffee, The Manhattan etc - I knew all of these. But the Martinez? What the what? I felt naive and needed to make this drink immediately.

The Martinez

1. 1.5 oz Gin
2. ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
3. ¼ oz Marashino Liqueur
4. 2 dashes orange bitters
5. Expressed lemon peel
1. Pour all liquid in a mixing glass over ice, stir and then strain into a coupe.  Garnish with lemon peel.

The Story Goes...

The story  goes that this was created by Jerry Thomas roughly 150 years ago in San Francisco and printed (posthumously) in his 1887 edition of How to Make Drinks or the Bon Vivant’s Companion, as I learned in a Saveur article. It's first time in print was the 1884 Modern Bartender’s Guide by O.H. Byron. As I kept reading I found out some think this is the missing evolutionary link between the Manhattan and the Martini. In its earliest form it was a vermouth based cocktail made with sweeter Old Tom gin. As tastes changed it became closer to the Perfect Martini (50/50 sweet and dry vermouth) and then morphing into the Dry Martini.  

Now this is one of my go-to drinks; balanced, boozy and with a history. After playing around with the type of gin - I prefer a London Dry if I’m using the full Marashino liqueur amount.  But if using Old Tom I just put a dash of liqueur. It’s balanced and not too sweet. I feel happy that I’m still finding “new” old cocktails and the “boyfriend” I followed to San Francisco still surprises me with books.

by Nicola O'Neil