Tag Archives: gin cocktails

Drink of the Week: Martinez cocktail

Posted on April 18, 2014 | Leave a comment

I am not a big fan of martinis. I find them too boozy and too dry, and for those with just a “splash” of vermouth, too Christmas tree-forward (translation: juniper-y). I do, however, like Manhattans, so just imagine if there was a gin Manhattan! Well, there is — sort of. It’s called a Martinez and this classic cocktail actually predates the traditional gin martini.

The Martinez is rather like a sweet Manhattan, with gin and a touch of maraschino liqueur.

The Martinez is rather like a sweet Manhattan, but with gin and a touch of maraschino liqueur. I tried this one at a “Three Martini Lunch” at the Yellow Door Bistro.

The Martinez is basically a martini made with sweet vermouth, a couple dashes of bitters and a splash of maraschino liqueur (a delicious, fairly dry liqueur made from sour Marasca cherries). Peter Hunt from Victoria Spirits on Vancouver Island made me one using his aged Oaken Gin at a “Three Martini Lunch” event during the Art of the Cocktail festival in Calgary. I was smitten.

As a bonus, this drink hits on three of the cocktail trends I wrote about last weekend for the Calgary Herald: gin is still in, vermouth is the latest rage, and everything is better with some bitters. A Martinez might also be just the thing to sip with your chocolate eggs on Easter morning.

Martinez

  • 2 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
  • 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients with ice in a Boston glass and then fine-strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

— Recipe courtesy Peter Hunt, Victoria Spirits

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Drink of the Week: Pomegranate Gin Martini

Posted on December 6, 2013 | 1 comment

I love pomegranates. I always buy a couple in the fall, take them apart and use the pretty and tart fuchsia-hued seeds in salads throughout the winter and spring (I freeze the lot in a ziplock). I also like pomegranate juice, but rarely buy it because it’s so expensive. I picked up a bottle of Pom juice this past weekend though because I had a cocktail in mind: something tart and tasty with pomegranate and gin and lemon juice. I dubbed my creation a Pomegranate Gin Martini.

Tart and festive, this seasonal sip makes a lovely after-work unwinder.

Tart and festive, this seasonal sip makes a lovely after-work unwinder.

The key to this drink is achieving the right balance between the pom juice and lemon juice. Too much lemon and it renders the pom impotent; not enough and it takes away the drink’s tart factor. The gin, fortunately, plays nice with both juices and its amount can be raised or lowered depending on how strong you want your drink to be. I think 1-1/2 oz is enough so you’ll taste the gin, but not so much to make you fuzzy. I also love the drink’s colour — it’s beautiful and festive and works very well this time of year.

The pomegranate seeds make a lovely, edible garnish.

The pomegranate seeds make a pretty and edible garnish. I didn’t have a sprig of holly so I improvised with sage.

Pomegranate Gin Martini

  • 1-1/2 oz gin
  • 1 oz pomegranate juice
  • Juice of half a lemon, or less, to taste
  • 1/2 to 3/4 oz simple syrup, to taste
  • Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Combine gin, pomegranate juice, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, then fine-strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

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Drink of the Week: Ramos Gin Fizz

Posted on November 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’ve always loved the cocktails at Raw Bar at Hotel Arts in Calgary. They’re a nice mix between classic and craft; some are tall and creative, others are short and spirit-forward. So I jumped at the chance to visit the newly renovated space and sample both the Raw Bar’s new VietModern menu and cocktails by talented bartender Christina Mah, during a TMAC Alberta mix and mingle event last week.

As a bonus, I got to step up to the bar and shake my very own Ramos Gin Fizz, a New Orleans cocktail that adds orange blossom water and milk to a traditional gin fizz. The milk makes the drink somewhat frothier and smoother than a typical fizz, and the orange blossom water is a lovely — and fragrant — touch. To make the cocktail more in line with Raw Bar’s modern Vietnamese menu, Mah swapped regular simple syrup for honey syrup and passed over chicken eggs in favour of a duck egg white. The result is a very good cocktail that you’ll sip down almost as fast as you’ll gobble down all the VietModern goodies, from sablefish bites to grilled octopus to potato spring rolls. It’s all good. #Omyomyom!

Hotel Arts has switched up this classic New Orleans cocktail by using a duck egg white to be more in line with its new VietModern menu.

Hotel Arts has switched up this classic New Orleans cocktail by using a duck egg white and honey syrup to be more in line with its new VietModern menu.

Ramos Gin Fizz

  • 1 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz milk
  • 1/2 of a duck egg white (duck eggs are available at Crossroads Market)
  • 1/2 oz lime juice
  • 1-1/2 oz honey simple syrup (dissolve honey into water using a 1:1 ratio)
  • Dash orange blossom water (available at speciality food stores or Kalamata Grocery on 11th Ave. S.W.)
  • Top soda water
  • Orange wheel garnish

Into a Boston shaker put all ingredients except the soda. Dry shake, add ice and then shake again. Strain mixture into an ice-filled Collins glass and top with soda water.

— Recipe courtesy Christina Mah, Raw Bar at Hotel Arts

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