Martinez recipe
The Martini's ancestor — sweet, herbal, and more complex than its famous descendant.
Method: Stir ·
Glass: Coupe glass ·
Time: 3 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: The Martini Family
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Old Tom Gin
- 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
How to make a Martinez
- Add gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 30 seconds until well-chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Garnish
Lemon twist.
Pro tip
Old Tom gin is key here — it's sweeter than London Dry and bridges the gap between the sweet vermouth and the spirit. If you can't find Old Tom, use London Dry with an extra barspoon of simple syrup.
History of the Martinez
Considered the precursor to the Martini, the Martinez appears in Jerry Thomas's 1887 bartender's guide. The evolution from Martinez to Martini tracks the shift from sweet to dry in American cocktail taste over the early 1900s.
Flavour profile
Sweet, Herbal, Complex, Botanical
Variations
- Improved Martinez — Add a dash of absinthe and use orange bitters
- Dry Martinez — Use London Dry gin and reduce the vermouth
- Smoky Martinez — Use mezcal instead of gin
Practise making the Martinez in the free Virtual Bar game.