Martinez cocktail

Martinez

Alessandro Scire Calabrisotto

Often described as the missing link between the Manhattan and the Martini, the Martinez is a rich, faintly sweet and deeply aromatic gin cocktail. For lovers of classic drinks, it offers a fascinating glimpse into how the dry Martini came to be.

History of the Martinez

The Martinez is a true cocktail of the nineteenth century, and it is widely regarded as a direct ancestor of the Martini. Recipes resembling it began appearing in bartending guides in the 1880s, and it features in influential manuals of the period, helping to popularise the gin-and-vermouth template.

Its exact origins are the stuff of cocktail legend, with the Californian town of Martinez and the city of San Francisco both laying claim to it. What is clearer is its construction: built on Old Tom gin — a slightly sweeter style than today's London Dry — along with sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters. As tastes shifted towards drier drinks and London Dry gin, the Martinez gradually evolved into the Martini we know today.

Recipe: How to Make a Classic Martinez

Ingredients:

  • 45 ml (1.5 oz) Old Tom gin
  • 45 ml (1.5 oz) sweet vermouth
  • 5 ml (0.25 oz) maraschino liqueur
  • 2 dashes (2 ml) Angostura or orange bitters

Instructions:

  1. Add the gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and bitters to a mixing glass.
  2. Fill with ice and stir until well chilled and properly diluted.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
  4. Express a lemon twist over the surface.
  5. Garnish with the lemon twist and serve.

Tips for Perfection:

  • Use Old Tom gin if you can — its gentle sweetness is central to the drink's character.
  • Keep the maraschino to a small measure; it should add depth, not dominate.
  • Stir patiently for proper dilution, which softens and integrates the flavours.

Additional Recommendations

Variations:

  • Dry Martinez: use London Dry gin and a touch of dry vermouth for a sharper profile.
  • Improved Martinez: add a barspoon of absinthe or orange curacao for extra complexity.
  • Reverse Martinez: increase the vermouth for a lower-strength, more aromatic serve.

Pairings:

  • Cured meats and aged cheeses for a classic aperitivo.
  • Olives and salted almonds.
  • Rich paté or terrine, which suit its sweeter notes.

Presentation:

  • Serve straight up in a chilled coupe to honour its vintage character.
  • Finish with a wide lemon twist for aromatic lift.

Curiosity: A Fun Fact About the Martinez

The Martinez is frequently called the 'grandfather of the Martini'. As nineteenth-century drinkers gradually came to prefer drier, less sweet cocktails, this richer gin drink was slimmed down step by step until it became the iconic dry Martini — making the Martinez a living piece of cocktail history.

Sources

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