Tipple

Martinez

classicstronggin
CoupeStir
Built with: Gin · Sweet Vermouth · Maraschino Liqueur · Orange Bitters

Origin

1884

First printed in O.H. Byron's The Modern Bartender (1884) and in Jerry Thomas's posthumous 1887 Bartender's Guide. Folklore credits Thomas mixing it for a miner traveling to Martinez, California at the Occidental Hotel, San Francisco c. 1860s; this attribution is plausible but unverified.

Variations

  • Old Tom MartinezUse Old Tom gin for a softer, sweeter profile

The bridge between the Manhattan and the Martini — sweeter, richer, unmistakably gin.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Gin (Old Tom preferred)
  • 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
  • 0.25 oz Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 dash Orange Bitters
  • Lemon peel

Instructions

  1. Combine gin, vermouth, maraschino, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
  2. Stir for 20–30 seconds until well chilled.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe.
  4. Express a lemon peel over the drink and drop it in.

Tips

  • Old Tom gin's sweetness is historically correct; London Dry works but feels drier.
  • Maraschino is potent — a quarter ounce is plenty.

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