Martinez Cocktail
The martinez is a classic cocktail that is widely regarded as the direct precursor to the martini.
Martinez cocktail. It is very similar though a just a little bit different so it can easily shake up any cocktail routine you may find yourself in. Despite the country s rapidly growing taste for craft cocktails the martini still remains a top request for many patrons in restaurants. Plus the name which has led people to speculate that the cocktail was invented in martinez california. Part manhattan and part martini the martinez has appeared in cocktail books going all the way back to 1884 the recipe that most resembles the one served today comes from legendary bartender jerry thomas and includes old tom gin a sweeter take on the juniper spirit.
While the origin of the name itself is a bit of a mystery when this cocktail was accidentally misspelled in a bartenders manual at one point without the z it ended up morphing into a different type of cocktail namely the martini leaving us with both the origins of the martini. When this drink originated in the 19th century old tom gin was usually made by. It may even become your new favorite. You then add a teaspoon of maraschino liqueur and either angostura or orange bitters.
It serves as the basis for many modern cocktails and several different versions of the original exist. These are generally distinguished by the accompaniment of either maraschino or curacao as well as differences in gin or bitters. A martini uses dry vermouth often referred to as french vermouth and the martinez uses red sweet vermouth which came from torino italy. The main difference is the vermouth.
This is one of the predecessors to the classic gin martini. The true origin of the martinez cocktail is unclear. This recipe from jonny raglin of comstock saloon in san francisco stirs together two parts old tom gin with one part sweet vermouth a few dashes of orange bitters and some maraschino liqueur then serves it up. The martinez cocktail does appear in the 1887 edition of his bartenders guide which came out two years after his death specifying 1 pony of old tom gin and apart from the base spirit the recipe is strikingly similar to for the manhattan cocktail on the opposite page.
The martinez starts with equal parts gin and sweet vermouth and this alone distinguishes it in two ways from the modern martini. The martinez is a cocktail that any classic drink connoisseur will definitely want to note. Martinez cocktail why is it called a martinez. This is the drink that put it over the top.
Martinez cocktail in jerry thomas 1867 bar tenders guide. The martinez cocktail may be a predecessor to the martini but these drinks could hardly be less alike to the modern palate.