This is a very simple variation on the classic Gibson martini. 

I always found Gibsons to be very visually striking. They are garnished with a small pickled onion or two, and perhaps a teaspoon of the pickle vinegar, instead of the classic olive or lemon twist.

They are bold and simple, with a slightly astringent taste from the vinegar.

The Beet Up Gibson uses pickled baby beetroot instead of pickled onion and is quite striking due to its colour.

Take two small pickled baby beetroot and two teaspoons of the pickle brine (or up to 6 of you really like the vinegar flavour).

Pour a standard martini (you can omit the lemon if you’re pushed for time/very thirsty).

Pour the pickle juice into the glass.

Give it a stir or it will look like a murder scene.

Thread the pickled beetroot onto a skewer or cocktail stick.

Place the beetroot into the glass and serve immediately.

I would also recommend serving a small side dish to place the pickled beetroot when drinking so the garnish doesn’t stain anything.

As an accompanying snack, I am a fan of things that are cured and pickled so I made a salmon ceviche using a Laura Santtini recipe but with an additional tablespoon of beetroot pickle to impart a red colour.

Note that I like to serve the ceviche marinade (leche de tigre) in a shot glass. Not only is it traditional Peruvian practise, it’s also tasty and, if I’m not much mistaken, very healthy (all that vitamin C from the citrus juice!).

The added beetroot makes it all the more striking.

Enjoy!