A Martini with QVT Gin
A beautiful gin from the southeast of France, with soft herbal and gentle citrus notes that lead to a really lovely martini. Continue reading A Martini with QVT Gin
Category: Spirits
While martinis were historically made with gin, it would be foolish to deny the heavy influence of vodka on martini culture. Furthermore, a wealth of additional spirits can flavour, hint or even mostly constitute some martini variations, so it’s really about exploring things and deciding upon your own taste. It’s also an absolute treat to make and compare martinis with different brands of various spirits. I’ll record my own thoughts here, but you should try it out for yourself!
A Martini with Seven Crofts Gin
This is a beautiful Highland gin with a lovely taste profile and wonderful branding, evocative of the distinctive geography of north-west Scotland. Continue reading A Martini with Seven Crofts Gin
A Harris Gin Martini
On the day that one of the worst things ever associated with the Hebrides is inaugurated as president of the United States of America, I thought I would highlight one of the loveliest things to arise from this part of the world. Harris Gin is so easy for me to blog about. Introduced to me by my generous cousin from Stornoway, it’s exceptional in many … Continue reading A Harris Gin Martini
A Bombay Dry Martini
I was picking up some supplies in the supermarket when this gin caught my eye. Bombay London Dry Gin: more muted in appearance than its bright blue Sapphire sister, it has a simple, almost stringently-coloured branding. I am not a fan of floral or overly botanical gins in my martini so I though that this one with only 8 botanicals (to Sapphire’s 10) might provide … Continue reading A Bombay Dry Martini
A Martini with Hayman’s Gin
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. A very good friend and reader of this blog presented me with a bottle of this gin from Haymans. I instantly loved the branding and packaging. The colours, dark blue and gold, were positively regal. So I put the bottle in the freezer and awaiting a visit from my friend so we could have … Continue reading A Martini with Hayman’s Gin
The Sri Lankan Arrack Martini – the Serendipitini
I have been working on this concept for a long time. It’s not a true martini, but it aims to serve a similar purpose, especially for those in Sri Lanka, perhaps without access to gin or vermouth. I resisted pressure to name it the Tamil Tiger Martini (it’s fiery, complex and deadly) as this would feel wholly inappropriate after Sri Lanka’s bitter internal tragedy. … Continue reading The Sri Lankan Arrack Martini – the Serendipitini
The Botanist Gin
“Which martini would you drink in the event of a zombie apocalypse?” Bear with me as I explain the link… I have mentioned before that I come from the Hebrides. I was therefore very keen to taste this gin, crafted on the island of Islay. In the event of some kind of apocalypse or worldwide catastrophe (zombies etc), I always thought that my … Continue reading The Botanist Gin
A Sho-Chu Martini
We had a family get-together but we ran out of gin mid-way through the night. I know. Luckily I found a bottle of Japanese sho-chu which I thought I could use as an experimental substitute in a martini. Sho-chu is a spirit distilled from things like barley, rice, sweet potato or one or two other ingredients. It’s normally between 25-35% strength so is … Continue reading A Sho-Chu Martini
A Martin Miller’s Gin martini
A martini made the clean and beautiful Martin Miller’s Gin. Continue reading A Martin Miller’s Gin martini
Tanqueray in a martini
A martini with Tanqueray gin. Continue reading Tanqueray in a martini
The Martini Socialist 