I get to review a wealth of global gins and write up my findings here for you to read about.
However, 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 really, it’s 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!
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A Martini with Gustav Metsä (Forest) Gin
Another beautiful gin from the heart of the lake country in Finland.
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Some Recent Porn Star Martinis: a fruity and exotic cocktail with Absolut Vanilla and Passoã
Learn how to easily make Porn Star Martinis and home, as well as a nifty hint for pre-making and freezing them. The author describes the cocktail’s unique fruity flavors and the experience of buying passion fruits. They also offer a tip for storing pre-made martinis in jars for convenient future use. This is handy for…
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Hernö Gin Bar: Enjoy Award-Winning Martinis in Södermalm, Stockholm
Hernö, the most awarded craft gin producer, operates a bar in trendy Södermalm, Stockholm. The venue offers a warm welcome, excellent service and an extensive martini menu. The professional yet relaxed setting provides a perfect backdrop for enjoying the experience.
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A Roku Martini
This is a soft, subtle, interesting and mild Osaka-produced gin from Suntory that makes a very delicate and pleasant martini. Appearance The branding is understated but beautiful – as would be expected from a reputable Japanese producer. The hexagonal bottle is instantly recognisable, with the six sides each representing the six main Japanese botanicals of…
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50 Fathoms Gin from Alaska
This is a lovely gin that makes a good martini and a particularly nice gin and tonic. Before I even tasted it I read that it had won double gold at the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, the arguable birthplace of the Martini. A good sign! I’m also in love with the branding. Port…
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A Lójhtu Martini from Finland
A magical Gin from Lapland
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Wild Life Gin from Alberta, Canada
Two beautiful gins with a good quality base elevated with lovely botanicals
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An Irish Martini with Boatyard Double Gin
This is an outstanding Irish gin that makes a beautiful martini and a classic gin and tonic.
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A Martini with Caorunn Gin
This is another high quality Scottish gin. It’s made in Balmenach, a distillery located in the whisky heartlands of Speyside. The flavour profile is unusual and refreshing, with locally foraged botanicals including rowan berries and heather. It also contains bog myrtle, which stood out in particular for me, giving it a flavour reminiscent of Swedish…
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A Swedish Martini with Absolut Vodka
A well-established Swedish vodka with a New York backstory, subtle but effective branding and soft, wheaty agricultural notes.
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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A Martin Miller’s Gin martini
A martini made the clean and beautiful Martin Miller’s Gin.
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Tanqueray in a martini
A martini with Tanqueray gin.
The Martini Socialist 