Serving a cocktail in a martini glass and adding a -tini suffix to the end of its name does not make it a martini. A real martini should contain a small amount of vermouth and a large amount of gin or vodka. If you start messing around with this too much you no longer have the genuine article. Acceptable variations include the dirty … Continue reading The Fiery Ginger Martini
Olives are the nibble most closely associated with martinis but I always think that seafood is one of the best matches. It’s fresh, cold and goes well with citrus, just like a good martini. Consuming seafood also brings its own element of danger (food poisoning? Mercury?), much like the danger associated with drinking a strong martini. So here is a simple and easy recipe for … Continue reading Salmon tartare canapés
This is a very simple variation on the classic martini. Thyme is one of my favourite herbs. The mouth-watering smell evokes summertime, or some of the delicious za’tar manouche (savoury thyme-flavoured Lebanese wraps) I’ve eaten in Beirut, London and Dubai. Take a sprig of fresh thyme (I’ve been growing some on the balcony), wash and dry it, then rub it around a chilled … Continue reading Martini with a sprig of thyme
I have previously mentioned that Coriander (cilantro) is the Marmite of the herb world (you either love it or hate it). I have also previously mentioned that I love it. So I infused some gin with it. Coriander is already one of the flavours infused into many gin varieties, although juniper is (or should be) the dominant flavour. Being a traditionalist I would normally want … Continue reading A martini using gin infused with coriander/cilantro
The Martini Socialist 