There’s a chill in the air and almost all the leaves have dropped off of the tree outside the door to my apartment building. Winter is arriving.
And with the change in season, it’s time for a change in cocktail. Last winter was all about bourbon, but while bourbon should retain a place in your holiday season’s imbibing (mix a couple fingers of Maker’s Mark in with your ‘nog as you sit by the tree this Christmas Eve), it is the martini that will get you through the office holiday party this year.
Like the season, the martini is crisp and cold. Made with gin, never vodka, the martini should be served straight up in a martini glass (the high-healed dress shoe of the glassware world). Try it with Bombay Sapphire for a classic taste or with Beefeater’s Wet for just a hint of grapefruit. Use a twist instead of olives to give the drink a fresher taste – the citrus also makes this cocktail the kissing cousin of last summer’s drink, the gin gimlet.
3 oz. Bombay Sapphire or Beefeater Wet gin
1/2 oz. Dry vermouth
garnish with a twist.
Shake all ingredients over ice until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass, rub rim of glass with lemon peel and serve with a lemon twist.
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