A COCKTAIL CLASSIC

The Classic Martinez, a real old-school cocktail.

Once in a while I like to try something new in the Drinky Department.

Go to a bar or restaurant these days and what do you see?  Fifty thousand variously flavored Margaritas, or a mess of soi-disant Martinis that, aside from being served in a cocktail glass, bear little or no resemblance to a real Martini Cocktail.  Feh, sez I.

I like cocktails with character.  A well-made gin Martini or Gibson is a good starting point.  A Provençal, with its notes of lavender and herbes de Provence. Or something with a more unconventional flavor profile - a Negroni, f’rinstance.

Even the perfect Rob Roy - a favorite of the Momma d’Elisson - has way more character than what passes for a drink these days in most places.

When I found a recipe for the Classic Martinez,  I knew I would have to give it a try.  Despite the similar-sounding name, it really has little in common with today’s Martini aside from the use of gin and vermouth as ingredients.  It’s slightly sweet, but not overly so... and it packs a wallop, both flavor- and alcohol-wise, one befitting an Old-School Classic. Here’s my (slighly modified) version:

Take a short 2 ounces of Hendrick’s gin, 2 ounces of Dolin sweet (red) vermouth, and a quarter-ounce of Luxardo maraschino liqueur. Add to a cocktail shaker with a few large cubes of ice and a dash or two of Fee Brothers orange bitters.  Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

Now, drink.  S l o w l y.  Tasty, huh?

If you still prefer your pineapple-prune Margarita Slushy,  that’s OK.  De gustibus non est disputandum, as they say.  And it’s not your fault that all of your taste is in your tuchus.