The Gibson and the Gin Martini

Steven

5 years ago

Two amazing cocktails, The Gibson and the Gin Martini. Both are made with top-shelf gin, and a whisper of dry vermouth served ice cold, the difference between the two is minor. My recipe for the Dry Gin Martini has the addition of 4 drops of orange bitters added to the mix and is garnished with olives and a lemon twist. The Gibson Martini is simply gin and vermouth with pickled onions, no orange bitters. Either way, my Martini recipes are both quite excellent.

The Gibson Martini Legend

One legend has it that The Gibson Martini was named after a sober businessman named Gibson. Although a teetotaler, he still participated in the businessman’s ‘3 Martini lunch’. He would have the bartender serve him ice water in a Martini glass, a pickled onion the only clue that it wasn’t an actual Martini.

A second legend states that the Gibson was the original ‘dry’ martini, and the pickled onion allowed it to stand out from the others. But as the Dry Gin Martini became more popular, the onion was the only real difference between the Gibson and a Gin Martini.

I prefer both of my Martini recipes very dry. I pour the vermouth over the ice, give it a stir or two and pour the excess vermouth out. Then add 4 drops of orange bitters onto the olive garnish and stir it into the ice-cold cocktail. The type of gin I prefer is very complex with a woodsy, botanical quality to it, fruity and spicy, like freshly mown grass in a cocktail.

Never Shake Gin Cocktails

There is an interesting similarity between gin, red wine, and aeration. I’ll use this as an example of why never to shake gin. We are all familiar with the practice of letting red wine ‘breathe’. Decanting red wine, swirling the wine in the glass, and exposing it to oxygen for a short time will soften the flavors. This allows some of the more volatile aromas to escape and release the more pleasant fruit and oak aromas in the wine. However, if allowed to breathe for too long the finer subtle qualities of the wine will not only disappear but eventually, the wine turns to vinegar.

Gin is very similar to red wine in this matter. Shaking gin accelerates the breathing process exponentially.

Gin has a complex mixture of aromas divided into three parts; top notes, middle notes, and base notes. With gin, the most desirable qualities are in the top note. All of the botanicals: juniper, pine, fruit, spice, and floral are top notes. Unfortunately, when gin has been agitated by shaking, the top notes are the first to go. Leaving only the less desirable middle and base notes. Bruising the gin won’t turn it to vinegar, but it will leave the gin dull and lifeless. All of the amazing botanicals that are so desirable lost to the inside of a cocktail shaker.

Here are my recipes for the Gibson and Gin Martinis