Happy belated National Martini Day (United States) and World Martini Day
I mostly drink my gin in Martinis. This past Friday was National Martini Day (June 19) in the US and this past Saturday was World Martini Day (third Saturday in June). Bless the Martini loving soul(s) who bravely declared these two most sacred of observances.
I was on vacation this weekend in Florida and the ABC store had a vermouth I don’t often spot here in NJ, Gonzalez Byass Vermouth La Copa Extra Seco. It’s the same producer responsible for the highly regarded Tio Pepe Sherry brand. The vermouth is made from a base of Fino Sherry.
The official website lists it as “elegantly dry and aromatic, infused with wormwood, chamomile, cinnamon, and raspberry, delivering a crisp and refined profile” and further down the page as “bright, dry and delicately bitter, it offers subtle herbal notes, citrus hints and a refined saline edge.” That’s pretty accurate in my estimation; I also experience a bit of a very dry cocoa sort of characteristic? Kind of odd and unexpected but maybe it’s just me; nonetheless it’s really nice and, I’d expect, very nice on its own over ice or with some sparkling water.
I paired it with Boodles, a very traditional London Dry Gin at 45.2% ABV, showcasing powerful juniper with the notable omission of any citrus in its botanicals (the distillers insist any proper gin drink should include “a slice of lemon or lime”). Per the website, other botanicals include nutmeg, sage, and rosemary.
It was a very enjoyable, if not unconventional and unique, combination. The Gonzalez Byass, as one might expect with the Sherry base, has rather pronounced flavor intensity in comparison to the likes of decidedly more traditional Martini vermouth such as Dolin or Noilly Prat. I like my Martinis fairly wet, and a wet spec worked well here given the intensity of Boodles, but a drier spec, particularly with more restrained or subtle gins, would certainly not be out of place.
Recipe:
-2.5 oz Boodles London Dry Gin
-1 oz Gonzalez Byass Vermouth La Copa Extra Seco
Preparation:
Stir ingredients with ice until properly chilled and diluted, strain into a chilled cocktail/Martini glass, and garnish with an olive (in this case Mezzetta Super Colossal Spanish Queen with the Pimento stuffing removed).
u/kevinfarber — 14 days ago
▲ 20 r/poursNsticks
Very excited for this!
Warmest greetings from a gorgeous northwest NJ Spring evening.
I photographed and posted before getting started so I can enjoy the moment once I light the cigar.
The cigar is My Father Churchill ‘Le Bijou 1922.’
For the pairing, I’m going to start with Valdespino Single Vineyard Fino Sherry ‘Inocente’ and follow up with some of one of my favorite bourbons - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (Batch C922).
Cheers and happy Wednesday ☺️!
u/kevinfarber — 1 month ago