Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Oiled Up

No fancy intro this week. Jumping right to the beverage! It’s been a busy week:

Olio Martini

2 oz. Gin (I used London Dry, recipe calls for Plymouth)

1 oz. Dolin Blanc Vermouth (subbed Lilet Blanc)

Pinch of sea salt or Kosher Salt

Strip of lemon peel

Extra virgin olive oil for garnish

Combine the gin, vermouth, and salt in a cocktail shaker or mixing glass filled with ice. Shake or stir as desired. Rub the lemon peel around the rim of a coupe glass and discard. Strain the drink into the glass and garnish with a drop of olive oil. (A bottle with a spout is best to achieve the floating disc of oil). 

Nothing aroma wise gets me immediately. Even with the stronger London dry I get next to nothing. Though this could also be late season allergies affecting my sense of smell, so your mileage may vary when it comes to making this on your own.

My sense of taste thankfully is not affected and this drink makes me very happy that is the case, because it is excellent. It is gin forward, which is unsurprising given the two ounces as the base spirit, compared to the one of the Lilet Blanc/Blanc vermouth. But, the gin isn’t as strong as you’d expect it to be. The blanc sees to that. It’s light, floral flavors do a commendable job in restraining the bite the gin naturally has. Don’t get me wrong, the juniper still manages to fight it’s way forward and make it’s mark. But it isn’t nearly as intense or powerful as a regular gin martini is. The salt adds a nice depth to it as well. The sea salt basically dissolves in the stirring process, and it provides just enough to offset the pull the blanc has on the gin, keeping this drink very well balanced.

That said, I think it’s kind of missing something. Mrs. Sharkbait suggests an olive, since it should compliment the olive oil (more on that later) nicely. I’ll pass on that but feel free to add your own. Personally, I though the lemon peel wipe and discard was particularly odd, given most martinis leave the twist of lemon peel in them. I guess they were going on the assumption that the lemon would overshadow the olive oil? Next time I’m leaving it in there.

Speaking of the olive oil, I think the one drop they add isn’t very sufficient, especially when acting as a garnish. The presentation is excellent, don’t get me wrong, but I get nothing flavor or texture wise from it. The little island of olive oil just hangs out on the surface of the drink as you enjoy it. Hedging my bets on the lack of lemon twist/flavor here, I broke out the good olive oil I have from the south of France, that has lemon in it in an attempt to get more citrus notes here, and as stated before, that wasn’t enough. So next time, more oil, and leave the peel in.

Those criticisms aside, this is an excellent twist on a classic. It’s different than a run of the mill martini, and a welcome changeup to a classic. I’ll definitely make this again. Though with the tweaks as mentioned above.

Also, some in the comments asked if I could share my master spreadsheet that I use as a reference in an attempt to not repeat recipes. Well, here it is in all it’s google sheet goodness! I usually update it on Fridays with the actual drink name. I eventually want to make tabs at the bottom that groups them by base spirits, but that is a project for further

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)