Hello and welcome to yet another Friday. I’m back with another martini variant from the Savoy. Yes I’m still calling this “research” for December when I go. Though I will have to be selective where I venture out to, since I’m not going to be in the middle of things, as well as only having a limited amount of non-working time, but the Savoy is certainly on the short list.

So what did I choose this week? I went with a dry martini variant called The Astoria. It only has 3 ingredients and seemed easy to make after a busy day working. Let’s give it a shot!

Astoria

1 Dash Orange bitters

2/3 Dry Gin

1/3 French Vermouth*

*For the amounts, I used ounces, but you could scale up to batch if you really wanted to

Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a stuffed olive.

Smells citrus-y despite the lack of a garnish. A simple dash of orange bitters is enough to come through aroma wise. It’s rather pleasant, especially knowing this is two thirds gin. Also I omitted the olive because they’re gross.

Yup. This is an ice cold and refreshing dry martini variant. It isn’t a dry as some might prefer. The three ingredients really work together to keep themselves in check and that’s what keeps this from being drier than anticipated. What I’m learning from this is that I should start experimenting more with the orange bitters in my martinis. I have dabbled in the past with them here, but I’m thinking my go to medium with a dash or two of orange bitters could be worth an experiment.

Anyway, the finish is smooth and dry, with a little bit of gin notes hanging around the palate after you finish. It’s basic, and delicious. There isn’t much more to say about this one. It’s another variant of a dry martini. However it has inspired me to start experimenting with different martini variants and orange bitters. I know, I know not exactly groundbreaking research here but I’m curious to try them in martinis that don’t specifically call for them.  Also, Mrs. Sharkbait is intrigued with this beverage with the added olive. Maybe not the blue cheese stuffed variant we currently have on hand, but perhaps a marinated one instead? I’ll let her report on that experiment.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)