Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Pure Poetry

Happy Friday! Thankfully my week has returned to somewhat normal after the last two weeks of 7am trainings. All I need to do now is study for the test and then pass it. Fingers crossed…

Despite having a normal-ish week I didn’t really come up with any ideas for this week until yesterday. The good thing is I’ve had this drink sitting in my back pocket for about a month or so. Every time it came time to write, I always found something different and this one kept getting pushed back. Now, it’s time for it to shine. It’s the Poets Dream from my martini cocktail book. I kept it in reserve mostly because I tend to always have its ingredients on hand: gin, dry vermouth, Benedictine. It seems like it’s a pretty straightforward riff on a classic, but I’m curious to see how the Benedictine works here

Poets Dream

2 oz. London dry gin

.75 oz. dry vermouth

.25 oz. Benedictine

Twist of lemon for garnish

Combine the gin, vermouth, and liqueur in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with the lemon twist. 

Classic gin martini nose at work here. The benedictine is discernable as well, a pleasant surprise actually. Its soft, but it’s there. Also, it helps tame the strong gin botanicals, and the herb forward notes of the dry vermouth.

Yup, as expected, this is a very close iteration of a dry martini. The benedictine takes the lead on the sip, with its smoothness, and slight sweet flavors masking the initial hit of the gin. However, this doesn’t last terribly long, and the juniper led gin flavors eventually punch through and remind you that yes, this is a gin martini variant you’re drinking. I personally don’t mind that hit. But if you wanted something a little less intense, you’ll be disappointed the Gordons comes through as hard as it does.

The gin leads the way the rest of the sip. The vermouth pops up for a little bit at the end, and lingers on your palate for a minute or two after you’ve finished. I think I can get a bit of the benedictine that is still hanging around after everything else dissipates? It’s hard to tell. Either way, the liqueur adds an interesting depth of flavor and subtle mouth feel that works well here.

So, would I make this again? Yes? Maybe? I’m not sure to be honest. It’s good, I certainly enjoyed it. But if I want a martini. I’ll probably make a regular dry one. However, if I want a twist on one, say I’m in the mood for a Savoy medium martini, I could be convinced to whip up one of these.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)