Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Deep Freeze

Happy Friday once again. In keeping with the recurring theme of my drinks experiments reaching the point where a lot of them are variations on a theme. This time, it’s another version of a gin martini. This version comes from the excellent, but often overlooked (but I’m trying to get back in my rotation) Drinking French book by David Lebovitz. I’m not sure if this is a “French” martini, or the author’s preferred version, but I did go back into my plethora of drinks written about here (which stands at an astounding 323 posts since 2019) and this is a different version of one I’ve made before. It retains the lemon twist, but ups the gin, reduces the vermouth, and adds orange bitters. I’m sure it’ll be delicious. Especially since it’s been in the freezer for three days:

Martini (Drinking French version)

2.5 oz. London dry gin

.5 oz. Dry vermouth

1 dash Orange bitters

Lemon twist, for garnish

Add the gin, vermouth and bitters to a cocktail mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with the lemon twist

I get orange aromas right off the bat here. I’m a touch surprised. I figured the lemon would lead the way as it’s the freshest ingredient, but no, it’s all orange up front. It’s not overpowering at least. Not that I think orange bitters could really overtake a drink’s aroma – at least one dash can’t. But the fact it stands out as much as it does is surprising, but a pleasant one.

The taste is classic martini. It’s super cold, which is excellent here, given how much of a heavy hitter this one is. Speaking of heavy, the two and a half ounces of gin definitely pack a punch here. There’s not hiding the fact that this is gin based. The herbal notes are very prevalent all throughout the sip.

The vermouth sneaks it’s way onto the palate as well. Adding it’s distinctive flavors closer to the end. However it doesn’t really stick around too long. When it goes away, the gin comes back and leaves a bit of a lingering, ever so slightly citrus-y aftertaste. Thankfully that goes away fairly quickly and it doesn’t prevent you from going back in for another sip, which you will inevitably want to do while your glass is still frosty and the drink is ice cold.

As I mentioned before, freezer martinis are the way to go, and I’ve definitely been leaning into that lately. It’s a trend i definitely want to keep up with, especially as the weather warms up. It makes life a lot easier when it’s cocktail time in the afternoon to just reach into the freezer and pull out a super cold, pre made drink.

Enjoy the weekend!

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)