Gibson — tasting notes & food pairings

Gibson

The Gibson is a Dry Martini in everything but its garnish — gin and dry vermouth, stirred over ice and strained ice-cold and crystal-clear into a chilled stemmed glass — finished not with an olive or a lemon twist but with a pickled cocktail onion. That single swap is the whole point of the drink: the onion's sharp, vinegary, savoury bite is what sets the Gibson apart from its parent and gives it a distinct, slightly funky character. It is one of the oldest named variations on the Martini, cold, bone-dry and intensely botanical, and a quiet bar-room classic that has never gone out of style.

Dry & clean30% ABV

Cold, bone-dry and intensely botanical, the Gibson leads with the gin's resinous, piney juniper and bright citrus-peel botanicals, set over a faint herbal, gently bitter, wine-like backbone from the dry vermouth. There is no sweetness to soften it; the body is light and spirituous, the alcohol high, and the finish dry. What sets it apart from a plain Martini is the pickled cocktail onion — its sharp, vinegary, savoury aroma and bite give the drink a distinct, slightly funky, more savoury character than a briny olive or a citrus twist would.