Martinez

The Martinez is a stirred, spirit-forward classic of the late nineteenth century, built from gin, sweet red vermouth, a touch of maraschino liqueur and a dash of bitters, stirred cold over ice and strained up into a stemmed glass. Richer and rounder than the dry Martini it gave rise to, it is amber to rose in colour, aromatic and lightly sweet, with the herbal lift of vermouth, the nutty-cherry note of maraschino and a bitter-spiced finish. Made in its original style with Old Tom gin or Dutch genever it reads soft, malty and old-fashioned; it is widely regarded as the direct ancestor of the Martini and a cousin of the Manhattan.