Spirit-Forward · Anytime · Spring

Martinez

The Martini's ancestor: gin and sweet vermouth with maraschino and orange bitters. Richer, rounder, and a touch sweet.

Base: Gin
Glass: Coupe glass
Method: Stir
Strength: 21% ABV

Ingredients

45 mlLondon Dry Gin1 swap
Any London dry ginhigh
Depends on the brand’s botanicals
45 mlSweet Red Vermouth
1 bar spoonMaraschino Luxardo1 swap
A dry cherry liqueurlow
Less nutty
2 dashOrange Bitters

How to make

Technique

Stir · 20–30s

Stirring chills and dilutes gently while keeping the drink silky and clear.

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir well.
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Serve

Glass

Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass

Garnish

Lemon zest.Twist it over the glass, oil side down.

Taste & nutrition

21%ABV

168kcal

1.86Drinks

StrengthMedium

Sweet to drySweet

Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.

Good to know

Stir, never shake — it stays clear and silky.

History

Year1880s

PlaceCalifornia, USA

Created byDisputed

Often called the missing link between the Old Tom era and the Dry Martini, the Martinez combines gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters. It surfaced in California in the 1880s, though which town of Martinez it honours is disputed. Richer and sweeter than a Martini, it shows how the great gin classic evolved. Craft bartenders revived it as a vintage curiosity.

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