Today (June 19) is National Martini Day, and we’re putting a focus on the classic cocktail along with some riffs. Whether using gin or vodka, a Martini can go in a lot of directions, and we’ve got some unique twists in our roundup below.
If I sound like a broken record in this next sentence, forgive me, because I love a Martini made with gin. Gin, which wasn’t my favorite in my early days of imbibing, is probably my favorite spirit and far more versatile than expected.
As I’ve learned over time, the origin of National Martini Day is hard to pinpoint, as is the actual history of the Martini. Some historians point to the Martinez cocktail as the precursor to the Martini, which was introduced to the masses in the 1800s. There are also claims that the drink rose to prominence in 1910 at New York’s Knickbocker Hotel. What we can determine from older bartending manuals is that the drink usually involved gin, Italian fortified wine, and bitters.
My first Martini was made with Hendrick’s Gin, a curious choice for some due to the brand’s infusion of cucumber and rose, along with familiar gin botanicals of chamomile, elderflower, juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, caraway, coriander, cubeb berries, angelica root, yarrow root and orris root. Thanks to the expert bartenders of now-closed Washington, D.C. bar, Wisdom, I became adept at understanding different gins and expanding my choices.
In this year’s National Martini Day roundup, we have some familiar brands I’ve featured before, like Still G.I.N. and Reyka Vodka, along with brands new to me, Prairie Organic Spirits and Four Pillars.
I didn’t get a lot of pitches for this day, so this will be a quick read. If there are some brands or recipes we need to know about, email D.L. Chandler at dchandler@bhmdigital.com to get those on our radar for future roundups.
Have a happy National Martini Day.
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Photo: Ali Waxman / Getty