Though unorthodox, Michael McIlroy’s Salt & Pepper Martini at Temple Bar has a little something for everyone. Its celery bitters, manzanilla sherry and saline solution elegantly address the common request for an “extra dirty” Martini, while Espelette pepper liqueur and Sweety Drop peppers answer the crowd-pleasing call for something spicy. As the Martini craze shows [...]
Harrison Ginsberg, bar director for New York’s SAGA, Overstory and Crown Shy, never thought the Martinez would become his signature drink. Largely considered a predecessor to the Martini, the Martinez is typically made with Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth and maraschino liqueur. The classic never achieved the popularity of its successor, perhaps because of its relatively sweet profile. [...]
Top honors in our blind tasting of freezer Martinis went to Bobby Heugel, the Houston-based cocktail bar owner and a known Martini obsessive. The panel recognized this drink’s classic London-dry profile and embraced it right off. (Heugel has been selling this rendition as a 750 ml “Bobby’s Martini” at his bars Anvil Bar & Refuge [...]
