drinking: the classic martini

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Stirred. Not shaken.

2 1/2 oz gin

1/2 oz dry vermouth

olives and lemon twist

dash Angostura bitters

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Schott Zwiesel Comete Martini glass (on loan from vendor)

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How great is this martini skewer? I was looking for ages for something clean and classic, stainless steel…had the hardest time finding anything elegant until I stumbled upon these, from the Etsy shop jacksmooth. Hand hammered, and at 5.5.” a really pleasing length. Got a set of 3 with a charming handwritten thank you note. I highly encourage you to patronize this shop.

on the menu: the rosemary gin tonic

More adventures in the land of adding promising ingredients to the classic gin & tonic (standard procedure with the Spanish-style gin tonic, which may be ordered with any number of garnishes).

This time rosemary and lime juice garnished with cucumber. I wanted to add some fresh ginger matchsticks  as well but…why not save something for next time?

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The key ingredient here is actually this jumbo ice cube. Brilliant, no? Takes ages to melt. This company also makes massive spherical ice cube molds, which look comparably badass.

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The longer the embellishing element can steep in the gin beforehand, the better.

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 I’ve used Beefeater 24 gin here, which I like a lot (plenty of juniper coming through and not too sweet), and Fever-Tree Tonic Water, which is excellent (and again, pleasantly dry).