Old Tom Martinez

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 45 ml Old Tom Gin
- 45 ml Sweet Vermouth
- 7,5 ml Maraschino Liqueur
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

GARNISH:
- Orange Twist

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass.
• Add cracked ice and stir for 30-45 sec. or approx. 60 revolutions.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a twist of orange.

Cocktail author: There are a couple of versions regarding who came up with this cocktail. One story says that bartender Jerry Thomas invented this drink for one of his customers travelling to Martinez, California. Another version tells that local bartender in the city of Martinez created this drink. Unfortunately, nobody knows who is telling the truth.

Martinez is a cocktail dating back to the nineteenth century and during its life inspired many other cocktails, which are now considered to be classics. It was not the first Martinez I have made, but when I read that one of the oldest recipes for this cocktail calls for Old Tom Gin, I knew I had to try again to see what difference will that make.

Old Tom gin is less juniper forward and sweeter than the ubiquitous London Dry style gin resulting in a slightly different and overall sweeter cocktail. Yet it still pairs well with the herbal notes of sweet vermouth and cherry notes of the Maraschino. While, a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters adds some aroma and binds the ingredients together.

Overall, this particular version of the cocktail seems to be just a touch more decadent, than Martinez made with London Dry style gin, but if you want to be honest to the era this cocktail comes from, you should absolutely try using Old Tom.

Source material:
https://www.liquor.com/recipes/martinez/