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World Martini Day

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 11:46:08 GMT

Martini |ma:’ti:ni|

Noun

1 a type of vermouth produced in Italy

2 a cocktail made from gin (or any white spirit) and vermouth, typically garnished with an olive or a twist of lemon.

Elegance, sophistication, style, debauchery, vice, pleasure, strong.

With World Martini Day fast approaching, we were inspired to take a look back at the history of the Martini as well as our own introductions to the world of Bond’s favourite cocktail. We’ve even included our favourite G1 Martini recipe and drinking tips to get you started enjoying one of the best cocktails in the world in style

A brief history of a Martini

The Martini is universally agreed to originate in the United States, but it’s back story is – like all the great cocktails – disputed. The most popularly story is that a gold miner entered a bar in the town of Martinez, California after finding gold and the bartender replaced whiskey with gin and created the Martinez – a sweet Martini. It was first published as a recipe by O.H. Byron in 1884 and the Dry Martini came much later in 1904 when Frank Newman at the American Bar, Paris created it for Prohibition refugees seeking their fix.

‘Martinis are the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet.’

H.L Mencken

The first official recipe appeared in 1884 OH Byron’s Bartender Manual, but the Martini continued to evolve over time. The evolution of Martini in it’s basic form can be seen below.

The Manhattan Martinez > Martini > Marguerite (today’s dry martini)

Prohibition furthered its popularity in the 1920s with vermouth being a good way to mask the unpleasant impurities of poorly made illegal bathtub gin - the amount of vermouth used spawning the concept of a ‘wet’ Martini, meaning that more vermouth was stirred into the gin.

This somewhat grassroots and murky origin for a cocktail now seen as a classy and sophisticated choice among the modern populace is interesting and perhaps we’ll look at how the martini grew to become a leading cocktail and London staple at a later date. Certainly, its growth can be attributed to the number of famous faces and powerful figures that made the martini their tipple of choice. Famously, the term ‘Churchill’ was coined as the former Prime Minister used to enjoy his martinis incredibly dry with no vermouth, essentially straight gin diluted with ice and garnished.

‘I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini’.

Winston Churchill

Personal Passion

My interest in cocktails stemmed from a visit to meet Maxim Schulte, a former head bartender at The American Bar at The Savoy in London. The Savoy was our first ever stockist of Withers Gin G1 and I was incredibly lucky to enjoy my first ever G1 cocktail, a Martini, made by one of the best bartenders in the world and it was here where it became readily apparent what makes a Martini great.

A Martini, at its heart, is essentially just 2 spirits but it’s that very simplicity where the fascination with this cocktail lies. Martini is not the sort of drink you can order anywhere. There is no other cocktail that’s ordered with more specific requests than the martini. It is highly customisable, recipes vary wildly and are subject to a great deal of personal choice. Half of the fun is arguing over the perfect Martini!

But it is those finer touches that make the Martini so beguiling. The primary focus of pairing the right gin with the right vermouth is often overshadowed by choosing the right proportions of gin and vermouth, incorporating enough dilution through stirring/shaking and serving it at the proper temperature (arctic). All of these things distinguish a great Martini from a good one.

All these aspects are gleaned from experience, experimentation, research and elevate the cocktail into the realm of artistry. The Martini is defined by marginal gains, all the tiny details that create a triumphant resulting drink. Never apologise for your taste preferences, the only faux pas is not caring.

‘A perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin, then waving it in the general direction of Italy’

Noel Coward

Time for a recipe

Undoubtedly the Martini is the most famous of gin cocktails, the true test of any bartender’s skills. The Martini is not a cocktail to use any gin or vermouth. It’s an event and one that should be treated with the respect and care it deserves. Reserve your best gin and vermouth for

The Withers Gin G1 Martini recipe below is as created by Maxim Schulte and presents G1 at the core, with Vermouth collaborating equally with the gin. Orange bitters amplify the flavours of both G1 and the Vermouth. I have also added recipes for a classic Dry Martini and a Martinez as recommended by Julian Vallis, creator of World Martini Day.

Withers Gin G1 Martini (serves one)

��60ml G1 Gin

��30ml Dry Vermouth (eg Noilly Prat or Dolin)

��Dash of Orange Bitters

�� Garnish: Lemon peel

Dry Martini

�� 60ml G1 Gin

�� 10ml Dry Vermouth (eg Noilly Prat or Dolin)

�� Garnish: Lemon peel

Martinez

�� 50ml G1 Gin

�� 25ml Sweet Vermouth (eg Cocchi Storico di Torino or Carpano Antica Formula)

�� 5ml (1 tsp) Orange liqueur (eg Grand Marnier or Cointreau)

�� Garnish: orange peel

Ideally your G1 would be in the freezer, your Vermouth chilled and your glass frozen. Shake in a cocktail shaker or stir to chill to an arctic temperature and fine strain into a martini or nick and nora glass. Twist lemon zest over the glass and float lemon zest on the martini.

The V-shaped Martini glass (cocktail glass) as we know it today is incredibly elegant but not really fit for purpose. Wet feet and spilt drinks are de rigueur after one or two! This shape was widely adopted in the 1950’s-70’s. Martini’s were typically served in champagne coupes before glassmakers started making dedicated cocktail glasses post WWII.

Refinement:

When stirring/shaking, use twice as much ice and shake/ stir twice as long as you think necessary. I like to shake my Martini, I let it sit then shake and strain into a frozen martini glass.
Serve really cold - For a nice touch, serve in a smaller Nick and Nora glass, with the rest in a small carafe on a bed of ice on the side.
Type and quality of lemon – Sicilian are thought to be some of the best. Once again, the martini is a drink built on a small number of ingredients so extra quality in everything shines through.

How to drink a martini?

Martinis should be sipped and savoured. Like many others, my first attempt at martini drinking was a large slurp of a barely chilled gin vodka mix (made by my Dad) which delivered an unparalleled harsh burn. I branded it disgusting and abandoned it after one mouthful. For the uninitiated and unprepared a Martini can be an unpleasant adventure and a drink that is endured not enjoyed.

To best enjoy; a Martini should be sipped and savoured, a little of the drink should be held in your mouth to warm over your tastebuds to allow the botanical play of the gin and vermouth to be fully awakened and appreciated by your tastebuds.

Martini drinkers call the drink a ‘3 sip’ drink. The first sip should be savoured ice cold. The second as just cold and the last sip at nearly room temperature. As the drink gets warmer you will notice all the subtle flavours of both the gin and vermouth come alive, and as such one of the very best ways to really savour gin.

Take your time, it’s worth it.

‘I like to have a martini,

Two at the very most.

After three I’m under the table,

After four I’m under my host.’

Dorothy Parker

That last quote is perhaps a little colourful, but presents a cautionary tale. The martini is a strong cocktail, treat them with respect.

All things in moderation, even moderation.

Credit: Special thanks to Julian Vallis founder of World Martini Day and a wealth of knowledge on the subject of spirits, in particular Martini’s. @julianvallis Cheers ��

The OriGINS of Withers Gin

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 11:40:27 GMT

In the beGINnings...

Wither’s Gin is a company built with passion and fuelled by family which is reflected in everything they do. Sarah Withers, the founder of the company, first had her love of gin sparked by her father bringing back exotic and high quality gins from all around the world due to his role as a fighter pilot.

This quickly developed into enthusiasm with Sarah writing about; instagramming about; collecting and sampling different varieties of gins. Sarah’s collection of gin quickly grew to over 200 bottles and she grew an ample sized community of instagram followers.

When Sarah’s father fell ill with cancer, Sarah wanted to give back to the charities that had supported her family during that time, particularly Macmillan Cancer Support, and do it in a way that’s personal to her and her family. This started with selling gin glasses marked with the heartsease flower, a flower of remembrance, which now features on their signature gin bottle.

Turning a passion into an award winning craft

In 2018, Sarah decided to make her own gin with the help of Edward Gibson, former head distiller for Burleigh’s. During this process, she was able to share key development steps with her dad and he was able to taste the first versions and be a part of the design, outline plans and crafting the early ideas of the business.

The business slowly developed over the following months until Wither’s Gin was able to release their first gin, G1, in January 2020. Withers Gin gained lot of early success with the gin being awarded a gold outstanding medal by The International Wine and Spirits Competition, the brand’s first stockist being The American Bar at the Savoy in London and a further hat trick of notable award wins including winning ‘Best Gin in England’,’Best London Dry Gin’, and ‘Best Traditional Gin under 42%’ at The Gin Guide Awards 2021.

These achievements combined with the global pandemic dramatically changing the commercial industry meant that the business took a far different shape than Sarah or conventional wisdom would have expected. With Sarah also working full time, the traditional methods of face-to-face selling were impossible. This is where Sarah’s online presence provided a distinct advantage and interacting and engaging with that community helped develop a strong foundation for the company to build on.

Key to the success of the brand are the personal touches that add an extra touch of elegance and value to their products. Both of the current gins come in specially designed bottles to honour both of Sarah’s parents. G1 is in honour of Sarah’s mum and features a stylish version of a watercolour she painted of heartsease flowers. G Force is obviously a tribute to Sarah’s dad’s time in the Royal Air Force and features an image taken from his plane during a flypast to honour the 50th anniversaries of D-Day and VJ Day in 1994/1995. Both bottles have a clean, professional finish and feature a luxury glass stopper.

It’s that balance of having a high quality product that also feels welcoming and personal that reflects the brand well. Sarah is continually active on her social media, sharing cocktail ideas and telling the stories behind the brand and different gin products they sell while still prioritising the quality of the products she is creating. Keeping the brand approachable while still providing a luxury and high-end experience is something that really sets them apart from their competitors and has been a contributing factor to their early success.

A brand that is Social and Responsible

As a brand that was built partially to help give back, Withers are also keen to be as sustainable as possible. This means recycling and repurposing bottles as 100hr refillable soy candles, bottle lights, bud vases, water decanters and most recently as terrariums, utilising creative cardboard packaging where ever possible. For their cocktail offerings, they use pouches to help reduce their carbon footprint and were working towards a closed loop system before sourcing newer versions that are fully recyclable. 70cl fully recyclable pouch bottle refills are in development as well as a refill station which will be up and running locally in the near future. Doing the right thing and providing sensible and convenient alternatives is something that defines the company’s principles and is a permanent agenda point to constantly strive to improve on and offer ever more eco-friendly solutions.

The business is defined by its commitment to donate to charity.10% of all profits are donated to cancer charities to honour her father’s memory and thank the charities for their tremendous support as well as provide much needed essential funding. This is something that Sarah will continue and expand upon in terms of support in the future. Charity is at the very heart of the business and it is there to stay.

Where next for Withers?

Looking towards the future, something that Sarah is passionate about expanding is her local presence, which she admits was hindered by the pandemic and getting the business off the ground while still working full time in another role. She has already gone some way to improving this outreach via attending in person events including gin festivals, corporate events, makers markets, farmers markets, craft fairs, food and gift fairs, networking events and local charity events and it’s something that she is having a great time doing. Getting out into the local community to events and building up local on trade and off trade stockists and getting to National trade events are still ‘work in progress’ and a heavy focus for her brand over the next 12 months.

Withers are in the process of investing and securing premises in order to move production to Derby to further strengthen the local and personal nature of their gin, this will coincide with an announcement about an exciting development in the near future! Being part of her community is just something that Sarah wants to encourage more of as the business continues to grow and expand at pace. She is also eager to expand her range of gins and other products with a multitude of new items on the way, including their first gin with an entirely new botanical.