Early Martini

Recipe: Early Martini (serves one)

• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes (= 3/8 tsp) orange bitters
• lemon peel

Stir ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with lemon peel.

The martini was originally made with sweet vermouth, and often with orange bitters. Over time, the vermouth variety has switched to dry, the amount of vermouth has gone down, and the bitters have gone away. We prefer this early-style recipe. If you’re a fan of the Negroni, you’ll definitely like the bittersweet flavors of this cocktail.

The Gin. We used Aviation gin.  It’s very smooth, with clear but not overwhelming floral and herbal flavors.

The sweet vermouth. We made the cocktail in this photo with Punt E Mes, which is why it’s so dark. We actually prefer it with Carpano Antica, which has a smoother flavor.

The orange bitters. We like Fee Brothers orange bitters.