Martinez

An improved version of the Manhattan, the Martinez also has elements of a classic Martini and more. In fact, this cocktail likely predates the Martini, we just don't know by how long. Because of this, this cocktail is a must on your menu, if not for history alone.

What's more on the history of this cocktail, it's often seen as the inspiration behind many other modern cocktails. It's strange that it's not as dominant a cocktail as many others, and even stranger that more of its history and origins are unknown. But that's the case with so many great, classic cocktails. Tastes change over time, so certain recipes (and recipe variants) fall in and out of fashion. As time has passed, the Martinez has been overtaken by the very cocktails it's inspired.

It's still a great cocktail though, so go ahead and make one.

Total Time 4

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Gin
45 mL Sweet Vermouth
10 mL Maraschino Liqueur
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish with Orange Twist

Instructions

Add Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, and Angostura Bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until cold.
Strain into a Coupe glass.
Garnish and drink

Notes

As with everything, make sure you're using great ingredients, especially for your Gin! This will ensure your Gin shines through the other ingredients, especially the Vermouth which will take the edge of everything.

As mentioned, this cocktail has been around for awhile, likely since the the 1800's. It's thought that the recipe originally came out of out Martinez, California. If this is the case, it's obvious where the drink's name came from If this isn't the case, its name is a bit more of a mystery...

It's pretty clear how this recipe can be turned into a Martini though. Just change the Vermouth and throw out everything else and you have a Martini. Either someone was experimenting or made a mistake!

What More Can We Say About the Martinez?

While we sometimes feel like the Martinez is a cocktail recipe that’s been largely forgotten about it time, we’re glad to be giving it the attention it deserves here. As mentioned, the Martinez pre-dates many more prominent cocktails and was likely a heavy influence on many famous recipes. It really deserves to be up there with some of the most well known cocktail recipes. So if you’re just hearing about the Martinez for the first time, make sure to make one of these and appreciate all the other great drinks it’s brought us.

Does preparing a few Martinez cocktails at once work?

It should! Since you’re just stirring everything in a mixing glass, it’s easy enough to upscale or even batch this cocktail into something bigger. This is perfect if you’re having a few people around and want to easily make a cocktail for everybody without much fuss.

Does preparing a Martinez cocktail in advance work?

Yes, it should. Just stir together all of the ingredients and leave the cocktail in the fridge to keep cool. Don’t forget to remove the ice though, otherwise it will melt and you’ll wind up with a watery cocktail that will be no good.

What would you say is the perfect time to have a Martinez?

Any time you’d consider having a Martini or a Manhattan would be a great time for a Martinez! It’s just as elegant and fancy (perhaps more so!). We like cocktails that look a bit sophisticated, especially at a party or group of people; the cocktail makes the holder look good. Show off your sophisticated tastes with one of these!

While we prefer a standard Gin Martini or even a Gin and Tonic as a great vessel to try a few different Gins, the Martinez is also a fun way to try new Gin styles and experiment a little bit. Although the Sweet Vermouth in this recipe is relatively ample, you’re at least not mixing in a lot of fruit juice or other overpowering flavours. Changing up the Gin style in this recipe can very much change up the cocktail itself. So if you’re having a general Gin night, it may be fun to include a few versions of the Martinez in your tastings!

Is the Martinez a strong cocktail?

We’re going to go out on a limb here and say yes, it’s a little bit strong. Obviously the Gin adds most of the alcohol, but you also have a decent helping of Sweet Vermouth and a little bit of Maraschino Liqueur in there for good measure. Of course neither of these are as strong as the Gin, but they’re still spirits! There’s nothing in this recipe to dilute things either, so it’s all just a mixture of different liquors. It all ways up to be a bit stronger than average.

Are there stronger cocktails out there? Of course. But if you’re used to classic cocktails that usually have about 60 mL of liquor in total, you’ll probably notice the difference in strength here.

What music goes well with the Martinez?

While the exact story of the invention of the Martinez is unknown, most people agree that it has something to do with Martinez, California. Martinez sits slightly east of San Francisco and Oakland and is generally considered part of the wider “Bay Area” which has a rich musical history. So much great music has come out of this part of the world, from Rock and Roll, to Punk Rock, Metal, Folk, and Jazz, it’s hard to determine what kind of music to put with the Martinez cocktail. We want to properly honour the area it’s from!

So we would say, if you’re looking for good music to listen to while sipping on a Martinez cocktail, we suggest finding your favourite Bay Area artist and listening to them. Have fun!

Here’s a few more cocktail recipes for you!

Whether it’s something with Gin you’re after or another classic cocktail, we have more than a few recipes for you to try. Take a look at the links below which point you to relevant portions of the site:

All Gin cocktail recipes: this is all the recipes on the site made with Gin. Have fun!

Top 10 Gin cocktail recipes: we’ve also narrowed it down to our ten favourite recipes, just to make it a little bit easier. Hopefully you find something that can be your favourite too.

All classic cocktail recipes: if it’s the classics you’re after, we have plenty of recipes for you to try. Go ahead and browse.

Top 20 classic cocktail recipes: or allow us to do the work for you. This list is our twenty favourite. You’ll be sure to find something amazing in there!