Smoky Martini

The SMOKY MARTINI is a classic embellishment of a Gin Martini, using a small amount of Scotch in place of vermouth. In small quantities, the Scotch whisky’s smoky notes blend beautifully with the gin’s botanicals. It’s an easy, no-frills martini that should always showcase your best gin and best Scotch. Small touches, such as chilling the glass and twisting the lemon peel over the drink, make a difference.

Requirements: Gin (London dry gin preferred), blended or single-malt scotch, lemon peel

• 2.5 oz. gin
• 1/4 – 1/2 oz. Scotch whisky
• lemon twist garnish

Combine the gin and Scotch in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until well chilled. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist after squeezing it over the drink.

Comments: Some of the best London dry gins as rated by Liquor.com are: Bombay Sapphire, Hayman’s, Highclere Castle, Tanqueray and Beefeater. I enjoyed it using Hendrick’s. You can experiment with the Scotch by trying a blend like Dewar’s or a smoky single malt Scotch like Laphroaig. The Smoky Martini is appealing before a hearty meal, or simply any occasion where tasty & strong is more important than sweet & fruity.

Origin: Norman Mailer’s 1991 novel Harlot’s Ghost featured a character based on a real-life 1950’s CIA agent who mixed a Martini by rinsing the ice in a shaker with Scotch before adding gin. Bartenders at the time of the novel picked up on the smoky gin recipe; although, bartending legend, author and historian Dale DeGroff reportedly began serving the Smoky Martini earlier in the 1970s.

Similar Cocktails:

Dirty Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/dirty-martini/

Absinthe Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/absinthe-martini-2/

Sakura Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/sakura-martini/

French Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/french-martini/

Pink Peppercorn Gin Gimlet– https://keetscocktails.com/pink-peppercorn-botanical-gimlet/