The Martinez recipe
the predecessor of the Martini
Place the Nick & Nora glass in the freezer for ten minutes.
Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice and add the gin, vermouth, maraschino and bitters.
Stir for 30 seconds with a bar spoon, until the outside of the mixing glass becomes frosted.
Strain the drink into the chilled glass.
Squeeze a strip of lemon zest over the glass so the oils land on the drink, then hang the twist on the rim.
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The story
No one knows exactly where the Martinez came from. The first printed recipe appears in O.H. Byron's Modern Bartenders' Guide from 1884, with the entire instruction: the same as a Manhattan, but with gin instead of whisky. The 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's bar book contains a more detailed recipe with Old Tom gin, vermouth, maraschino and Boker's Bitters. There are two stories about the name. One is attributed to Jerry Thomas at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, the other to a bartender in the town of Martinez, California. What is certain is that the Martinez is considered the direct predecessor of the Martini, which became increasingly dry in the following decades.
The right glass
A Martinez is served without ice in a small, chilled cocktail glass on a stem. The 14 to 15.5 cl Nick & Nora glass is just right: 9 cl of drink plus the meltwater from stirring fills it to just below the rim. The rounded bowl sloshes less than a martini glass and keeps the aromas of vermouth and orange together. A small coupe works too. View our Nick & Nora glasses.
RCR Melodia Port Glass Nick & Nora 14 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Novecento Cocktail Glass 15.5 cl Nick & Nora (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 59,90.
The right tools
For a Martinez, in addition to the glass you use a mixing glass, a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a julep strainer and a bitters bottle. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 120,70.
What do you make a Martinez with?
For a Martinez, you need gin. Well-known bottles include Tanqueray No. Ten, Martini, and Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
We follow the IBA: London Dry gin and equal parts vermouth. In the nineteenth century, people used Old Tom gin, which is slightly sweeter and fuller, and often twice as much vermouth as gin. With dry instead of red vermouth and without liqueur, you move toward the Dry Martini; with Fernet-Branca instead of maraschino, you get close to the Hanky Panky. The Tuxedo is a dry cousin with dry vermouth, maraschino, and a dash of absinthe.
Serving tip
Store your vermouth in the refrigerator after opening and use the bottle within a month, because vermouth is wine and wine oxidizes. A fresh bottle makes the biggest difference between a flat and a lively Martinez.
Good to know
Martinez or Martini: the difference
The Martinez is the older and sweeter of the two. It uses sweet red vermouth in equal parts with gin, plus maraschino and orange bitters, making it amber-colored and rounded. The Dry Martini emerged in the decades that followed, as bartenders began using increasingly more dry, white vermouth and leaving out the liqueur. The result is crystal clear, much drier, and stronger. Tasting the two side by side makes it immediately clear how one evolved from the other. In flavor, the Martinez is actually closer to the Manhattan than to the modern Martini.
Which gin for a Martinez
The IBA specifies London Dry gin. It provides a crisp, dry base in which the juniper can hold its own against the sweet vermouth. In the nineteenth century, Old Tom gin was common, a slightly sweeter and fuller style that you can now find again at specialist liquor stores. Old Tom makes the Martinez rounder and softer, and allows you to reduce the maraschino slightly. If you want to experiment, try oude jenever: its malty flavor pairs well with red vermouth. In all cases, choose a bottle of at least 40 percent ABV, otherwise the gin will disappear beneath the vermouth.
What is maraschino
Maraschino is a clear, dry liqueur distilled from marasca cherries, including their pits. It does not taste like cherry syrup but is floral and lightly nutty. The best-known bottle is Luxardo from Italy. In a Martinez, one bar spoon is enough: any more and the drink becomes sweet and perfumed. Once you have the bottle at home, you can also make the Aviation and the Last Word, two classics that cannot do without maraschino. Do not confuse the liqueur with the red juice from a jar of cocktail cherries; that is something completely different.
Which red vermouth do you use
Choose a sweet red vermouth in the Italian style, such as Martini Rosso. It provides herbs, caramel and a touch of bitterness that complement the gin. A richer vermouth such as Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino makes the Martinez fuller, with more herbs and bitterness. Very heavy vermouths with lots of vanilla can overpower the maraschino; if so, taste to see whether you should halve the bar spoon of liqueur. Vermouth is wine with herbs and added alcohol, and deteriorates after opening. A bottle that has been open on the shelf for three months will make your Martinez flat and sour, even with the best gin.
Making Martinez in advance for a group
Stirred cocktails such as the Martinez are well suited to batching. For eight glasses, mix 36 cl gin, 36 cl red vermouth, 4 cl maraschino and 16 dashes of orange bitters in a clean bottle. Add 16 cl cold water: that is the dilution you would otherwise get from stirring. Put the bottle in the freezer for at least four hours. Pour 11.5 cl per person directly into a chilled glass and squeeze a lemon zest over it. The alcohol keeps the mixture from freezing, but it does become syrupy cold, exactly as it does after thorough stirring.
How much alcohol is in a Martinez
Expect approximately 22 percent. The 4.5 cl of 40 percent gin provides 1.8 cl of pure alcohol, the 4.5 cl of 15 percent vermouth another 0.7 cl, and the bar spoon of 32 percent maraschino approximately 0.15 cl. Together, that is more than 2.6 cl. Stirring adds approximately 2.5 cl of meltwater, bringing the total to 12 cl of drink. That is approximately two standard drinks. This makes a Martinez slightly lighter than a Dry Martini, but it is not a drink to knock back quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Martinez?
An IBA Martinez consists of 4.5 cl London Dry gin, 4.5 cl sweet red vermouth, a bar spoon of maraschino liqueur and two dashes of orange bitters. Stir everything with ice in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon zest.
What is the difference between a Martinez and a Martini?
The Martinez uses sweet red vermouth in equal parts with gin, plus maraschino and bitters. The Dry Martini uses much more gin and a small amount of dry vermouth, without liqueur. As a result, the Martinez is sweeter, rounder and amber-coloured; the Martini is clear, dry and stronger.
Should you stir or shake a Martinez?
Stir. The Martinez consists only of gin, vermouth, liqueur and bitters, with no juice or egg white. Stirring with ice chills and dilutes the drink while keeping it clear and silky smooth. Shaking adds air bubbles and ice shards, making it cloudy and thin. A long spoon from our bar spoons makes it easy.
Which glass do you serve a Martinez in?
In a small, chilled cocktail glass with a stem. A 14 to 15.5 cl Nick & Nora glass is best suited to the approximately 12 cl drink. A small coupe also works. A large martini glass is too spacious: the drink looks lost in it and warms up faster.
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