A sweet martini, a savory martini

Sweet: Herbal lemon drop martini

• 2 oz fennel infused gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz fennel simple syrup
• 0.2 oz Brucato Chaparral Amaro
• 0.2 oz Cointreau
• 0.4 oz manzanilla sherry

Shake with ice, strain, serve in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fennel frond.

Details

• Fennel infused gin: I followed this recipe for “fennelcello” but I used gin (hendrick’s) instead of vodka and the final result didn’t taste very strongly of fennel.
• Fennel syrup: I added an equal weight of sugar to a finely diced fennel bulb including the fronds. Let that sit overnight, then strain through a cheese cloth. (Caveat: this didn’t give the intense anise-y fennel flavor I was looking for. I would try a simmered syrup with star anise.)
• I need to try Italian finocchietto liquer or try making my own.

Savory: Tomato martini

• 2 oz vodka
• 2 oz tomato water (see details)
• 0.6 oz Veso Tomato Vermouth
• 0.4 oz vermouth bianco

Stir over ice, strain, serve in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh or pickled cherry tomato.

Details

• Tomato water: Use the ripest in-season tomatoes you can find. Prefer ones with high sugar and glutamate content, such as early girls, heirlooms, or sweet cherry tomatoes.
  • Rough dice and remove the cores but do not remove the seeds (that is where the flavor is).
  • By weight, add 1% salt, 1.5% shiro/white miso, 0.25% light soy sauce (white soy sauce also works).
  • Mash until a lot of liquid has been released.
  • Add additional salt, msg, and red wine vinegar to balance. Add only small amounts at a time. This is only really needed when the tomatoes you are using are not the ripest.
  • Freeze.
  • Let defrost and strain over a cheese cloth.
• I used Bordiga Bianco Vermouth, it is so good.