Members get FREE Delivery on metro orders $149+ (T&Cs apply*)
The ‘It’ drink goes long for a fizzy, refreshing take on the classic.
About the cocktail
Ordering the perfect Martini can be a bit like playing 20 Questions. Vodka or gin? Wet or dry? Dirty or clean? Shaken or stirred? Lemon or olive garnish? Normally we’d demand the whole process be streamlined but – except for the shaken/stirred bit, which really only exists in the James Bond universe – it all adds up to getting the perfect Martini for you. But we’d like to throw another choice into the mix: short or long? A short Martini is your typical serve with little more than gin (or vodka), vermouth and a garnish. A long Martini, on the other hand, gets topped up with soda water. That’s our Martini Highball. You get the flavours of a classic Martini – herbaceous gin and the slightly bitter aromatics of vermouth – but with plenty of fresh, sparkling soda to take the edge off. The result is a refreshing, botanical-flavoured highball that gets a tiny touch of sweetness from bianco vermouth, which subs in for the traditional dry style. We don’t think the Martini Highball is going to replace the classic Martini anytime soon, but it does have some serious advantages. For starters, the addition of soda water means this is a less potent cocktail than the original – both in terms of alcohol concentration and flavour. If you’ve never really developed a taste for the traditional Martini, consider this a great alternative, or perhaps a good starting point. And if you love a Martini in all its forms, we think you’ll also appreciate the summery, refreshing drinkability going on here.
Ingredients
40mL gin 20mL bianco vermouth 90ml soda water Glass: highball Garnish: lemon wedge and skewered olives
Method
Ensure all your ingredients are ice cold by giving your glassware and gin some time in the freezer, and storing your vermouth and soda water in the coldest part of fridge Fill your frosty glass with ice, and add the gin and vermouth Add a few cubes of ice, then pour in your soda water to top Give the drink a quick stir and garnish with the lemon wedge and olives
Dan’s top tips
Traditional Martini fans, we hear you – dry vermouth is the classic way. Here, though, we’re recommending bianco vermouth. With the extra length you get from the soda water, bianco vermouth adds a nice little touch of sweetness while its botanicals help to bump up the flavour nicely. If you have a favourite bianco vermouth, now’s the time to use it – if not, we love Cinzano Bianco here. If you’re a Vodka Martini fan, you can absolutely twist this recipe to suit – simply swap the gin for vodka and enjoy. The botanicals in gin pair especially nicely with the citrus and savoury notes in the bianco vermouth, but vodka fans will enjoy those same elements just as much, making for a great summery drink. Traditional dry Martinis are usually garnished with a lemon twist or olives, and we’ve gone for both. That said, Martinis are pretty flexible when it comes to garnishing, so feel free to add whatever you like. If you’ve had a Gibson before and loved the pickled onion that comes with that Martini riff, you could include a couple of those. And if the briney-sour combo of a cornichon does it for you, that’s great, too. One final tip (and possibly the most important): everything needs to be super-cold. This is the reason why bartenders often make better Martinis than home mixers – they just get the temperature right. Before mixing, put your gin, vermouth and soda in the fridge and your glassware in the freezer – trust us.
What's the difference between a Martini Highball and a classic Martini?
A classic Martini combines gin and dry vermouth, whereas a Martini Highball uses gin, bianco vermouth and soda water.
Should you use gin or vodka in a Martini Highball?
We recommend using gin in a Martini Highball because it will bring an aromatic and herbaceous flavour. You could, of course, use vodka if you prefer.
- What food pairs with a Martini Highball?
As a refreshing play on a classic aperitif-style Martini, we think the Martini Highball would be perfect with pre-dinner snacks like warm bread with butter, salty crisps, and crackers and dip.
image credits: Kayla May (photographer), Bridget Wald (stylist).
