Urban Bar: Juniper Martini

It’s redundant, isn’t it?

The core ingredient and fundamental flavor of gin is juniper. The seed cone of the juniper shrub (its “berry”) delivers the crisp piney spark to the taste buds that sets a martini up for success. From there, the flavor profile of gin can go off in almost any direction: citrus, herbal, floral, bitter, astringent. As long as the core of the mash is juniper, it’s gin.

One flavor that shouldn’t be associated with a martini is sweetness, or so do many martini drinkers proclaim. That just proves they never tasted a martini built by Julia Child HerSelf according to her famous preference for a 5:1 vermouth: gin ratio to favor the dry vermouth. Gin martinis are categorized by ratio; 5:1 is known as Upside Down.

Upside down is how you may first encounter the Juniper Martini. It is sharp but velvety, bracing and luxurious. The simple addition of juniper berries provides an additional snap of evergreen, while a twig of fresh rosemary ever so slightly ups the astringency. The result is an icy blast of winter gale in a frosty martini glass. I like my martinis so cold that ice chips float on the surface of the drink – in bar lingo, ask your bartender to “make it skate” – so I build this martini in the freezer.

If you don’t wish to slalom on the frost in your freezer, build your Juniper Martini with plenty of ice, and stir it until the mixing vessel is too cold to touch. Crown it with olives you brined yourself. Place one or three of them on your cocktail pick – it is unlucky to serve a martini with an even number of olives.

Whatever your brand, gin is a tension of flavors in balance so precise that it does not typically benefit from infusion. But such common practices as building a martini with a whirl of lemon or a bar spoon of olive brine enhances the experience of the cocktail without disrespecting the flavor of the gin. I have found that complex gins work best with this drink – try Hendrick’s, Bombay Sapphire, or Broker’s. Use a Vermouth with a slightly sweet, floral edge – I use Noilly Prat Extra Dry, Vya Dry, or Carpano Antica Dry. Here is my original recipe for the unique, gin-forward Juniper Martini.

Juniper Martini*

Juniper berries are not common in the spice aisle of the supermarket, but you can get them at gourmet shops and herb and spice shops, many of which provide mail order. 

 

2-1/2 ounces London Dry Gin

½ ounce dry Vermouth

4 juniper berries

1 small sprig fresh rosemary

1 or 3 martini olives

• Add gin and Vermouth to mixing glass or shaker. Add juniper berries and rosemary.
• Add cracked ice to fill glass / shaker ¾ full.
• Use a bar spoon to briskly stir the mixture until very cold and the berries are slightly bruised, approximately 30 stirs.
• Strain cocktail into chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives on a pick. Serve immediately.

*Please note that juniper berries can act as an abortifacient, even in small amounts. Please clear this recipe with your health care provider if that concern is applicable.