The Pink Martinez (Gin Martini)

On Saturday night, my friend “Double Down” and his girlfriend, Marisela, had a housewarming party to celebrate the purchase of their new condo. They provided us with some great food and drink with a lot of Mexican flair even though it was President’s Day weekend. We ate marinated pulled pork soft tacos, chips with fresh homemade salsa, and arugula salad with goat cheese and bacon. For dessert we had fresh baked cookies and homemade ice cream sandwiches (flavors: salted caramel, peppermint, and coffee with donuts!) from the incredible Beakers and Cream (Double Down knows the owner personally, so that’s pretty awesome).

While the food was wonderful, we also had some incredible beverages. Double Down mixed up a batch of Sangrita (orange juice infused with jalapeno pieces) to accompany some Tequila shots, which made it a star that night. Another one of my friends, AmasianV, started mixing drinks with whatever was at the bar. He came up with a drink that he aptly named the “Pink Martinez.” It’s a gin martini with a bunch of ingredients I had never heard of nor had I ever had before (other than the Hendricks gin that is). Turns out the drink is really light and tasty. The overall effect is somewhat herb-y due to the gin, but it also had a little bit of a cherry, tea, and/or elderflower finish that reminded our co-host Marisela of… “something.” She couldn’t quite pin point what it was all night though.

I really enjoyed the drink and I asked AmasianV if he’d let me photograph him making it, so I could share it on my blog. The results of that little endeavor are below!

Makes one drink at 223 calories.

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz. Hendricks Gin (about 73 cal. per oz. or 146 cal. total)
  
• 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth Blanc (about 40 cal.)
  
• 0.5 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (about 37 cal.)
  
• 1 – 2 Dashes Peychaud Bitters
• Ice

Equipment:

• Pint glass or cocktail shaker
• Long drink stirrer or long spoon
• Jigger, shot glass, or fluid ounce measurement tool
• Martini glass
• Mesh cocktail strainer

Directions:

1. Fill a pint glass with ice.
   
2. Add in the 2 oz. of Hendricks Gin to the pint glass.
3. Then add the 1 oz. of Sweet Vermouth Blanc
   Note: This is different than common sweet vermouth, which is often a darker red color.
   
4. Next, add the 0.5 oz. Luxardo.
   
5. Lastly, add one or two dashes of Peychaud bitters.
   Note: It wasn’t prepared for me this way, but I think you could also add the dashes of bitters at the end after mixing the drink for a slightly different blend of flavors.
   
6. Stir (do not shake) the ingredients for 30 seconds.
   
7. After stirring, put the cocktail strainer on top of the glass and pour just the liquid into a Martini glass.
   
8. Garnish with something earthy or sweet and serve immediately. I think a cherry would go great with this drink, but you could also go with something a little more herb-based.