The handsome devils at The Handmade Cocktail company have mixed a very tasty martinez, the latest addition to a range of superbly convenient cocktails.
The origins of the martinez are mysterious. More mysterious than people who profess to enjoy Coldplay; more mysterious than the location of Mike’s passport; more mysterious even than the fact Greg Wallace keeps getting presenting jobs.
Stories as to the provenance of the martinez abound; some say it was created by legendary bartender “Professor” Jerry Thomas at The Old Occidental Hotel in San Francisco to satiate a thirsty miner on his way to the town of Martinez.
Others say it was a bartender in the town of Martinez itself who created the drink for a miner who complained someone had made him a really nasty drink back in San Francisco and he needed to take the taste away.
Others still say that on Christmas eve in the late 80s a New York cop found himself trapped in Nakatomi Plaza with Alan Rickman attempting a dodgy German accent and… no wait, that’s the plot of Die Hard.
Hans Gruber: Nothing to do with the origin of the martinez.
It really is a superb creation, and our tasting notes are here:
Nose: The sweetness is herbal and citrusy with heavy cherry overtones from the liqueur. There’s candied peel and juniper with faint grassy notes.
Body: Baked fruit with cherry the most prominent. Red grapes and raisins as well as more botanicals. The candied peel apparent in the nose is here too.
Finish: A hint of black pepper sweetness with herbs and peel fading out slowly.
Overall: A deliciously different cocktail, both complex and sweet.
The Martinez is just one of the Handmade Cocktail Company’s revamped 2012 range that boasts snazzy new labels, lower prices, and the same high-quality ingredients you would expect. It joins classics such as The Old Fashioned, The Gin Martini and The Negroni, all well worth a try.
Gareth.
