Gin Mare Martinis
Does possibly the slickest website in booze translate to a delicious martini?
Last week, we discovered that Aviation Gin is more than just Ryan Reynolds’ marketing prowess and can indeed create a tasty martini. But how about a well-marketed gin from a completely different part of the world that prides itself on bucking category conventions?
Up Now: Gin Mare
The Gin
If you’re like me, you’re a bit skeptical of any “craft” brand that seems to have put a ton of effort into packaging and web presence. If that sounds ironic given my profession, yeah, good call. But Gin Mare might have some of the prettiest packaging, and almost certainly the prettiest website, of any spirit out there. I was very skeptical that the marketing prowess would translate to a gin worth the (higher than usual) price tag.
As that site will tell you about a million times, Gin Mare is a product of the Mediterranean. Even better, it was apparently first distilled in an antique still in a chapel in a small village outside of Barcelona. I’ve learned to be more than skeptical of these kinds of spirited origin stories, but that’s a fun one if there’s a bead of truth in it. But really what “Mediterranean” means here is that a core ingredient is the Arbequina olive. Other advertised botanicals include juniper berries (obviously), rosemary, thyme, lemon, orange, and cardamom.
I taste a lot of the olive and the herbs, especially the thyme. That comes through in the nose as well, along with the basil. I do taste the juniper and citrus, but only on the finish. They’re there, and you know it’s gin, but this drinks really differently than anything like a London Dry.
With Dolin
The juniper really comes through in this martini, but only on the palate. The nose is dominated by citrus zest, which I liked a lot. It’s a very classic, very smooth martini. I think it’s the best I made with Dolin.
With Carpano
This martini is absolutely loaded with flavor. The nose and palate are both full of citrus zest and herbs, and that stays throughout. The juniper gets lost almost completely, and it doesn’t drink all that smooth, but it certainly packs a punch.
With Martini & Rossi
The herbs come through on the nose and the palate, with thyme starting strongest and giving way to rosemary and basil. There’s also a good hit of citrus zest and oil in the nose that really shines on the palate along with juniper. Of all the martinis I made, this seems like it would respond best to some brine as well - some salinity might take it to an even higher level.
With Drapo
The basil is strongest here, dominating the other herbs. But even the basil is almost lost in a massive amount of citrus, which makes this martini taste almost sweet. There’s very little juniper here, which throws it a bit out of balance as well.
The Winner: Gin Mare with Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
I’m as surprised as you are that pairing the most expensive gin with the least expensive vermouth worked best here, but it did. This is a great martini. Flavorful but clean, strong but balanced, just overall tasty.
This is the overall winner and is officially my house martini now!
I’ve tested it with quite a few folks with varying martini tastes, and everyone has enjoyed it. This cocktail is a winner. Come on over and have one. Also, turns out I might have inadvertently lied when I said my house martini wouldn’t have olives…
Next Up: The Negroni. That will start in January. For the rest of December, be on the lookout for daily updates from a different project. More on that tomorrow…