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Gin Fizz Cocktail with Quick Pickle Recipe // A Well Crafted Party
A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Gin, Thyme, and Quick Pickle Fizz Cocktail

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Gin Fizz Cocktail with Quick Pickle Recipe // A Well Crafted Party
Photo by Motormouth Studios

This cocktail must be one of the strangest concoctions I’ve come up with yet. But, I was really craving a savory and smooth cocktail that utilized some of the yummy produce that my husband’s garden was giving us. At first I tried some muddling of these awesome cucumbers that he grew. But, the cucumber was much too bitter for a good cocktail. That is when I realized they were PICKLING cucumbers. Duh. So, a quick pickle happened and then the magic of this drink came together. If you are looking for a savory and smooth cocktail — good for brunch or a nice lunch on the lawn — then I’d challenge you to give it a shot.

Gin Fizz Cocktail with Quick Pickle Recipe // A Well Crafted Party
Photo by Motormouth Studios

 

Gin & Thyme Fizz Cocktail with Quick Pickles

This cocktail is made with egg white. Egg whites give a cocktail a creamy and rich texture along with some pretty awesome looking foam. Use your best food handling practices when working with raw eggs at all times. Clean hands, freshest possible eggs, and safe handling. Typically when using egg whites in a drink I like to shake up the drinks ingredients without ice to make sure the foam is the best and then I add ice, shake a bit and pour into a glass. Because I wanted the thyme and quick pickle to impart some flavor in this drink I chose to shake it all together with ice. It still worked great.

Ingredients & Supplies:

  • Cocktail Glass- I used a rocks glass
  • Cocktail Shaker
  • Ice
  • Fine Mesh Sieve
  • 1 Egg White
  • 2 oz Gin
  • 1 oz Simple Syrup
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 Quick Pickles (recipe below)
  • 2 Sprigs of Thyme

Directions:

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour over the gin, simple syrup, and lime juice. Add in 1 sprig of thyme and 1 quick pickle.Finally add the egg white.
  2. SHAKE LIKE CRAZY! Shake it up really well so that the quick pickle and thyme really infuse the drink with flavor and so the egg white gets nice and frothy.
  3. Strain the cocktail into a glass. You can do this drink up in a martini glass, or like I did, on the rocks in a rocks glass.
  4. Garnish with quick pickle and sprig of thyme

Quick Pickle Recipe

Quick pickles are not pickles that will last for a long time in your pantry. I like to make quick pickles the same day or the day before I’m going to eat them. Make at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you need them.
Ingredients & Supplies

  • 1 Medium to Large Sized Bowl
  • 2 Pickling Cucumbers cut into spears
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Water (Boil before use)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

Directions

    1. Put vinegars, water, and sugar in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
    2. Add cucumber spears to bowl, make sure vinegar solution covers all spears.
    3. Sprinkle with salt, cover and set in fridge.
    4. Test for a crunchy, slightly acidic and slightly sweet pickle after about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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Greek Martini and Other Twists on the Classic // A Well Crafted Party
A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Twists on the Martini Recipe

3 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry
Greek Martini and Other Twists on the Classic // A Well Crafted Party
Image taken by Portland photographer Macey Snelson of Motormouth Studios

Last week’s post featured one of my all time favorite cocktails… a simple, classic martini! I also shared a bit of the terminology surrounding martinis. I could drink a classic martini almost every time I want a drink. However, every now and again I like to mix up my martini a bit with one of the following “twists” on tradition.

  1. Martini with a Twist: This is actually pretty much considered a classic. But, because I typically prefer olives… this is mixing it up for me. When I want a different flavor than olives I’ll make the classic martini and add a lemon twist. Nearly any bar, any where will have the ingredients to make this cocktail. (A twist is just a piece of citrus zest that garnishes a cocktail.) How to Make a Lemon Twist: I love this Bon Appetit article that shows three ways to make a lemon twist.
  2. Dirty Greek Martini: (pictured) One of my favorite greek restaurants serves their dirty martini subbing greek olives instead of the traditionally used pimento stuffed green olives. I like to do vodka in my greek martini! This cocktail might be best made at home since most bars aren’t going to carry greek olives. How To Make a Dirty Greek Martini: Pour 2 oz vodka, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, and 1/4 oz greek olive juice over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake at least 45 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with greek olives.
  3. Gibson: A Gibson Martini is traditionally a Gin martini garnished with a pickled onion. This is a super traditional drink—most bars will be able to easily whip this up for you. How to Make a Gibson Martini: Pour 2 oz of gin and 3/4 oz dry vermouth over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake for at least 45 seconds. Stain into a martini glass. Garnish with pickled pearl onions.
  4. Dirty & Spicy Martini: A dangerously good sipper if you like it hot… I tried this martini at a bar that had their own pepper infused vodka. You can easily make it at home, but some bars may have the fixings for this as well. How to Make a Dirty & Spicy Martini: Pour 2 oz pepper infused vodka, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, and 1/4 oz olive juice over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pepper and olive!
  5. Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives with a Dry Martini: When I know a bar has freshly stuffed blue cheese olives I will ALWAYS order this drink. They have to be freshly stuffed though… I haven’t met a jarred blue cheese stuffed olive than I’ve liked yet. How to make Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives with a Dry Martini: For the martini I like to keep it very dry and clean. First you’ll want to prep your olives. I typically get large pimento stuffed green olives, pop out the pimento’s and stuff with blue cheese using my fingers. I then pour 1/4 oz vermouth into a chilled martini glass, swish around the glass and pour out. Then pour 3 oz of vodka over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with your freshly stuffed Blue Cheese Olives!
Greek Martini and Other Twists on the Classic // A Well Crafted Party
Image taken by Portland photographer Macey Snelson of Motormouth Studios

There are a ton of variations of cocktails that are based off the basic martini recipe. Changing up garnishes and/or portions can easily switch up a drink.

Tell me…. do you like martinis? If so, what is your martini order? Comment below!

PS: Don’t miss out on your opportunity to win an awesome new wireless speaker! Check out my current giveaway for your chance to win!

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Classic Martini and Tips for Ordering // A Well Crafted Party
A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Classic Martini

7 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

There is just nothing like a classic martini. A smooth, ice cold martini is my idea of a perfect night cap. My personal order is a shaken, dirty and dry vodka martini served up. However, I’m not too picky… I’ll drink them a variety of ways depending on my mood and supplies.

The thing that I learned as a bartender is that there are not a lot of people comfortable ordering martinis. Often people would slide up to the bar and that they’d like a martini and then they’d be stumped by questions about the drink. It is good to know the differences between the terms so that you know what you like. No bartender wants to make you a drink you don’t enjoy.

Classic Martini and Tips for Ordering // A Well Crafted Party
Photo by Motormouth Studios

I’m sharing with you today some martini terminology and my recipe for my classic martini. Just gonna put this out there… there are a LOT of different ways to make martinis and there are a lot of “classic martini recipes” hanging out in the web. I’d say, test them and figure out what YOU like. That is the important part of all this anyways. Also, check back next week where I share some fun variations on the martini.

Classic Martini

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Gin or Vodka
  • 3/4 oz dry vermouth
  • ice
  • shaker and/or long spoon
  • fine mesh sieve (or strainer)
  • Martini glass (TIP: Throw your martini glass into a freezer for a nice frosted glass.)
  • Garnish: olives or lemon twist

Directions: 

  1. Pour your gin or vodka and dry vermouth over ice in a shaker
  2. Shake or Stir the ingredients and ice- (I like shaking it because I feel like it makes it nice and icy!)
  3. Strain the ingredients into a martini glass
  4. Garnish  your martini with a lemon twist or olives- (I’m all about the olives.)

Martini Terminology

What the heck does all that stuff mean anyways? Well, here are my definitions!

Dirty: Made with olive juice. I start with about 1/4 oz and sometimes, when I am feeling like having a really dirty martini I up the olive juice to 1/2 oz.

Dry: Less vermouth! When I make my dry martini I take my vermouth down to 1/4 oz. Though, if you want very dry just omit the vermouth entirely.

On the Rocks: Served over ice.

Perfect: A martini using 50% dry and 50% sweet vermouth

Shaken: Ingredients shaken over ice.

Stirred: Ingredients stirred with a bar spoon with ice for about 45 seconds or so. This doesn’t “agitate” the ingredients.

Up: Served in a martini glass with no ice.

Wet: This term isn’t used often…. but, just in case you LOVE vermouth this one is for you. This means that you’d like the vermouth upped in your drink.

With a Twist: Served with a citrus twist (typically lemon) instead of olives. Adds a bit of the smell and taste of the citrus oils to your drink.

Am I missing anything? What is your favorite martini order? Comment below!

 

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