Gibson Gal Martini

Unexpected & Delicious

Inspiration

Gibson Gal Martini

Recipe by Jena Ellenwood

The Gibson – a savory delight of brine and gin, a pickled snack with a botanical vermouth backbone – is one of those cocktails often dismissed but one that deserves your consideration. When creating the Gibson Gal, I knew I wanted to use Mahon, a grape based gin from the island of Menorca. The unusual grape base in the gin inspired me to create a cider vermouth and pickle red pearl onions with apple cider vinegar for my garnish. The result is a lovely autumnal spin on a Gibson: light, bright, and yet cozy and warming at the same time.

Let’s Get Stirrin’ (Not Shakin’)

Serves: 1

Special Tools: Jigger, Barspoon, Mixing Glass

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

2 oz Mahon Gin

1/4 oz Pickled Onion Brine

1 oz Cider Vermouth (make ours)

Pickled Red Pearl Onion
(use pickling spices from the spices used in my cider vermouth recipe, and use apple cider vinegar)

Steps

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.
Add ice and stir.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish your Gibson Gal with a pickled onion.

Suzanne making a sour face wondering if she'll like this cocktail

But will I like it?

Cocktail flavor profile

Getting to know your palate, what you like, and what you don’t like is a critical part of being a great craft tippler AND key to becoming a great home bartender as well! So before you break out that barware and buy the key ingredients, here’s a little guidance on what to expect from this cocktail so you can start to hone in on exactly what elements of cocktails you enjoy and which you’d prefer to minimize. This helps you order new cocktails you love when you’re out on the town better as well!