Frozen & Bottled Martini

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen a lot of bloggers experimenting with frozen cocktails. The concept is pretty easy : Add your ingredients to a small jar or bottle and put it in the freezer for at least one night. Serve straight from the bottle in the glass. Add some garnish and ready to serve. 

First of all, this is nothing new. It reminded me of the Dukes Martini, served at the Dukes Hotel in London. (Fun fact : I once worked for a company based at the same square!). They also freeze their gin (or vodka) and just add three dashes of vermouth in the glass. This special serve was invented in the mid-80s by Salvatore Calabrese and is also known as the Martini that will really get you drunk, because it holds as much alcohol as three normal Martinis. The bar has a two-drink maximum for this serve. In the world of spirits and cocktails Salvatore became known as ‘The Maestro’, he also invented the Breakfast Martini. 

Back to my homebar, where I also wanted to play around with this idea. Bottled cocktails have certain advantages. Because of the concept, the ingredients have more time to blend to perfection. Freezing the bottle will have some more influence. First, I really like my drinks very cold and I know I’m not the only one. Second, the effect of the alcohol will be slightly softened by the temperature. 

I decided to freeze two simple experiments: A Martini, but also a Negroni that I will taste during the upcoming #Negroniweek. 

When you serve a cocktail straight from the bottle, you will have no dilution from the ice because there will be no shaking or stirring. You need to compensate the lack of dilution by adding a little bit of water into your bottle. The amount of water will be depending on the ABV of the cocktail. A Martini or Manhattan will require a bit more water than a Negroni. 

Of course you will give the jar or bottle a quick shake before placing it in your freezer. James Bond’s “Shaken not stirred” could really work this way 😉 
The result ? This was really delicious. My kind of drink. I'm absolutely going to do this more often !!!

Frozen Martini

Ingredients
60 ml Broker’s Gin 20 ml Dry Vermouth35 ml water1 dash of Orange bitters

Method
Add everything to a small jar or bottle. Give it a shake and put it in the freezer. 
Chill your glass. Strain the cocktail straight from the bottle or jar into the glass. Garnish with an olive or lemon peel. 

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