Blackberry Martini
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 29.5% ABV ∙
The Blackberry Martini shakes muddled fresh blackberries with London dry gin, bianco vermouth and a touch of sugar syrup, served up in a coupe. Muddled blackberry gives a deep, jammy sweetness up front, gin and vermouth add a dry backbone, and a short tart edge carries the finish — a good cool-weather aperitif.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Fresh blackberries 3 pcs
- Add the remaining ingredients: London dry gin 60 mlBianco vermouth 20 mlSugar syrup 5 ml
- Shake with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a blackberry
Tips
- Muddle the blackberries on their own first, before the gin and vermouth go in, releasing the juice without pulverizing the skins - crushed skins turn the drink bitter.
- Double strain through a fine mesh after shaking to remove blackberry seeds and pulp, giving a clean pour into the coupe.
- Shake hard with ample ice for a full 12-15 seconds to properly dilute and chill the muddled fruit mixture before straining.
History
The Blackberry Martini belongs to the Fruit Martini, or "Fruitini," family of Neo-Martinis that emerged from London's bar scene in the 1990s. Bartenders such as Ben Reed pioneered a style called the fresh fruit Martini, muddling fresh and often exotic fruit into vodka-based drinks rather than using it merely as garnish, a technique that became closely associated with London's fashionable Met Bar. This style grew out of the French Martini, credited to New York bar owner Keith McNally in the late 1980s and popularized through the 1990s, which had already established the V-shaped "Martini" glass as a vessel for fruity, vermouth-free vodka drinks. The Blackberry Martini follows this fresh-fruit format, substituting muddled blackberries for the fruit component that defines the style.
