Martini Special
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 32.6% ABV ∙
The Martini Special is a shaken gin cocktail built on gin and rosso vermouth, lifted with orange blossom water, absinthe, and aromatic bitters. Cold and silky with a floral whisper on the nose, it finishes bittersweet and faintly herbal, the orange twist's oil sharpening every sip.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlRosso vermouth 20 mlOrange blossom water 1 mlAbsinthe 2 dashesAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard and fine-strain into a pre-chilled coupe so the twist's oils are the last aroma to hit the glass.
- Add the absinthe as dashes only — it's there to scent the drink, not to compete with the gin.
History
The Martini Special is a named variation on the Martini recorded by Harry Craddock in The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930. Craddock's recipe, listed as "Martini (Special) Cocktail," called for a large-format mix of gin and Italian vermouth built out for six people, with orange-flower water added along with a dash of absinthe and one or two dashes of Angostura bitters before shaking. The name distinguishes it from the plain Martini recipes in the same book by the addition of these aromatic extras, chiefly the orange-flower water, giving it a more perfumed, spiced character than the standard gin-and-vermouth build.
The Martini itself, the drink this recipe riffs on, has a murky and disputed origin: leading theories trace it to the Martinez, a gin-and-vermouth drink served in the 1860s at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco before ferry departures to the town of Martinez, California, while other accounts credit a bartender in Martinez itself, a 1911 creation at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, or a naming link to the Martini & Rossi vermouth brand. Craddock, an American-born bartender who ran the Savoy Hotel's American Bar in London through the 1920s and 1930s, is widely credited with popularizing the Dry Martini in Britain, and his book preserved this fuller, aromatized "special" version alongside the leaner recipes that came to define the classic Martini.
FAQ
What is in a Martini Special?
London dry gin and rosso vermouth form the base, with orange blossom water, a couple of dashes of absinthe, and a dash of aromatic bitters added for scent and spice. It is shaken with ice, fine-strained into a chilled coupe, and finished with an expressed orange twist.
Is a Martini Special shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The orange blossom water and bitters need to integrate fully through the gin and vermouth, and shaking gives the quick, cold dilution this build is designed for.
What makes a Martini Special different from a regular martini?
A classic Martini is just gin (or vodka) and dry vermouth, stirred and garnished with an olive or lemon twist. This build adds rosso vermouth in place of dry, plus orange blossom water, absinthe, and aromatic bitters, and is shaken rather than stirred, giving it a sweeter, more perfumed, spice-accented profile.
What glass is a Martini Special served in?
A coupe glass. The drink is fine-strained before serving, so it arrives clear with no ice in the glass.
