Everyone has their preferred martini build: gin or vodka, dry or wet, extra filthy, 50/50, rocks on the side, citrus twists, olives, cheese…the list goes on. With martinis trending again, why not make a wild new original? In collaboration with Food Editor Emily Ziemski, we developed yet another take on a dirty gin martini.
It all started with a brine. Emily approached me with yuzu-pickled enoki mushrooms and asked if I had any drink ideas. Enoki mushrooms are delicate and so adaptable that they had cottoned to the yuzu immediately, hanging onto the citrus and pepper. But with all that leftover brine, it seemed a shame to waste it. So, of course, when I heard brine, I thought ‘tini.
I chose Botanist Gin for its distinctly herbaceous qualities, which I knew would complement the citrusy spice of the yuzu. Sticking to traditional ratios when it came to the dry vermouth—two parts gin to one part vermouth—we learned pretty quickly that the sweet florals and subtle nuttiness it provided were excellent companions to the savory aspects of the brine. To fill out the body and round out those sweeter, nuttier elements, I opted for a bit of port and Madeira. One richer, the other drier, the addition of the two wines completed the drink with those sun-dried fruit notes, making each sip like a bite from the best charcuterie board.
Garnished with an expressed lemon peel and a few pickled mushrooms, the result is a full-bodied drink that starts out herby and bright, lands with a savory-sweet middle, and finishes with peppery yuzu. And even after you've finished your drink, you'll still have your enoki mushrooms as a snack, now doubly flavored with not only the brine but the entire martini to boot. —Harper Fendler
*For the full cocktail experience, you can find the Yuzu-Pickled Mushrooms (and brine) recipe here in my column, Plus One. Cheers! —Emily Ziemski
See what other Food52ers are saying.