Classic Gin Martini

One of our favorite cocktails of all time is the classic Gin Martini. For us the ethereal botanicals from the gin combined with the earthy brine of vermouth create one of the most perfect cocktails ever shaken or stirred.

Admittedly attracted by the label at first (yes we’re suckers for a pretty label) we recently sampled Monkey 47, a very unique gin, and were intrigued by its aromas of lime and of woody spruce and couldn’t wait to try it in a martini. Made in Germany using 47 different botanical ingredients, we found this gin to be utterly entrancing when sipped on its own and it resulted in a lovely martini, paired with Dolin dry vermouth from France.

Truth be told, after auditioning several combinations over the years, Broker’s Gin and Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth have become our favorite pair for both the classic martini and Andrea’s most favorite variation, the Dirty Martini which will be featured soon in an upcoming post. Although Broker’s and Noilly Prat are our own go to cocktail combo, we’d love to hear about your favorite Martini duo, and hope you’ll share your recipes and photos with us! We know some people love to include a dash of orange bitters in their classic martinis and want to hear who else is hooked on this bitter addition too!

Scroll below to see the recipe for our version of the classic gin martini as well as our photography notes from this photoshoot.

Drink Photography Notes: Lighting provided from 2 strobes – one with a grid placed back right at 1 o’clock position to create the high contrast lighting and one strobe light with soft box at the 3 o’clock position to help slightly bring back details and add better dimension. Pinpoint mirrors were used to reflect targeted light onto the bottle labels and olives. The camera system is a Leica S Medium Format with a 30-90mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario-Elmar-S lens.

Drink & Prop Styling Notes: Hand-stuffed Gaea green olives were selected. Test cocktails were made ahead of time using just water to determine ideal olive placement in the glass, and to rehearse the pouring action shots. Various antique or unique objects of interest such as books, a curio box, cocktail trays and a small elephant were placed throughout the setting to create the unusual visual narrative.

Classic Gin Martini

Classic Gin Martini

Classic Gin Martini – Monkey 47 Gin

Classic Gin Martini