One Good Thing: the 50/50
A recipe for the martini of the moment
My current cocktail fixation is a 50/50. It’s a variation on a martini — half gin (or vodka), half dry vermouth. The classic martini calls for mostly hard liquor and just a splash of vermouth, or, if ordered extra dry, barely any vermouth at all. I don’t remember where I first heard about the 50/50 but after teaching an Emirates Airlines bartender how to make one this week, I felt compelled to spread the word about this minor miracle of a mind easer.
I used to think that ordering extra dry, extra dirty martinis made me tough when really, they mostly made my head hurt. The advantage of a 50/50: it contains a lot less alcohol than your average martini, and the subtle savory taste brought on by the vermouth pairs well with cocktail snacks like spiced nuts, olives, and — my favorite, this time of year — spicy BjornQorn. I’m not alone in the 50/50 pursuit; the New York Times recently chronicled the resurgence of the “wet” martini, which Pete Wells likened to “a facial massage; it doesn’t seem like much at first, but after a few minutes you realize you’ve wanted something like it for a long time.”
I’ve yet to perfect my recipe, but here’s what I’m making at home. Do you have a favorite dry vermouth? Do tell in the comments, I’m looking to — I’m sorry, I can’t, don’t hate me — shake things up.
Recipe: the 50/50
Ingredients
One part Bordiga Occitan gin
One part Dolin dry vermouth
Dash of Dirty Sue olive juice*
Directions
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a frosted martini glass. Garnish with a Castelvetrano olive, if desired.
*To quote a salesman at Bar Keeper: “You don’t want to use the stuff that comes in the olive jar. You will bloat like a balloon.” I don’t have evidence to that effect but those words were enough to sway me.