Bacon Cocktail - The Smoked Gin Martini Recipe

Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter Share by Email Pin on Pinterest

It is difficult to better the elegant purity of a gin martini cocktail as a pre-dinner drink. Yet later in the evening, something a little cosier and more comforting is called for. And this bacon cocktail, a smoked gin martini, is certainly it. The crisp salty bacon on the side, sits alongside the comforting fireside warmth of the gin and a hint of smoke.

The history of the gin martini cocktail is hotly disputed. Was it in the 1860's when patrons first ordered gin mixed with the new red Italian Martini vermouth, and referred to the mixed drink martini as shorthand? Or the 1849 miner from Martinez, California who had so enjoyed the "Martinez Special" in his home town that he asked for it when visiting San Francisco? Or even bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia in 1910 or 1911 inventing a drink for John David Rockefeller at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York? Presumably it is tough to pinpoint the origins of such a beautifully simple drink - a glass splashed with a hint of vermouth, and filled with ice cold gin. Finally a citrus peel garnish, or perhaps an olive.

This smoked gin martini stays true to the classic, but replaces the citrus aromatics with a hint of liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is a brilliant shortcut for adding smoky flavours. It is made from slowly burning hickory, pecan, mesquite and apple wood chips to release smoke. The smoke is condensed through water, and then bottled to give a of natural and intense smoke flavour. Too heavy handed with the dropper and you may believe you are licking a kipper. But just the right amount and it is a beautiful drink. The merest hint of smoky warmth beautifully complements the citrus aromatics of gin.

Unlike other bacon cocktails, this certainly isn't a breakfast drink as you'd struggle to do much for the rest of the day. However don't skimp on the bacon garnish - even after dinner these still go down a treat.

For the bacon garnish Serves: 2

Streaky bacon, cut lengthways into 1.5cm wide strips
Wooden skewers

For the cocktail

15ml dry vermouth
150ml gin
2 handfuls ice
4 tiny dabs of pecan liquid smoke

Method

First make the bacon garnish. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Press a skewer through one end of the bacon, and wrap the bacon around the skewer, twisting as you go. Grill for 10-15 minutes, rotating half way through until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Leave to cool and remove from skewer.
For the cocktail, put the ice in the cocktail shaker or jug and pour over the vermouth. Stir the ice a few times to coat it with the vermouth. Pour away the excess vermouth.
Add the gin. Stir the cocktail a further 16-18 times to combine the flavours.
Pour into a martini glass, and carefully add the pecan liquid smoke. Dip the end of the teaspoon into the bottle and use to dab two drops into the glass.
Garnish with the bacon to serve.

Pinterest:

About the author

Nicola Lando is the co-founder and CEO of Sous Chef, where she has spent more than a decade sourcing, tasting and selecting specialist ingredients, cookware and tableware from producers around the world.

She trained at Leiths and later completed a stage at a Michelin-starred London restaurant, experiences that helped shape Sous Chef’s original mission: to give home cooks access to the same exceptional ingredients used by professional chefs.

Today, Nicola leads much of Sous Chef’s product sourcing and ingredient selection, working directly with producers and travelling internationally to food fairs, farms, mills and manufacturers. She tastes thousands of products each year and has built deep expertise across storecupboard ingredients, olive oil, condiments, spices, preserved foods and specialist cooking ingredients.

She holds an olive oil sommelier certification from ESAO in Spain, Imperial Executive Education’s Certificate in Nutrition for Health: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies certificate; as well as studying Food Safety and Control at University of Greenwich.

Nicola also writes recipes and ingredient guides for Sous Chef, combining practical cooking experience with first-hand knowledge from producers, suppliers and specialist food makers. Her work focuses on helping cooks understand how to choose better ingredients, use them well, and get more flavour from their cooking.