Mediterranean Martini — A stirred aperitif split evenly between citrus gin and Corsican quinquina

Mediterranean Martini

A stirred aperitif split evenly between citrus gin and Corsican quinquina

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 2 dashesOrange Bitters
    Bridges the gin botanicals and the citron
    Substitute: Regans' Orange No. 6
  • 1 1/2 ozCap Corse Blanc
    Chilled; it is a wine-based aperitif and keeps like one
    Substitute: Another blanc quinquina
  • 1 1/2 ozCitrus Gin
    A lemon-forward gin
    Substitute: London dry, with a wider lemon twist

Instructions

  1. Chill a coupe in the freezer while you build the drink
  2. Add 1 1/2 oz citrus gin, 1 1/2 oz Cap Corse Blanc and 2 dashes orange bitters to a mixing glass
  3. Fill with ice and stir until the glass frosts

    Longer than a full-strength martini; the aperitif is only seventeen percent

  4. Strain into the chilled coupe and express an orange peel over the surface

Technique Notes

Stir this colder and longer than a full-strength martini. Cap Corse is seventeen percent, so there is less alcohol here to carry the aromatics and temperature has to do that work instead.

Why the Mediterranean Martini Works

Cap Corse brings cinchona bitterness and Corsican citron where dry vermouth would bring wine and herbs, so the drink lands drier in the middle and brighter at the end. Splitting it evenly with gin keeps it around half the strength of a standard martini, which is what an aperitif is for.