The Joanna — A vodka martini lengthened with fino sherry and elderflower

The Joanna

A vodka martini lengthened with fino sherry and elderflower

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ozVodka
    A clean one; there is nothing here to hide behind
  • 6 dropsLavender Bitters
    Dried French lavender, steeped on its own
    Substitute: Any single-botanical floral bitters
  • 3/4 ozFino Sherry
    Where the salt and the almond come from
  • 3/4 ozDry Vermouth
    Equal to the sherry
  • 1/2 ozElderflower Liqueur
    The only sweetness in the glass

Instructions

  1. Add 1 1/2 oz vodka, 3/4 oz fino sherry, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, 1/2 oz elderflower liqueur and 6 drops lavender bitters to a mixing glass
  2. Fill with ice and stir until cold
  3. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass
  4. Peg a small lavender sprig to the rim

Technique Notes

Four ingredients that are all pale and all dry, so the bitters is measured in drops rather than dashes. Six drops of lavender against ninety millilitres of liquid is close to the floor of what registers, and that is the intent: it should arrive on the nose before it arrives anywhere else.

Why the The Joanna Works

Lavender and elderflower are both floral and both easy to overdo, and the fino is what stops them meeting as perfume. Sherry brings salt and a dry nuttiness underneath, so the flowers sit on something rather than floating.