Silly season is upon us and Hickson House have gifted us early with three classic martini recipes and a delicious food pairing, to ensure your host with the most status remains unrivalled this Christmas.
Boasting the titles of Best New Bar 2022, Best Distillery Bar 2022 and runner-up for Best Gin Bar 2022 – you could say Hickson House Distillery Co. know a thing or two about crafting the perfect martini.
Having burst into The Rocks earlier this year with a super-luxe distillery, bar and dining room, Hickson House has amassed something of a cult following, with everyone desperate to recreate the team’s signature libations at home.
Whilst some of their recipes are best left to the experts in-house – like the renowned Pearl Martini: Oyster pearl infused Hickson Rd Harbour Strength Gin with Nori Vermouth and Acqua Bianca, garnished with a sprig of native Samphire – we’re confident that with a little guidance and a swig of Hickson courage, you’ll master these three classic martini recipes without any incidents.
Hickson House Classic Martini Recipes
Any martini-lover worth their weight in botanicals knows that a quality cocktail is only made possible with a quality base spirit. Hickson House’s own gin, Hickson Rd makes for an unbeatable base, built on Australian ingredients often grown exclusively for the distillery. Opt for the Australian Dry Gin for a failsafe base, voted best Australian Spirit 2022 by Australian Bartenders. Order online before the end of November and score $15 off with code NOVEM15ER.
1. Classic Martini, Stirred Not Shaken
- – 50ml of Hickson Rd. Australian Dry Gin – traditional London Dry style gin – with a modern Australian twist. It is made with local botanicals like Australian native thyme, finger lime and aniseed myrtle that is perfect for this citrusy Martini.
- – 10ml Dry Vermouth (we recommend Noilly Prat)
Method: Add spirits into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cold martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist to enhance the vermouth.
2. Dirty Martini
- – 50ml Hickson Rd. London Dry Gin – made with native Old Man Saltbush botanical for a hint of salinity – perfect for a savoury style martini
- – 10ml Dry Vermouth
- – Olives
Method: Add spirits into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cold martini glass and garnish with a single or three olives (always an odd number) skewered on a cocktail pick and placed into the drink, not rested on the rim.
3. Gibson
- – 50ml Harbour Strength Gin – A juniper-forward, navy strength gin.
- – 10ml Dry Vermouth
- – Pickled Onion
Method: Add spirits into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cold martini glass and garnish with three mini pickled onions or a single medium-sized onion, the best part is nibbling it at the end once it has absorbed some of the flavours of the Martini.
Salt-Roasted Prawns With Charred Lime And Chilli Recipe
For the gold standard of cocktail party snacking, few things rival a satiating seafood bite. The botanicals in gin enhance just about any seafood, but the briny sweetness of salt-roasted prawns with charred lime and chilli will take your hosting prowess to a whole new level.
Ingredients:
- 30ml Hickson Rd. Australian Dry Gin
- 100g Unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot (finely diced)
- 1 long red chilli (finely diced)
- 2 cloves of garlic (finely diced)
- 5 stalks of thyme
- ½ Lime
- Prawns – the biggest prawns you are prepared to part money with, cooked or raw
Method
- Add butter, shallot, chilli, garlic and thyme to a saucepan over a low heat and allow to gently cook until soft
- Once this is done remove the pan from the heat and add 30ml of your favourite Hickson road gin followed by the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt
- If using cooked prawns use the butter as a dipping sauce, If raw, add the prawns into a frying pan over a high heat and add your butter mixture
There you have it, the martini-lovers guide to a gincredible festive treat.
Everything you need to make the perfect Martini at home, including Hickson Rd Gin and martini olives can be ordered online via their website. Order on or before Nov 30 and score $15 off with discount code NOVEM15ER. Whaddya waiting for!? Let the celebrations be-GIN!
Sponsored Love. This post is proudly brought to you in partnership with Hickson House. Thank you for supporting the partners that make Eat Drink Play possible.