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The Gibson

The martini's overlooked cousin: gin and dry vermouth stirred until it hurts, with a pickled cocktail onion in the bottom instead of an olive. Bone dry, ice cold, and savory in a way that has no business working as well as it does against something fried.

Total time
5 min
Serves
1
Difficulty
Easy
play_circle Watch episode 284
The Gibson
As seen on Episode 284

The preparation

5 steps, about 5 minutes start to finish.

  1. 01

    1. Chill the glass first. Fill a coupe or a Nick and Nora with ice and water and leave it in the freezer while you build the drink. A Gibson served at anything above ice cold is a different and worse drink.

  2. 02

    2. Combine the gin and vermouth in a mixing glass with plenty of ice.

  3. 03

    3. Stir, do not shake: about 30 seconds, until the outside of the glass is painful to hold.

  4. 04

    4. Dump the ice out of the coupe and strain the drink in.

  5. 05

    5. Drop in the onions on a pick and serve immediately.

lightbulb The chef's notes

“Keep your vermouth in the refrigerator, not the cabinet; it is a wine and it goes off in about a month on the counter, and tired vermouth is why most people think they do not like martinis. Adjust the ratio to taste, five to one is the modern default but the original was closer to two to one and that version is worth trying once. Spearing a little of the onion brine into the glass turns it into a dirty Gibson, which is not traditional and is very good. Non-drinker version: chilled white grape juice with a splash of brine and the same onions, served in the same cold coupe so nobody feels left out.”

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