S&W Gin Gibson
Chapter 5: Cocktails & Desserts
A freezer-chilled coupe, a heavy pour of Plymouth gin, and a jar of silver skin onions sit on the bar. At three-to-one, it is a botanical slap to the palate, designed to brace you for an onslaught of seared beef and butter. Stirred—never shaken—to viscous perfection, it demands exactly three silverskin onions. Two is bad luck, four is a salad. Keep the bottle in the freezer, pack the mixing glass with hard ice until the ice cracks, and stir until the walls frost.
Before you start
Deep freeze the glassware.
Place an oversized classic Martini glass or large coupe in the freezer for at least one hour before mixing; it should be opaque with frost when you are ready to pour.
Ingredients
- London Dry gin3 oz
- dry vermouth1 oz
- orange bitters1/4 tsp
- cocktail onion brine1/4 oz
- silverskin pearl cocktail onions3 small
- dense ice cubes2 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the spirits.
Into a heavy-bottomed crystal mixing glass, pour the gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters, and the onion brine.
- 02
Add the ice.
Fill the mixing glass three-quarters of the way to the top with large, solid ice cubes.
- 03
Stir for exact thermal transfer.
Insert a long-handled bar spoon and stir in a smooth, continuous circular motion for exactly 30 to 45 seconds, until the outside of the glass frosts over completely.
- 04
Strain the cocktail.
Place a Hawthorne or Julep strainer over the mixing glass and pour the cocktail into your deeply frosted Martini glass in a single, smooth motion.
- 05
Apply the strict garnish.
Skewer exactly three silverskin cocktail onions onto a premium cocktail pick and rest it across the rim or drop it straight to the bottom.
Notes
Treat your vermouth like white wine.
Once opened, dry vermouth oxidizes quickly. Keep it in the refrigerator and discard it after a month.
Never shake a Gibson.
Shaking aerates and dilutes too quickly, bruising the gin and leaving you with a cloudy, textureless drink.
Mind the garnish math.
Two is bad luck; four is a salad. If a bartender hands you an even number, send it back.