Jeff Rogers is the beverage director for Jester Concepts in Minneapolis.
Our teams have tried, tested and played with so many different spirits and cocktail formulas in the never-ending quest to make amazing cocktails. Some cocktails have gone on to great success in our establishments, some have become very popular amongst a group of guests with particular tastes, and some have fallen to the wayside.
No matter the outcome, we trust in the process of developing flavors and textures that will best represent our staff, our establishments and the ingredients we want to use. While we love to push the boundaries with recipes, and see what our guests will gravitate towards, without fail, classic cocktails done well are always a hit.
The newest concept within our Jester Concepts group is P.S. Steak, a contemporary steakhouse. To stand out from the crowd, we knew we had to make our cocktail program shine. As Martinis and steakhouse go hand-in-hand, we wanted to put our own riff on it.
After much trial and error, and with inspiration from a local barkeep, we had what we wanted. Tanqueray 10 gin, Ki No Bi Kyoto gin, Noilly Pratt Extra Dry vermouth and blend of orange bitters. After combining these ingredients together, we add ice for dilution until just barely melted.
It’s a fine line between making an ice-cold Martini and ensuring that it doesn’t freeze or get too diluted. To serve, we pull a chilled glass from the fridge and finish it with a lemon peel expressed over the top before discarding.
What started as a journey for us to develop a single Martini has transformed into an exercise of how different spirits, vermouths, bitters and ratios can drastically change the cocktail. We use it as an opportunity to show our guests the many possibilities within one cocktail.
Two parts spirit, one part vermouth, and two dashes bitters is the ratio we generally start with, and it’s fascinating to see where it ends up based on the ingredients chosen. The end result should be a crisp and clean with a hint of citrus — letting every ingredient shine.
We can always make one to our guests’ specifications as well, but our “House Martini” will always have a special place for us. It reflects how we want to continue to experiment, pushing cocktails forward while respecting the past.
Original House Martini
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Tanqueray 10 gin
- ½ oz. Ki No Bi Japanese gin
- 1 oz. Noilly Pratt Extra Dry vermouth
- 2 dashes Orange bitters blend
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients into a stirring vessel.
- Add ice and stir until dispersed dilution.
- Pour into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel expressed and discarded.
Looking for more What I’m Drinking Now? Check out Roberto Colombi and the Marche Bianco “Coccio” 2018, Matt Hungerford and the Golden Pineapple, Sophie Burton and the My Offer Is Nothing, Natalie Tapken and Chateau Simone Rosé, Ervin Machado and the Hibiscus Spiced Margarita, and Rael Petit and the Painkiller, among others.