The Astoria cocktail or martini is another of the drink that was made famous by the Waldorf Astoria bar in New York during the early 20th century. Many people will squirm at how wet this drink (because of the dry vermouth) originally was. The drink is still considered quite wet by today’s standards because of the large proportion of the dry vermouth in comparison to the Gin.

As the recipe has a large proportion of the vermouth, use a high quality vermouth such as Dolin Blanc for a better tasting drink. The drink is quite similar to a Classic Gin Martini expect for the proportion of the ingredients. Some of the earlier recipes for the martini called for bitters as well.

Ingredients

• 1 shot of Gin
• 2 shots of French Dry Vermouth
• Couple of dashes of Orange Bitters
• Lemon zest or peel to garnish

Preparation/Recipe

1. Add ice cubes into a martini shaker or a mixing glass
2. Add 1 shot of Gin into the shaker
3. Add 2 shots of Dry vermouth into the shaker
4. Stir the contents well with a stirrer or bar spoon
5. Add couple of dashes of orange bitters into a chilled martini glass
6. Swirl the bitters around to evenly coat the surface of the glass
7. Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass
8. Garnish with lemon peel

Variations and Similar Drinks

• Upside Down Martini: This is a take on the classic Gin Martini with the proportions of Gin and vermouth reversed. Also, it does now have the bitters.
• Tequila Martini: The base spirit in the recipe is replaced with Tequila for the Tequila martini. The proportions are different as well, more similar to the classic martini.

Notes and Tips

• Many recipes call for 2 shots of Gin to 1 shot of Dry Vermouth, more in tune with the Classic Gin Martini. The original recipe was vermouth heavy as depicted here.
• You could try the recipe with another type of bitters rather than the orange bitters if it better suits your taste.