Not only has America’s love for cocktails grown tremendously in recent years, so has the skill of those who prepare them. Restaurant Hospitality’s editorial staff selected 16 top cocktails prepared by mixologists around the country. See all winners >>
November 9, 2015
Category: Martini
Restaurant: The Pearl, Columbus
Creator: Kelsey Corcoran
Inspiration: “A dirty martini is something I never really cared for. Growing up my grandmother used a lot of Mediterranean flavors and creating a martini with kalamata olives was definitely nostalgic.”
Key Ingredients: Watershed Four Peel Gin infused with kalamata olives, caramelized orange, juniper berry and black peppercorn; Dolin Blanc and a dirty dill salt rim. Kalamata garnish.
Price: $10
What the Judges Said: Pouring olive brine into a martini is ingenious for its simplicity. That we get. But if you want to up your game, take a cue from Ms. Corcoran, who has developed a more sophisticated and, in our opinion, eye-opening version of a dirty martini. Compared to the pedestrian Spanish olives that clutter grocery store shelves, the kalamata olive is a rock star, and she employs these tasty beauties for a weeklong dip in a pool of gin. A dirty salt rim may be gilding the lily, but didn’t we agree upfront to get nasty?
Next: Trembler
Previous: The Seersucker Cocktail
You May Also Like
