Cocktail of the week: Bear by Carlo Scotto’s wild garlic martini – recipe | The good mixer

2 days ago 5

It’s wild garlic season, which is as much cause for celebration on the drinks trolley as it is in the kitchen. Forage your own, ideally before the plants flower, or ask a decent greengrocer to get some in for you.

Wild garlic martini

Serves 1

For the wild garlic gin
1 big handful wild garlic leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 bottle gin (750ml) – I use Tanqueray No 10 for its citrussy flavour

For the martini
60ml wild garlic gin (see above and method)
20ml dry white vermouth – I use Scarpa Extra Dry
10ml pure honey

Put the wild garlic leaves in a large jar, pour the gin on top, seal and pop in the fridge to infuse for anything between 24 and 72 hours – a shorter infusion often results in a better balance of flavour, but taste it daily, to check it’s not turning too strong or bitter.

Once the gin is to your taste, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve or coffee filter to remove all the solids and sediment; ideally, do this twice to get rid of all the impurities. Pour into a clean bottle and store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to three months.

Chill a martini glass in the freezer for an hour (or fill it with ice while you’re mixing the drink, then discard). Pour the gin, vermouth and honey into a mixing glass, fill with ice and stir until the glass feels cold – no James Bond shaking here, please. Strain into the martini glass and serve.