144 Martini

This is an equal parts gin and vermouth cocktail, meaning it transforms the traditionally bold and bracing Martini into a bright and refreshing aperitif.

As a botanical-flavoured wine, vermouth can bring out the fragrances and aromas of the spirit its mixed with or add another whole dimension. In martinis  – the less vermouth that’s used, the drier the martini is considered to be. A so-called 50/50 martini like this, — or a “halfsies” martini — is made with equal parts vermouth and either gin or vodka and lowers the overall alcohol punch.

• 60ml Stranger & Sons Gin
• 60ml 144 Islands Vermouth No.1
• Lemon twist, to garnish

1. Add the gin and vermouth to an ice-filled cocktail glass
2. Stir briskly for about 50 turns
3. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Vermouth #1 by 144 Islands is a white base wine of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Chardonnay. Fortified to 22% abv with grain-based spirit, approx. 15-18 g/L residual sugar. Kerikeri Lemon, Kumarahou, Kawakawa, Tarata, Pink Peppercorn, Manuka and Kanuka Flowers foraged by hand by owner, Jake and his son Remy. Botanicals macerated in alcohol, then distilled through rotary evaporation and added back to base wine at fortification.

Stranger & Sons is an ode to contemporary India and its cultural diversity – the colours, the customs, the chaos, and the peaceful co-existence of it all.

They chose inherently Indian botanicals that they believe represent their country’s diversity, to create a spirit that celebrates India’s agricultural history in a way no other spirit can. Juniper, coriander seeds, liquorice, nutmeg, mace, black pepper, angelica root, cassia bark and a citrus peel mix (Nagpur Oranges, known to be one of the best mandarin varieties in the world. Gondhoraj Lemon, also known as ‘King of fragrance’. Mosambi, also known as Indian bergamot or sweet lime, and finally, Nimbu, sourced locally from the garden behind the distillery.)

You can look at the above botanical list and see some repeated in many other gins the world over, but the beauty of the Stranger & Sons’ botanicals is that the spices are all sourced locally and haven’t travelled for thousands of miles to get to the still. The clarity and freshness shines through in this delectable spirit.