Cocktail of the Week: 34 Mayfair’s ‘Something Classic’ Martini
The signature serve of the restaurant’s ‘Spring Dawn’ menu, this twist on the traditional is garnished with a blue cheese-stuffed olive…
Words: Jonathan Wells
It’s a bold name — but then these are bold flavours. A tremendous tang of blue cheese runs through the new ‘Something Classic’ from 34 Mayfair. It’s a piquant, cheek-tightening flavour; one that shocks and charms in equal, martini-twisting measure. But, brimming with salty-spice cheese and ginger-peppered gin, there is little one could call ‘classic’ about the cocktail.
It’s the same with all of 34 Mayfair’s ‘Spring Dawn’ offerings; the menu from which this intoxicating invention is taken. Created in collaboration with KI NO BI Gin, dishes from ‘Surf & Turf’ to a simple ‘Burrata’ starter have been given gastronomic spins to tempt, tease and trick diners’ tastebuds. This cheesy martini is just one of the lip-smacking sensations.
"It’s a piquant, cheek-tightening flavour..."
The partnership also calls on the fine fizz of Perrier-Jouët’s Blanc de Blancs NV. But, if you’re not in the mood for a fluteful, the restaurant’s talented bar team have also curated an array of limited-edition cocktails to be enjoyed alongside the decadent dishes — including the signature ‘Something Classic’ (which will set you back £22).
But it’s worth every expertly-mixed, extravagantly-garnished penny. Bold and botanical, the cocktail throws together Kyoto dry gin, vermouth and Lillet Blanc. But the real star of the icy-sipped show is that olive. Stuffed with Welsh blue cheese, the quirky combination of ingredients creates a creamy, umami burst of savoury flavour that offsets the florals and spice of the spirit. It’s a must-mix.
How to make 34 Mayfair’s ‘Something Classic’ Martini
Ingredients (makes 1 litre of ‘Something Classic’):
- 630ml KI NO BI SEI Kyoto Dry Gin
- 78ml Lillet Blanc Vermouth
- 78ml Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
- 210ml Bottled Water
- Nocellera Olives from Sicily
- Perl Las Welsh Blue Cheese
Method:
- Place glasses in the freezer
- Mix all liquid ingredients in a jug
- Pour into an empty KI NO BI SEI bottle
- Rest in the freezer for at least two hours
- Use a piping bag to stuff the olives with cheese
- Skewer an olive on a cocktail stick
- Remove your frozen glasses and bottle from the freezer
- Pour your cocktails and garnish with an olive
Want more innovative cocktails? Here’s how to make the ‘Smoke Signal’ Negroni
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