Cocktail of the Week: Seventy One Gin’s ‘Golden Martini’

Cocktail of the Week: Seventy One Gin’s ‘Golden Martini’ | The Gentleman's Journal

As the evenings grow colder, we could all use a nightcap. And the best of these dusky drinks — stiff serves usually sipped before bed — are those that warm us up and calm us down. They are good-natured, well-mixed and brim with rich, luxurious flavours that soothe and delight the drinker in equal indulgent measure. And then, there are those nocturnal sips that are designed to ignite the night and stir our senses.

And, we’ve found the just the cocktail for this after hours experience. It’s rare, it’s remarkable — and it packs a spirited punch that makes it perfect for winter. And the ‘Golden Martini’ is the creation of Seventy One, the gin that makes up much of each gleaming glassful. Swirled with classic vermouth, chilled and garnished with a grapefruit twist, the flavours of this Netherlands-distilled drink are teased out by the recipe.

And these are flavours worth showcasing. Seventy One Gin — itself a nocturnal spin on the spirit, and one that takes its name from the number of nights it is rested in several different cask types — is infused with botanicals including ginseng peel from Siberia, ivy leaves from Albania and cinchona bark from Ecuador.

But the most influential ingredient (and another nod to the night) is a priceless cactus from Southern Mexico. Selenicereus Grandiflorus, more commonly known as ‘Queen of the Night’, is a plant that flowers just once a year, only after dusk and possesses as heady and intoxicating a fragrance as any in the natural world. And this scent runs through every small batch of Seventy One Gin.

Other notes, including toasted juniper, wild pine, rose petals and vanilla bean also add to the taste of the unique gin — while those multiple barrel types afford it a striking colour. Whether its the medium-toasted virgin European oak, the ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks or the rich Cognac barrels, these woods give the gin a golden glow, as well as its final finishing notes of pear, acacia honey and dark chocolate.

But the botanical most notably picked out by the ‘Golden Martini’ is the grapefruit peel Seventy One Gin sources from Turkey, highlighted here by the recipe’s sharply sliced garnish. And the rich complexity of the spirit lends itself particularly well to this bone-dry twist on the classic cocktail — delivering the perfect night-inspired nightcap for every evening from now until the new year. Enjoy.