A Delightful Salt & Vinegar Martini Recipe For Father’s Day
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We were delighted to receive this recipe from Cheeky’s, a new neighborhood seafood restaurant and raw bar on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. It’s a Salt & Vinegar Martini, garnished with an olive-wrapped anchovy—although you can get fancy and make a Gilda (photo #8). It’s the biggest hit on Cheeky’s cocktail menu. So as a Martini maven, we got out the ingredients, mixed one up, and liked it. Next, we mixed up a pitcher and called friends for TGIF cocktails and put together a quickie plateau de fruits de mer* (photo #2 and footnote**) from our fishmonger. We tweaked the recipe a bit. In this version, vinegar-laden pickling liquid replaces pickle brine of a Dirty Martini (the difference between the two). > The history of the Dirty Martini. > The history of the cocktail. > The different types of vinegar: a photo glossary. > The different types of salt: a photo glossary. > The different types of olives. > All the Martini holidays. At Cheeky’s, the Salt & Vinegar Martini utilizes celery pickling liquid from the kitchen for the vinegar component and an 80/20 saline solution for the salt element. We created our own easy brine (recipe below). We also substituted store-bought anchovy-stuffed olives anchovy-wrapped olives. If you want the latter—which is a classic pinxto* from the Basque region of Spain—we’ve found them ready-made at high-end Spanish grocers (they are also known as anchovy banderillas [skewers] with olives). It’s a simple wrap—use a pimento- or other stuffed olive. Here’s a recipe to make your own. Or better yet, make the Gilda. It may well become your favorite Martini snack. The mixologists at Cheeky’s use their favorite London dry gin, Ford’s Gin (photo #3), “as it’s well balanced with citrus notes and silky smoothness.” Grey Goose (photo #5) is the second choice. You can use whatever you have on hand. Mix the Martinis in advance. The restaurant serves them ice cold in frozen Martini glasses. Freezing also gives the glass a frosted appearance, which keeps your drink colder and adds visual appeal. The salt rim is our own addition. We’ve been adding a salt rim to Bloody Marys, and have plenty of kosher salt and coarse sea salt on hand. You can salt the whole rim or just half (or not at all). Preparation 1. PREPARE the salt rim. The salt stays on: The salt adheres and freezes in place if applied properly (with lime juice or water). Run a lime wedge around the rim or dip the glass in a saucer of water about 1/4″ deep. Then twist in a saucer of salt until it adheres. Let the salt rim air-dry briefly before freezing. Place the glasses upright in the freezer. Freezing won’t dissolve the salt if it’s dry when it goes in. 2a. COMBINE the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a frozen Martini glass and garnish with the olive/anchovy pick. OR… 2b. To prepare a pitcher of drinks in advance, don’t add ice. Just stir the ingredients in the pitcher, cover the top with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Ingredients For 1½ Cups This is enough liquid to fill a pint jar of vegetables. So as long as you’re making pickling liquid, why not pickle some celery stalks or green beans? Grapes also work! We also made 1/2-inch slices of celery to pickle in the brine and subsequently toss into salads. We happened to have Champagne vinegar, which we substituted for the white wine vinegar. 1. MAKE the brine. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 2. ADD the sliced celery or other vegetable or fruit to be pickled (e.g. grapes) and pour the brine into a sterilized jar (instructions follow). 3. REFRIGERATE for at least 24 hours before using. The flavor intensifies over several days. This is a much simpler process than sterilizing canning jars. There are three methods. We use Method 1. With any technique, don’t touch the inside of the jar or lid after washing. 1. Boiling Water Method. Wash the jar and lid in hot, soapy water; rinse well. Place the jar and lid (separately, not screwed on) in a pot of boiling water. And boil for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs and place upside down on a clean towel to air dry. 2: Dishwasher Method. Run the jar and lid through a hot cycle with no detergent. (You can run other items along with them, just no detergent!) You can use the jar while it’s still hot, or let it cool on a clean towel, then fill. 3: Oven Method. The lid must be all metal, no rubber seal. Preheat oven to 225°F. Wash the jar and lid thoroughly with hot, soapy water; rinse well. Place the jar and metal lid (separately, not screwed together) on a baking sheet, open side up. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove carefully using tongs or oven mitts and place on a clean towel to cool slightly. Let cool completely, then fill.
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________________ *Plateau de fruits de mer, or seafood platter (literally “platter of fruits of the sea”) is a large plate, or often two-tiered platter of chilled raw and cooked shellfish: clams, crab, mussels, oysters, lobster, shrimp, etc. (These days, some chefs add sushi!) The seafood is served on crushed ice, with wedges of lemon and sauces like mignonette” and cocktail sauce. **From the fishmonger we grabbed oysters, clams, mussles, and sea scallops, all served raw, plus cooked shrimp, a couple of lemons and limes. He also gave us a big back of crushed ice for the platter. We made our own cocktail sauce in three minutes, just by combining chili sauce (substitute ketchup) and horseradish. Here’s the recipe. †Pintxos, pronounced PINCH-os (also spelled pincho or pinchu are bite-sized Basque appetizers, often served on a skewer or toothpick. They are a popular bar snack in northern Spain, particularly in San Sebastian. Pintxos are similar to tapas but generally more elaborately presented and often served on bread. ‡Who created the name, Ruth’s Chris Steak House? The name is the result of a legal red tape. The original Chris Steak House was founded in 1927 in New Orleans. In 1965, Ruth Fertel purchased the struggling restaurant and successfully ran it for years under the original name. In 1976, the Chris Steak House building burned down. Ruth relocated the restaurant, but due to a legal stipulation in the sales contract, she couldn’t use the name “Chris Steak House” at any other address! So to maintain brand recognition but comply with the legal constraint, she prepended her own name and the restaurant became Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Ruth disliked the awkward name, but by the time the business grew into a national chain, the brand was well-known. Changing it again would have meant risking consumer confusion. |
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