Beyond the twist: the innovative evolution of the Martini garnish
In the ever-evolving world of Martini craft, bartenders are trading lemon twists for atomisers and oil droppers to fine-tune flavour with scientific precision.
There once was a time when the only garnish options for your Martini were an olive or a lemon twist. But as techniques and innovation in mixology continue to advance, two new styles have emerged. But what do they offer to the iconic serve?
As we make our way closer to National Martini Day (19 June), movers and shakers in the world of drinks have shared how aromatic essences and micro-dose oils are redefining how we taste, smell, and experience the Martini.
Mandy Naglich, certified taster and author of How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life, explains how these seemingly small interventions are anything but trivial.
“The atomiser and the oil drops are doing two exactly different things,” she explains. “For sensory experience, the atomiser is really nice. If you’re doing a puff of aroma, it will be caught on the surface of the Martini, and as we know, 80% of what we consider flavour actually comes from aroma, so it’s basically giving you that extra dose of volatile flavour, the second right before you drink it.”
As such, she says “the first couple of seconds of your drink are going to taste really different – really interesting – because you’re having this atomised aroma at the top. Think of it as adding your puff of perfume – you smell great for 30 minutes, and then it’s gone. This is like your puff of perfume on your Martini. It’s going to be great and really aromatic for your first few sips, and then it will go away.”
One example of a bar offering this elevated scent experience with its Martini is Archive & Myth in London. The bar’s signature Martini Mineraux is crafted with Renais Gin, limestone, Chablis, and lemon oil, and features a spray made from geosmin absolute, a scent compound derived from bacteria that mimics the smell of rain. “It’s something that’s really sensitive to the human nose,” bar owner Jack Sotti explains, “and we use it to kind of tease out the aromas of minerality of the limestone in the Renais Gin that we’re pairing it with.”
To make this atomiser, the team uses an absolute that is purchased from a perfumer. “It’s incredibly intense,” Sotti says, “so we add one-gram to one-litre of vodka, and then put it in an atomiser – that’s enough to give it a really strong aroma. That being said, because it is a perfume, we actually spray it on the base of the glass and not anywhere near the top, because we don’t want to ingest it through our mouth, but through our nose.”
Sotti explains that this addition enhances the overall experience of the Martini, making it more of a “transformative experience – transporting you to a time and a place. That aroma of rain is really nostalgic and really evokes a lot of memories for people.”
Elsewhere in London, Pietro Collina, bar director of Notting Hill’s Viajante87, introduces a spritz of rainwater tincture into the venue’s Glacier Martini, which is inspired by glacial fjords in Patagonia and served at a temperature of -18ºC.
Using the tincture, which resembles the scent of wet moss, he says: “We spray the glass first to mist the aroma, and then pour the Martini in, so it’s more of a nose more than anything.”
Meanwhile at Gothic Bar, found within the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the team, helmed by Jack Porter, has resurrected the robust flavours of eau-de-vie, and made it the finishing touch to the venue’s Eau De Martini, which combines X Muse vodka with grand vermouth before guests are asked to choose one of five different eau-de-vie flavour profiles to be spritzed on top, as the ultimate personalised touch. Choices range from aromatic to herb to grape, all of which allow for a true expression of intense fruit essence to waft across the drink’s surface, bringing a new dimension to the cocktail.
Naglich notes that it is often the smaller Martinis such as the Martini Mineraux, which is found on the ‘minor’ or ‘half sized’ section of Archive & Myth’s menu, that utilise atomisers on account of them offering a quick and intense experience.
However, she notes that when it comes to larger style Martinis, such as the Green Mango Martini at Mexican-American bar Superbueno in New York, you’re more likely to find the drink boasts a different style of garnish all together: the oil drops.
Dropping in flavour
Oil drops, Naglich notes, “are exactly the opposite to an atomiser spray.”
An oil drop garnish on a Martini refers to the practice of adding a few drops of a flavoured oil to the surface of the drink, after it has been stirred and strained into a glass.
“So oil, obviously, will hold on to itself – it won’t mix into the Martini,” she explains. “I know one really popular thing is to make them quite salty or quite spicy, so as you’re enjoying your Martini, you’re going to have three one-time sips throughout when you get that little taste of the oil, so each sip of that Martini will change.” However, she notes that for the most part, “other than those three sips – those three times that you get your drop of oil – it’s going to taste like a classic Martini.”
The Superbueno Green Mango Martini that Naglich references is a mango-infused Tequila-based serve, inspired by the subway vendors that sell mangoes. In 2023 it was dubbed the ‘drink of the summer’ and an industry favourite by Grub Street, and is said to be one of the bar’s best-sellers. While the liquid offers a sour, slightly green flavour, it is rounded off with a garnish of a single drop of costeño chilli oil, which co-owner Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Jimenez makes with a quick infusion, and is said to be a nod to spicy seasonings like Tajín that vendors add to the fruit in Mexico.
Meanwhile Alex Palumbo, owner of Hey Palu in Edinburgh, Scotland, shares that he and his team use oil drops in the bar’s Martinis as a vessel to impart more viscosity, flavour and body to the drink.
“In Hey Palu, our gin Martini is served straight from the freezer at -19ºC, with a sidecar of the classic garnishes and a small vial of lemon verbena oil.” He explains that the lemon verbena offers the same citrus notes of lemon peel while also offering the feeling on the palate of olive oil. “Best of both worlds.”
However, it is down to the individual guest as to how much of the oil is added to their drink’s surface. “We are always careful to suggest the guests the right amount of oil – three or four drops – over the drink, and we found that guests do like to modify and adjust their Martinis to their palate.”
Similarly at Chanacho, Hey Palu’s agaveria sister, a Tequila Martini is on the menu, made with a peach vermouth, dry Sherry and basil oil. “The fresh fragrant notes of the basil complement the dryness of the sherry and fruity notes of peach, adding more layer to the overall drink,” he says.
He notes that green herb oils such as this one are pretty easy to make should you be looking to elevate your at-home Martini experience: “Simply blanch the herbs and then blend them in the oil you want to use as a base. Strain through a coffee filter and bottle. If you can’t make it yourself, the guys at Natured in Norfolk have a great range to choose from,” he shares.
Adding additional flavour is also the motive for the garnish of oil onto the top of one of Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay’s signature Martinis. “At Lucky Cat, our Signature Nori Martini is finished with a drop of olive oil; not just for texture and aroma, but as a clever vessel for flavour,” explains bar manager Alberto Notari. “Much like the briny burst you get when biting into an olive in a Dirty Martini, the olive oil drop in our Nori Martini encapsulates a delicate soy sauce drop. As the oil gradually breaks, it releases an unexpected wave of umami and salinity, adding depth and complexity to the cocktail whether made with gin or vodka.”
Meanwhile, olive oil also tops the signature serve of 58 & Co’s Olive Oil Vodka, made in collaboration with oil producer Citizens of Soil. The vodka itself boasts fresh floral and green notes with a creamy, bright and fresh finish, and is said to make the perfect base for a simple and clean Martini that is dirtied-up with a few drizzled drops of of extra virgin olive oil on top, and a Nocerella olive.
Sarah Vachon, Citizens of Soil founder and olive oil sommelier, notes: “Olive oil adds a depth of flavour and a creaminess to the palate, making the Martini feel silky and round, while elevating flavours from the spirits. Particularly when using an early harvest oil, you can amp up the green notes and pepperiness, making a savoury Martini something extra. The right oil will also give off fresh and grassy aromas to the drink.”
And so, from altering olfactory perception to manipulating mouthfeel, a single spritz or drop can recalibrate the entire sensory profile of a drink, turning the Martini from a classic to a canvas for cocktail experimentation at a molecular level.
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