The Breakfast Martini is a cocktail with a unique name and backstory that has become a timeless classic. It's made with gin, marmalade, orange liqueur, and lemon juice instead of vermouth.
Bartender Salvatore Calabrese created this drink in 1996 at the Library Bar, Lanesborough Hotel in London, England. The Marmalade Cocktail, a similar drink, was built in the 1920s by Harry Craddock and published in the Savoy Cocktail Book. Although the name has been used for other martini-style drinks, the Breakfast Martini is not a traditional martini but a drink with "martini" in its name.
How the Breakfast Martini Became a Modern Classic!
The Breakfast Martini, Salvatore Calabrese's most famous cocktail, was inspired by his wife Susan's breakfast routine. One morning in 1996, she urged him to join her in having some marmalade on toast. The bitter and tangy taste of the orange marmalade intrigued Calabrese, a seasoned bartender at the Library Bar in The Lanesborough, London. He experimented with the jam, pairing it with gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice to create a sweet and fresh drink with a complex flavor. Calabrese named his concoction the Breakfast Martini as a playful nod to the marmalade. The cocktail quickly became popular among customers, thanks to its unique and unusual taste and the novelty of using jam as an ingredient.
The Breakfast Martini is a modern drink that deserves to be called a classic. It is a delicious blend of muddled marmalade sour, gin, and bold orange flavors with a touch of vitamin C.
This libation perfectly balances tradition and modernity with a nod to the Roaring Twenties. Although many imitators have tried to replicate it, the original Breakfast Martini remains unmatched. A classic drink is one that a good bar knows how to make, and the Breakfast Martini passes that test with flying colors.
Unlike other classic cocktails, the Breakfast Martini's origin is not mysterious. There are no bizarre stories about who developed and began drinking gin with marmalade for breakfast.
Ingredients
1 1/2 Gin
1/2 Triple Sec
1/2 lemon Juice
1 tsp orange marmalade
Orange Twist, to Garnish
Directions
Add the marmalade and other ingredients to a cocktail shaker to make this cocktail.
You can stir the mixture but shaking it over ice is recommended for the best results.
The marmalade may create a mess when straining the cocktail, but it's worth it for the delicious taste.
Shake the cocktail a bit longer than usual due to the marmalade. Remember that the recipe has a fair amount of sugar from both the preserves and liqueur, but the bitterness of the marmalade helps balance it out. Feel free to adjust the recipe to suit your taste preferences.
Finally, garnish the cocktail with a strip of orange zest, and enjoy!