Co-founder of Best Local Restaurant Bench, Jack Wakelin began his hospitality journey in Sheffield's renowned cocktail bar Public. It's also where he met co-founder Ronnie Aronica, and fast forward to now the pair are propagating their South Yorkshire patch with neighbourhood venues: Pearl at Park Hill, Bench La Cave, and a new project on the way. One thing that has stayed consistent from the beginning is excellent cocktails, curated by Jack. Here is his recipe for an oyster-inspired martini.
The classic cocktail. Right? The martini, for all of its simplicity, the drink still remains as relevant today as it was when it first captured drinkers’ hearts in the 80s. Forget everything you know about the classic here. Inspired by our trip to Carlingford Oysters in Ireland, we wanted to create the perfect martini to pair alongside them.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 7 serves
- 450ml Boatyard gin
- 125ml Vault coastal vermouth
- 25ml simple sugar syrup (for texture) - 100ml water, 200g caster sugar
- 100ml chilled water
- Salt (to taste)
- Dill oil (method below) - 200ml water, 400g dill
METHOD
Prep time: 30 minutes
Making time: 10 minutes
Prepare the syrup:
Combine 200g of caster sugar and 100ml of water (2:1 ratio) and bring to a boil. Stir to combine and leave to cool.
Make the dill oil:
Pick the dill from the stems, then blitz in a blender for 6 minutes until it reaches a temp of 60 degrees. Strain through a muslin and sieve and cool in the fridge.
Assemble the cocktail:
To a large jug, add your water, sugar syrup, vermouth, and gin, stir to combine. Transfer to at least a 700ml bottle and leave in the freezer for 3 hours.
To serve:
Serve directly from the freezer with a few drops of oil as a garnish. Enjoy with a freshly shucked Carlingford oyster, or a dozen!
