Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Vodka Cocktails

Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini

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Liquor.com
Liquor.com

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Published 09/30/21
Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

This cocktail, by bar pro Audrey Saunders of the late Pegu Club and other seminal cocktail bars, is essentially an upgraded Smoky Martini—a cocktail created by (perhaps no coincidence) her mentor, Dale DeGroff, aka bartending legend King Cocktail. 

Saunders’ version is a riff on a Vodka Martini, using the more neutral spirit in place of the usual gin. It replaces the usual dry vermouth with scotch while retaining nearly typical Dry Martini proportions. And while an ordinary Martini calls for a dash of orange bitters, this one uses the anise-flavored liqueur Pernod. 

An additional upgrade renders this Martini anything but ordinary. Rather than the blended scotch her mentor’s recipe calls for, in Saunders’ cocktail a super-peaty Islay single malt scotch takes the smoky flavor to soaring heights. It’s a dreamy Martini variation, indeed.



Ingredients

  • 2 ounces vodka (such as Grey Goose)
  • 1/2 ounce Laphroaig 10-year-old single malt scotch 
  • 1 dash Pernod
  • Garnish: lemon twist

Steps

  1. Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.

  2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

  3. Express the oils from the lemon twist over the drink, then garnish with the twist.