The martini is having a renaissance moment at the bar right now, from wet to dry, gin or vodka, olive or twist and shaken or stirred, the choice is ultimately yours, but the demand for a twist, a saltier version and those with a point of difference is driving the bar transaction.
According to Venue General Manager at Never Never Distilling Co’s Kate Rowlands, the perfect martini experience comes down to your personal preference.
“My all-time favourite is a Gibson made with Never Never Distillery’s classic Triple Juniper Gin – just swap out your regular olive or lemon twist for pickled cocktail onions,” she says.
Rowlands then recommends you add a few bar spoons of the pickle brine to the drink to achieve an umami-forward twist on this classic serve.
Kate Rowlands talks to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
My husband and I made the decision to move from London to Adelaide in 2016. We both work in hospitality, and after years of working in big cities for big companies, with very little direct contact with the people that made the products that we were selling, we were yearning for a different way of life. Adelaide had started to pop up in ‘most liveable’ city lists in newspapers in the UK, South Australia had an incredible reputation for exceptional wine, and the food and drink scene in the city was blossoming at that time with the small bar scene really taking off, so it seemed like a natural fit for us. It’s the best decision we ever made.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
Years ago, we travelled to Barcelona to celebrate my birthday, and one of many brilliant spots that we ate at was called Tapas 24 – a buzzing, vibrant venue that hummed with the kind of late-night life and exuberance that you only find in certain cities in Europe. We sat at the bar and ate our way through most of the menu when the brilliant bartender told us we absolutely HAD to order one last dish, which ended up being the most simple, and delicious I’ve ever had. The crispiest of fried potatoes, topped with a crumbled spiced black sausage and the most perfectly fried egg with the runniest of yolks – drizzled with white truffle oil and lashings of salt. I think about this dish and this restaurant far more often than I probably should.
FAVOURITE BAR
The bar in the Mondrian Sea Containers Hotel in London – originally Dandelyan and now Lyaness, by the incredibly talented Ryan Chetiyawardana. It was one of our favourite spots to visit for a special occasion when we lived in London, and the last time we visited I had an incredible Gibson Martini made with Never Never Distilling Co. Triple Juniper gin. It felt like a real full circle moment and was incredibly special.
My favourite spot for a martini in Adelaide has to be Malt & Juniper – the team always deliver brilliantly executed drinks. And if I’m looking for a special bottle of wine with a delicious snack or two you can’t go past Jennie Wine Bar a little bit further down Peel Street.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
A classic dry martini with a twist – crisp, chilled to perfection, popping with a splash of acid and always straight to the point.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Chocolate milk, hot chips with extra chicken salt dipped into a 50/50 mix of ketchup and Sriracha and a very, very spicy Red Snapper.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
The team at Maybe Sammy are widely regarded as one of the best bars in Australia, and are globally recognised for the exceptional service and drinks. A seat at the bar with something delicious from their incredibly creative cocktail lists is always on my to-do list when we’re in Sydney – and if you’re lucky they’ll get their bubble gun out while you’re there as well.
FAVOURITE WINE
The team at Unico Zelo (Brendan and Laura Carter) are incredible people and make incredible Fiano from single vineyard parcels of South Australian fruit. My brothers live across different cities around Australia and Asia so we don’t get very much time together, but whenever we manage to make our lives collide there is always a bottle of what we affectionately call ‘Uber Fiano’ chilled and ready for us to drink together.
FAVOURITE WINERY
If you’re visiting McLaren Vale, Chalk Hill Wines should be on your list. Their Alpha Crucis Chardonnay is one of my all-time favourites, and if you can get your hands on their Malbec you absolutely won’t be disappointed.
HOW YOU ENJOY A MARTINI
My current martini order uses our Oyster Shell Gin, served dry (with Noilly Prat), ice cold and finished with a huge twist of lemon. Delicious.
NEXT DESTINATION
Japan – we visited in 2019 and fell completely in love with the food, the culture, and the country. My brother and his wife opened a bar in Tokyo last year which is doing some really great things (Tokyo Confidential) and it would be great to have a drink with them in person to celebrate their success.
THE MARTINI RENAISSANCE – WHAT’S YOUR TAKE
Interest from the general public in how to make (and drink!) martinis has definitely increased over the last few years, with consumer masterclasses being really popular. Our martini tasting flight at the Never Never Distillery Door in McLaren Vale is incredibly popular, and guests are taking bottles of gin home to try and recreate their favourite drink for themselves. We’re also seeing a number of venues and restaurants across Australia embracing the trend and listing martinis for their guests to enjoy as a pre-dinner treat.
GIN OR VODKA MARTINI
As someone that works for a gin brand, I’m probably slightly biased so I should probably stay reasonably neutral on this one! There is absolutely a place for both gin and vodka on the back bar though, and I think personal preference between the two is often driven by what people enjoyed most when they first started to explore white spirits.
