The Fool-Proof Guide To Making Martinis

For me — an avid martini drinker but a sceptic when it comes to ingredients — Mermaid has become the bottle I keep reaching for when I fancy a delicate glass of my favourite cocktail.

Born on the Isle of Wight, Mermaid Gin has this subtle savoury edge thanks to rock samphire, a coastal plant often called “Mermaid’s Kiss.” It gives martinis depth without making them feel too sharp or too serious or too… sickly? Slightly saline, fresh, mineral-y — a flavour that makes you understand why martinis became chic in the first place, makes you feel like there’s a bit of salt in your hair. Plus, it’s a B Corp company and completely plastic-free, which is hugely important to me, especially when I’m making thoughtful purchases for thoughtful recipes… served thoughtfully.

The effortless host

Chill, savoury, chic

Ingredients:

50ml Mermaid Gin
15ml dry vermouth
Lemon twist

How to make it:

1. Fill a mixing glass with ice
2. Add Mermaid Gin and dry vermouth
3. Stir until very cold
4. Strain into a chilled martini glass
5. Finish with a lemon twist, expressing it over the drink (1.e., twisting the peel so it sprays)

The extra dirty martini girl

Cold, salty, dramatic

Ingredients (you could go for a dirty pickle tini or a classic olive tini):

50ml Mermaid Salt Vodka
10ml dry vermouth
A healthy splash of olive brine or pickle brine if you’re inclined
Green olives or cornichons
A drizzle of oil
Black pepper

How to make it:

1. Add vodka, vermouth and olive brine to a mixing glass with ice
2. Stir until ice cold
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass
4. Garnish with a green olive, a drizzle of oil and some black pepper

The girly girl

Fruity, bright, flirty

Ingredients:

50ml Mermaid Pink Gin
15ml rosé vermouth
Fresh strawberry or, if you’re extra, some pickled rhubarb

How to make it:

1. Add Mermaid Pink Gin and rosé vermouth to a mixing glass with ice
2. Stir until chilled
3. Strain into a martini glass
4. Garnish with a fresh strawberry or pickles

The autumnal girl

Warm, rich, cosy

Ingredients:

50ml Mermaid Spiced Rum
25ml espresso
Coffee beans

How to make it:

1. Brew espresso and let it cool slightly
2. Add Mermaid Spiced Rum and espresso to a shaker with ice
3. Shake hard until chilled and foamy
4. Strain into a coupe or martini glass
5. Garnish with coffee beans

The island girl

Bright, citrussy, long

Ingredients:

50ml Mermaid Zest Gin
10ml vermouth
Soda water
Lemon slice

How to make it:

1. Fill a wine glass with ice
2. Add Mermaid Zest Gin and vermouth
3. Top with soda water
4. Stir gently
5. Garnish with lemon

The no and low girl

Calm, cool, collected

Ingredients:

50ml Mermaid Zest Gin
50ml sparkling water
50ml low-alcohol sparkling wine
Orange slice

How to make it:

1. Fill a large wine glass with ice
2. Add Mermaid Zest Gin and sparkling wine
3. Top with sparkling water
4. Stir gently
5. Finish with an orange slice

Dinner parties have become less formal, but more intentional. People care about what they’re serving, how the table looks, what music is playing when guests arrive. Hosting has become part of personal style, and the drink you hand somebody at the start of the evening sets the tone almost immediately. That’s where Mermaid works very well.

The savoury coastal note running through the collection, especially within the original Mermaid Gin, gives martinis a depth that feels very current. Less sharp and sterile than the martinis people once associated with hotel bars, and more relaxed, softer and easier to drink at home. It’s a profile that works whether you like your martinis classic, dirty, lengthened or lower-alcohol. In short, there is a martini pour for everyone, thus making the martini a far less polarising drink than it once was.