"Martini" using infused spirits

[shar999]

I have been trying to make martinis using infused syrups. They have been too sweet. Can anyone help me make a Lavender or a Rose martini that is not sweet?

Edited August 23, 2011 by shar999 (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Have you tried infusing your gin or vodka with rose or lavender, rather than using syrups? That would get you the taste you want without any of the sweetness (which, IMHO, ruins a Martini faster than just about anything else).

[Chris Amirault]

shar999, can you clarify what you mean by "Martini"? You don't mean a classic Martini (gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters) but rather something following the more common usage with vodka, yes? A recipe would help too!

[Hassouni]

Isn't gin already essentially an infused vodka anyway

[EvergreenDan]

How about simply using Lavender bitters. Scrappy makes them. I got a teeny bottle in a sampler set. Very lavender to me. I think you'd have to make rose bitters.

And a floral gin would be a place to start. Hendricks, perhaps. If you find Hendricks lacking in juniper, perhaps you could infuse some juniper berries in either grain neutral spirits or Hendricks.

I agree that if you are making a "real" Martini, you need to do it without sugar. A Martini is all about the bracing dry alcohol and complex botanicals, with a dose of wine and hint of bitter.

If you are making a sweetened so-called Martini and you find it too sweet, then simply use less syrup or counter it with more acid (dry vermouth, citrus, citric acid, etc). You could also add vinegar to your syrup to make it into a shrubb. Shrubbs are usually fruit-based, but I don't see why you couldn't do it with a flower.

And, last, I haven't tried it, but I can imagine that a pinch of dried lavender flowers (like you find in herbs de provence might work with a short steep in the cocktail.