Pomegranate Pepper Infused Dirty Martini

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While designing cocktails for my party, I designed them in batches so I could serve cocktails in Labelled Bottles, so I have included both the batch recipe and single drink cocktail recipes. For these martinis, I stuck with the delicious Oxley Cold Infused Gin I used before and paired it with Dolin Dry Vermouth, which was perfect for my infusion!

Now you might think pomegranate and peppercorns is a strange combo, but it turned out surprisingly delicious! While pomegranate seeds are both tart and sweet, the tartness definitely came through more than the sweetness, and while the black pepper didn’t add taste to the cocktail so much as a little heat in the aftertaste, giving a little edge to this underworld cocktail without taking away from the pomegranate or classic dirty martini vibes. The combination was a perfect Persephone cocktail, after all, pomegranate seeds are what kept her in the underworld and a little heat feels like a nod to the firey feel of most afterlife

Regardless if you love mythology or not, this cocktail will indulge your love of the dirty martini with some delicious new found flavors!

If there's a cocktail that is a known classic, it has to be the Dirty Martini! Gin, vermouth, with a dash of olive brine is a perfect combination for the cocktail connoisseur and one I always love at the end of a long week.

For my Goddess of Spring Cocktail Party, I wanted something that still had the flavors and feel of the traditional martini, with a little Persephone twist! After several martini trials, this Pomegranate and Pepper infused martini, lovingly named Fate’s Dirty Martini was the victor!

I made another gin based cocktail to start the night with, the Limoncello Gin and Tonic, for a citrusy gin and tonic variation. But with this martini I wanted a nice finish to the evening that was still unique, but had those traditional dirty martini vibes. By infusing the vermouth to incorporate the pomegranate and pepper flavors, I was able to give just a touch of each taste to the overall cocktails, giving a great balance between new and classic! Don’t be afraid of the word infusion, basically it means you let your ingredients soak in the vermouth, then remove them after your vermouth is seasoned to your taste!

INGREDIENTS

POMEGRANETE PEPPER INFUSED DIRTY MARTINI

SINGLE COCKTAIL:
(shaken on ice & served)

2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Pomegranate Pepper Infused Vermouth
¼ oz. Olive Brine
pimento olives for garnish

BATCH COCKTAIL:
(shaken & stored in 1L Bottle)

16 oz. Gin
4 oz. Pomegranate Pepper Infused Vermouth
2 oz. Olive Brine
pimento olives for garnish

POMEGRANETE PEPPER INFUSED VERMOUTH

1 Tbsp Pomegranate Seeds
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
8 oz. Dry Vermouth

PREPARATION

PREPARE INFUSED VERMOUTH:

Combine pomegranate seeds and vermouth, mix, and let infuse for 2-3 minutes. Add peppercorns and continue to infuse for an additional 4-5 minutes, until you taste a tartness and heat in the aftertaste of the vermouth.
Remove peppercorns and pomegranate seeds, then chill and store vermouth until ready for use.

FOR SINGLE COCKTAIL:

Add gin, vermouth, and olive brine to an iced metal cocktail shaker. Close and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker ices over, using a kitchen towel to hold the shaker and protect your hands.
Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass, garnishing with a pimento olive.

FOR BATCH COCKTAIL:

Add gin, vermouth, and olive brine to a clean 1 liter swing top glass bottle. Close the bottle, shake to incorporate, and chill in the freezer or refrigerator until ready for use.
Serve cocktails by pouring into chilled martini glasses, garnishing with a pimento olive.