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Four martinis with Four Pillars
When you have the opportunity to drink a martini made by a multi-award-winning bartender, you ask for four.
Life is good if you’re Nick Tesar. “No one actually knows what I do,” he says coyly about his title of Creative Director of Four Pillars. “I get to swan about and work on the amazing flavours that the distillery teams put together, create new briefs for new release products, create menus with the teams and then work on training and mentoring the staff.”
While that does sound wonderful, we envy Nick not only for his role at Four Pillars—one of the biggest success stories of Australian gin—but for his near-flawless ability to make martinis. Imagine having that kind of power. On tap.
“The martini is one of those drinks that's just so pure,” says Nick. “There's nowhere to hide.” When you have the opportunity to drink a martini made by a multi-award-winning bartender, you ask for four. Nick graciously obliges, promising us a little something for everyone.
The Classic Martini
“I’m using the olive leaf gin, it’s built for martinis,” explains Nick. “It has bold, savoury, flavours and amazing texture in a classic dry martini. Twist and discard [the peel], I think that leaving the citrus out of the martini makes for a more consistent drink. Olives on the side are the perfect snack.”
Recipe
60ml Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin
10ml Oscar Extra Dry Vermouth
Garnish: Twist (Lemon) and discard. Olives on the side!
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or tin. Add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass, twist the zest of a lemon twist over glass and discard. Garnish with a side of olives.
The Bar Liberty Martini
“This one is my favourite martini. It's the martini that I used to make at Bar Liberty, which is olive leaf gin and vodka that has been distilled with milk and honey quina, which is a different style of aromatic wine,” he explains. “It's a play on a Vesper, but at the same time, amazingly textured, and that little lick of sugar just lifts.”
Recipe
40ml Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin
20ml Brogan’s Way Milk and Honey Vodka
5ml Bianco Vermouth / Kina
2.5ml Verjus
2.5ml Orange Curacao
10ml Water (if batched)
Garnish: None – Sprayed with citrus (discarded)
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or tin. Add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass, twist the zest of a lemon twist over glass and discard.
The Martinez Martini
“The rare dry gin that we make here is not necessarily a classic martini gin, but it works really well in a Martinez,” says Nick. “The orange and star anise of the gin holds up really well with sweet Vermouth and Maraschino liqueur.”
Recipe
45ml Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin
15ml Sweet Vermouth
5ml Luxardo Marischino
1 dash Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Garnish: Orange twist
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or tin. Add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass, twist the zest of a orange twist over glass and use as garnish.
The Gateway Martini
Nick’s last martini is what he considers a good entry into the classic cocktail, “For those who aren't necessarily Martini drinkers but want to dabble, this has sweet vermouth and Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, it’s big, juicy and refreshing at the same time.”
Recipe
50ml Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin
20ml Oscar Rosso Vermouth
Garnish: Lemon Twist
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass or tin. Add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass, twist the zest of a lemon twist over glass and use as garnish..
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