The Caprese Martini Is Basically A Salad In A Cocktail Glass
Savory cocktails are having a moment. Take the espresso martini with parmesan, for instance, which is throwing the Internet into a frenzy wondering how it could possibly be so good (as long as you don't try to order it off-menu from a bar that isn't offering it). Months ago, Food & Wine announced that 2023 was the year of the savory cocktail. Taking the spirit (pun intended) of the dirty martini and the bloody mary, and really drawing out the experience, is the name of the mixology game this year. Cocktail joints like New York City's Double Chicken Please has a backroom cocktail menu that reads like a cafeteria calendar: Waldorf salad cocktail, Japanese cold noodle, NY beet salad. Their cold pizza cocktail features parmesan, burnt toast, tomato, and basil.
A little more restrained is the Caprese cocktail from Jac's on Bond, another NYC establishment. Jac's, which opened earlier this year, uses vodka washed in olive oil and then infused with tomato and basil, Spanish vermouth, and balsamic vinegar. If you're the kind of sipper who likes a Gibson or a dirty martini (and tomatoes), this is a smooth entry into the burgeoning world of savory cocktails.
How is the Caprese cocktail made?
The vodka in this caprese martini is treated two different ways: It is infused before going through a process called fat washing. Though this was made popular in 2007, with a bacon-washed bourbon cocktail at the Please Don't Tell bar, this is becoming more and more mainstream as a way to infuse flavor and round out the mouthfeel of liquors. Booze can be "washed" in any liquid fat: butter, sesame oil, melted duck fat or peanut butter, bacon grease, or coconut oil — there's no end to the possibilities. Fat is added to the liquor, shaken hard, and then set aside for a few hours to infuse. The mixture is then moved to a freezer, solidifying the fat at the top of the container. This allows it to be easily separated from the booze, which remains liquid. The result is a subtly flavored booze with a soft, round mouthfeel.
In the case of the Jac's on Bond Caprese Martini this is done with olive oil, providing the martini with a grassy flavor and a rich mouthfeel. This approximates the richness of mozzarella and olive oil in a caprese salad, and balances the savory sharpness of the tomato and balsamic vinegar. The herbaceousness of the basil is complemented by the Lustau Vermut Blanco, a Spanish dry vermouth with sturdy minerality, and notes of florals and citrus peel.
Does it work?
The head bartender of Jac's on Bond, Trevor Easton Langer, told Food & Wine that the cocktail is his attempt to bring something new to the savory cocktail world. "I combined two of my favorite flavors — caprese salads and martinis," Langer said. "We wanted to create a cocktail menu that was both inclusive and adventurous — something for everyone, but still unique and original."
The drink, served up with a skewered cherry tomato, was posted on the bar's Instagram account on February 19, 2023, just two days after the bar opened for table reservations. Within short order, comments have appeared confirming that the martini is, in fact, exactly what Langer hoped: adventurous but inclusive. User @spearmintrhino_nyc claims the drink is the "best one on the menu. Levels above other martinis. They're not all created equal." The claim is backed up by @sophiebushman: "Can confirm — it's spectacular."
For visitors to the Noho bar who use the refreshing martini as a gateway to the world of savory cocktails, there are other adventurous options on their cocktail menu to venture further. Eastern medicine, a take on the gold rush cocktail, features sesame-infused toki whisky, ginger, poppyseed honey, and yuzu. Not adventurous enough? Try the "beets me," a cocktail made with Absolut Elyx vodka, beet, lemon, pistachio, dill, and coconut yogurt.