Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Hendrick’s Gin Brand Ambassador Kris Von Dopek to talk about his role at Hendrick’s, and craft cocktails at home.
Kris, who’s from Chicago but grew up in London, has professionally bartended for over a decade. We spent our time together talking about home bartending, though. He said “In the 60’s everybody had a cocktail set at home and you made a Martini for your guests when they came over. The 70’s kind of killed the cocktail.”
We also talked about the outlook for home bartenders now that craft cocktails have really taken off. Kris told me “You know, companies (Hendrick’s included) are now spending a lot more time and money to educate consumers directly. From social media campaigns to cocktails on cooking shows, people have more information now and they can make better choices about the cocktails they make at home. ”
I asked Kris what his favorite simple cocktail is, and he told me a White Martinez. The Martinez is believed to be the cocktail that led to the Martini’s invention, so it’s certainly a recipe to know. Here it is:
White Martinez
- 1 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 2 oz sweet white vermouth (I used Dolin Blanc)
- 1 dash of bitters (I used orange bitters so it wouldn’t affect the color)
- 2 dashes of maraschino liqueur (I used Maraska)
- stir the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
- garnish with a lemon peel
We make a White Martinez on the Simple Cocktails Podcast. Listen here.
