For our little cocktail party, we offered our guests the vintage Martinez cocktail as an alternative to our hot rum punch. The Martinez is a nice contrast to the sweet-sour punch: dry, malty, snappy and bold, it let our guests choose between some very different flavors without us having to make a million individual drinks. We first wrote about the Martinez three years ago (!) but wanted to return to this drink to showcase how easy it can be to make cocktails for a party. – Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Martinez (Single Size)

2 oz Genever or Old Tom Gin
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
4 Dashes Orange Bitters

The Martinez (Party Size)

2 Cups Genever or Old Tom Gin
1 Cup Sweet Vermouth
1/2 Cup Maraschino Liqueur
32 Dashes Orange Bitters

Combine all of your ingredients in a large bottle (a funnel helps here). This can be the night before or a week before – a drink like the Martinez that consists of all spirits will keep indefinitely. I stored ours in the freezer, ensuring it would pour out ice cold. When you’re ready to serve, measure out 3-4 ounces, stir with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel, twisted over the glass to express the oils. This recipe makes about eight servings.

Cocktails, like baking, are all about proportions. Figuring out the right balance between ingredients can be tricky – a dash or a quarter of an ounce can make a huge difference when you’re using potent ingredients like absinthe or bitter amari – but is the key to a good drink. Fortunately, once you have the right proportions, you can scale your recipe however you want. We once hosted a cocktail party at which I tried to make everyone individual drinks to order, which resulted in me spending most of the party in the kitchen working. Not fun. Which is why we like to make cocktails in big batches like this for parties: instead of working when you should be enjoying the company of your guests, you can make your drinks ahead of time and have them ready to serve during your party.

Photos by Sweet Root Village for Oh So Beautiful Paper