1906 Martini

A historical gin martini from a 1906 recipe surfaced by Gary 'Gaz' Regan in his updated Joy of Mixology — possibly the earliest known martini variation built on dry vermouth (rather than sweet). Stirred with orange bitters and finished with an orange curaçao rinse and a lemon twist.

smart_display Published 2026-04-30 download Extracted 2026-05-04

3m Prep

3m Total

1 Servings

cocktail gin martini stirred historical dry-vermouth orange-bitters curacao

Ingredients

2 dashes orange bitters
30 ml dry vermouth
60 ml gin (Martin Miller's Westbourne 90.4 ABV recommended)
rinse orange curaçao (spritzed into the glass)
for garnish lemon twist (expressed over the drink)

Steps

1

Add 2 dashes of orange bitters to a mixing glass.
2

Add 30 ml dry vermouth and 60 ml gin (Martin Miller's Westbourne or your favorite higher-proof gin works well).

Tip: Higher-ABV gins like Martin Miller's Westbourne (90.4 proof) carry the dilution well.
3

Fill with cracked ice and stir until well chilled.

~1 min
4

Spritz a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass with orange curaçao to coat (rinse).

Tip: Curaçao has a brandy/cognac base, adding subtle barrel notes alongside the orange.
5

Strain into the rinsed glass and garnish with a lemon twist (orange twist also works).

Nutrition (per serving)

210

Calories

Carbs

Cultural Context

Surfaced by cocktail historian Gary 'Gaz' Regan in his updated Joy of Mixology (originally 1980s), the 1906 Martini is, as far as Regan could trace, the earliest published martini recipe to use dry vermouth rather than sweet — marking the transition from sweet-vermouth-based proto-martinis (closer to the Manhattan and Martinez) to the modern dry martini we know today. Robert Simonson's research on martini history later contextualized this lineage further.