Transcript:
Laura Unterberg: It's the holiday season. It's really time to show up and show your friends how to make a great cocktail. This year is all about the Martini. I mean, every year is all about the Martini. But this year, especially, it's been the number one cocktail. So grabbing a little bit of silent pool, we've just fully become available in the US, and I love sharing with two parts of intricately layered English silent pool gin, a lovely spritz of orange oil. And lots and lots and lots of ice. So the Martini is such a quintessentially American cocktail. I love sharing it with family and friends, and it's really, really easy to do a great one at home. It's just all about having the highest quality of ingredients. There's nothing to hide behind in a Martini.
Related: Why alcohol sales are declining
Conway Gittens: Are you a shaking or not. Stir? What are you shaken or stirred?
Laura Unterberg: Ideally a little bit of both, but for Silent Pool Gin, I love stirred. Nice cold crispy shaking adds a little bit too much oxygen for me. I like my martinis silky and smooth. You never really know what's going on in the glass.
Conway Gittens: So what are the ingredients in this trendy drink?
Laura Unterberg: Absolutely. So Silent Pool Gin is distilled with 24 English botanicals. There are already so many rich flavors Linden, elderflower, organic, hyper local honey. We really like to highlight those. Dilute it with a little crisp, cold water and a twist of orange peel a little bit extra. That oil kind of brightens up and clings to the palate.
Conway Gittens: So what makes this drink trendy at this time?
Laura Unterberg: It's interesting to see. I mean, the Martini has really grown a lot over the past couple of years. I think people have a lot more interest in making cocktails at home and want something delicious yet accessible. There's also the new nostalgia of a cocktail that really represents a turn of the century America. We all think of the 1950s and 60s and their giant martini pitchers, and we're kind of finding a way to take those classic drinks and make them our own. Would you care to do the honors? Cheers.
Conway Gittens: Strong, but good.
Laura Unterberg: It's one of my favorites to start a cocktail hour during Friends gatherings or family gatherings. Get everybody feeling a little bit comfortable. And with so many botanicals, it really pairs nicely with a variety of foods. I love a martini with a charcuterie board. Cheese, meats and fresh fruit, or even more savory elements like sage and ingredients and stuffing.
Conway Gittens: All right, take us to a classic holiday drink.
Laura Unterberg: Ooh, classic holiday drink? You gotta go cranberry. I mean, people talk about the pumpkin spice and the gingerbread. It's always been cranberry for me. So we wanted to stick in the martini realm and do something a little bit more fun and light. Again, two parts of English Silent Pool Gin. Distilling with the honey is kind of our secret. It's what gives it that really rich, beautiful pour. And then one part of a spiced cranberry syrup. It sounds so fancy, but I just use cranberry juice, brown sugar, and a couple cinnamon sticks and peppercorns. And then fresh lime juice. And here's going to come your opportunity for that shaken drink. I said we'd do both, it seems only fair.
Conway Gittens: What's your go to drink that's easy to make?
Laura Unterberg: Oh, absolutely. I love these Martini variations because you don't have to have 15 ingredients. There's nothing worse than falling in love with a cocktail at a great bar. And the bartender is so nice and they give you the recipe and you have this whole list, you have to go to the grocery store and buy 16 things and you're hunting down. We like to keep it fun and light - things you would have in your cabinet. You'd be shocked how many amazing cocktail ingredients you already have at home. Honey, maple syrup, the last little bit of jam in the jam jar. All of these can be an incredible additions, especially if you start with a base spirit that is handcrafted, that is sustainably and ethically made. It really, really makes a difference. And it's the holidays, we have to Church it up a little bit. A little skewer of cranberries.
Conway Gittens: Fancy
Laura Unterberg: I think so. All right.
Conway Gittens: This one is filled to the rim.
Laura Unterberg: I know - you deserve it.
Conway Gittens: That has a refreshing - that's the kind of drink that you'd be like “oh, there's no alcohol in it.” And next thing you're underneath the table after like three of those.
Laura Unterberg: I couldn't speak to that. I exclusively enjoy cranberries responsibly.
Conway Gittens: All right. Let's talk about the Silent Pool Gin holiday party. What will you be serving at that party?
Laura Unterberg: Oh, my gosh. I feel like I always get put in charge of making cocktails. And I love teaching other people to so they can enjoy. But we distill with mandarin and lime and fresh English pear. So I do love a pear almond tart for dessert with a lovely silent pool cocktail.
Conway Gittens: All right, you're going to make it for us?
Laura Unterberg: Yeah, it seems only fair. I wish I had an oven with a full tart. That sounds amazing. We're going to go in the other direction. So as much as I enjoy a pear tart, I've been trying to ease off the sweets. So we're going to go with a more savory cocktail to finish. If the martini was really classic and the spiced cranberry martini was a little fun and refreshing, we're going to go in a savory direction, something that really pairs well with all of those courses and brings out the coriander, timor pepper and cassia bark in Silent Pool.
Conway Gittens: So what we got here - two parts gin?
Laura Unterberg: Yeah, two parts of the Silent Pool Gin. We're going to go with another spritz of orange oil. See, this is dangerous. You're going to be in charge of making cocktails from now on. I always tell people they can't afford my hourly rate. My mom never likes that joke. The dirty Martini has been really, really, really trendy this year. But I'm not a huge olive person. So I like a Gibson. It's kind of hitting some of those notes of a dirty martini. You have the brininess, you have the dilution, but a little delicate cocktail onion in place.
Conway Gittens: Wow an onion rather than an olive?
Laura Unterberg: Yeah it hits that salty note a little bit more savory, a little touch more sweet. And then for the holidays, I waft a little rosemary over it and make a beautiful rosemary wreath.
Conway Gittens: Well by like 10:00 nobody notices the wreath.
Laura Unterberg: But it's fun for cocktail parties. You have a little tray coming out. It has that beautiful aroma. Martha Stewart could never. I'm going to get in trouble for saying that. Martha Stewart could definitely.
Watch ICYMI This Week:
