Pickling Onions for Cocktails

In our most recent post, we challenged the Lounge Lizards with a little neat mezcal accompanied by worm-salted oranges. This time we thought we'd bring onions to the table. Veggies usually don't make the cocktail bar much - the most common are cucumbers and olives in gin, pickles, and celery in Bloody Marys, and hot peppers in Pepper Pots. But in the time-honored cocktail past, the pickled onion was not unknown. In fact, it was essential in a specific classic drink- the Gibson.

If you are new to the Gibson, likely it's in name only...well, mostly. The core of the Gibson is simply a typical recipe for a modern martini- which is a combination of gin and dry (French) vermouth in the ratio you love, for me, it's usually 4-to-1, gin as the greater portion. If I want a dry martini or drinking with a Stoeffler, I go 5-to-1. The garnish is always an olive for me or nothing.

The difference that makes the Gibson is the switch-out of the olive in favor of pickled pearl onion. If you ask a cocktail historian, they'll also note another difference. The Gibson is not a true cocktail; it's never poured with bitters. This isn't true about the classic martini. The classic martini is thought to be spawned from the Martinez, which contains orange bitters; therefore, early martinis also had bitters. Martinis with bitters are fun today as well, not just orange bitters, but citrus, Angostura, and celery are all great.

But not for a Gibson. It's gin, vermouth, and onions. That's it.

So, Lounge Lizards, if you are going to pour a Gibson, you got to get your onions pickled. Here's how:

1/2 pound peeled small or pearl onions (we used French/gray shallots from our garden)

Pickle Spice Blend (makes more than you need for 1 batch)
2 1/2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
2 1/2 Tablespoons coriander seeds
1 Tablespoon allspice berries
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
2 cloves, broken into pieces
3 dry bay leaves, broken up
2 Tablespoons crushed fennel seeds

Mix and store in an air-tight container.

Brine: 
1 pint white wine vinegar
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 Tablespoons salt

Sterilized pint Mason Jar

Make the Pickles:
Stir together the Brine ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add onions, brine, and 2 Tablespoons of the Spice Blend to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat immediately. 

Pour onions and liquid into the jar(s). Cover and store at room temperature for two days before using. Refrigerate once open.

Here's our Gibson recipe.

Gibson (Classic Pour Series)

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
pickled onion(s)

Combine gin and vermouth in an iced mixing vessel. Stir until cold. Strain into a pre-chilled glass. Add 1-3 pickled onions on a cocktail stick or sword. If you would like your Gibson dirty, start with a rinse of the pickling liquid in the glass. If that is not dirty enough, add up to a teaspoon of the pickling liquid to the glass. Do not shake or substitute vodka like James Bond; he asks for vodka martinis, but all Lounge Lizards remember that that drink is a Kangaroo. No one is cool drinking a Kangaroo. Don't Kangaroo your Gibson.

Drinking Mezcal

During the dog days of summer, it is important for a Lounge Lizard to kick back, chill, and soak up the heat a bit. What better way to do that than to drink some mezcal with worm-salted oranges. What? Mezcal? Yes. Mezcal. If you're thinking you've never had it, you're wrong. Chances are that you've had tequila before, and, since tequila is a mezcal, you've had it.