I received a bunch of onions for my birthday last year. Believe it or not, I was truly thrilled! These were not just any onions but very curious Tree Onions (Allium x proliferum), also known as Walking Onions or Egyptian Walking Onions. I planted the bulbs and watched their blue-green stalks climb toward the sky. In late May, once the stalks were about 2½ feet tall, clusters of bulblets erupted from the top of each stalk, whimsical crowns of marble-sized alliums. What to do with hundreds of these tiny onions? Pickle them, of course, for a very special Gibson cocktail.
It’s fair to say that the Gibson (gin, dry vermouth, cocktail onion garnish) has fallen out of fashion. Do not be fooled—this is an extremely worthwhile Martini variation if you enjoy savory drinks. The trick is to use really good cocktail onions or, better yet, pickle your own.
My favorite is The Perfect Gibson (or now The Walking Onion Gibson), which is an homage to another classic cocktail, the Martinez (gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, Angostura Bitters, lemon twist)—the grandfather of the dry gin Martini. I’ve never been a huge fan of cherry (maraschino) liqueurs so I explored different Amaros to get the job done. I landed on Amaro dell’Etna, a Sicilian staple with licorice, rhubarb and smoky vanilla undertones that added such botanical dimension that I opted to drop the sweet vermouth and bitters entirely. Sacrilege, perhaps, but efficient and innovative nonetheless. Looking to shake up your Martini routine? This aromatic sipper adds just the right amount of whimsy and vigor.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces gin
- ¾ ounce dry vermouth
- ¾ ounce Amaro dell’Etna
- Pickled walking onions*
- 25 marble-sized walking onions (1 cup) or substitute small white pearl onions, roots trimmed, skins peeled and scored with an “x”
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
Add liquid ingredients to bar tin, add ice, stir for 20 seconds, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cocktail onion. Yields 1 cocktail.
*Pickled walking onions
In a medium saucepan, bring water and vinegar to a boil with sugar and spices for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions to the liquid and simmer for 7 minutes, turn off heat and cool to room temperature. Decant into a small, clean Mason jar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
