Cocktail of the week: Templar's extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt martini – recipe
Serves 1
For the infused vodka300ml good-quality vodka
70ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus a few drops extra to finish
For the drink50ml extra-virgin olive oil-infused vodka (see above and method)25ml 2:1 vanilla syrup (homemade or shop bought)25ml double cream
2 dashes saline solution (ie, 10g flaky sea salt dissolved in 100ml boiling water. then cooled and chilled)
First, infuse the vodka. Put the vodka and oil in a blender, blitz to combine, then pour into a wide plastic container (a clean empty ice-cream tub would be ideal), seal and freeze overnight. The oil will separate, rise to the top and freeze, so simply lift it off, leaving only the vodka behind (thaw the oil, save a little for the garnish and use the rest in cooking). Leave the vodka to come up to room temperature, then pass through coffee filter paper into a bottle or jar. Seal and store in the fridge for up to three months, though it's best used within a month.
To build the drink, measure all the liquids into a shaker and fill with ice. Seal and shake hard until the shaker is very cold and coated in a light frosting of ice, then fine-strain into a chilled martini glass (if you like, first dip the rim or half-rim in lemon juice and then in flaky sea salt).
Put three or five droplets of olive oil on the surface of the cocktail, and serve at once.
Matt Maranzano, bar manager, Templar, London E20
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