The Gibson: the drink, not the guitar

I love martinis, and I love cocktail onions, so the Gibson is a good drink for me. You make a martini, dry, of course, and then you add a cocktail onion to it. It’s simple, classic, and it works every time. It’s strong, with a hint of spice, and a bit of saltiness to balance it out. Basically, the Gibson is as good as the standard martini, and it’s almost as good as the dirty version. Here’s my recipe:
  •  3 oz. gin
  • splash of dry french vermouth
  • a cocktail onion

Now the key here is getting a good cocktail onion. Believe it or not, I think the cocktail onion makes the drink. Otherwise, it’s just a martini.  So far, I have three different bottles of cocktail onions (yes, I like Gibsons that much): one from the regular grocery store, one from the dollar store, and one made by Tanqueray that is actually bottled in Tanqueray gin.

Let’s start with the worst: the dollar store onion. Yes, I should have known, but, really, you never know, except that, well, now I know. Don’t buy your cocktail onions from the dollar store. They’re terrible. Mushy and bland. Not even worth it. I threw them out, for they ruined my gin.

The Tanqueray onions: tasty but mushy. I was surprised. Not my favorite. Contrast them with the cheaper grocery store onions that were not as tasty by themselves but that improved the drink by making it salty and adding a bit of true crunch at the end.

Definitely the way to go if you really want to enjoy a Gibson.

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