Freezer Door Martini with Lemon Bitters
Meet my new favorite way to make cocktails for a party. This freezer door martini with lemon bitters, gin, and dry vermouth is smooth, boozy, and the only way to serve cocktails to a crowd. Everything gets mixed in one bottle for batching and easy pouring. Cheers, friends!
I have been throwing dinner parties ever since I moved into my first house ten years ago as a little college freshman. I mean, dozens of parties from cozy family dinners to eating pizza and drinking cheap beer on the living room floor with my friends.
And it’s taken me until like, right now to learn how to easily make classic drinks for a crowd. Of course, there’s always batch cocktails like this pitcher blueberry lemon vodka spritz or this peachy pink gin spritz. But sometimes you just want a classic martini. And this frozen version is genius.
These freezer door cocktails are a total game changer for dinner party drinks. All you do is mix everything together in a bottle, freeze it for a few hours, and voilà. Martinis for all.
My favorite elegant, easy party cocktail
Honestly, bartenders are probably giggling right now, because this is a trick they’ve been using forever. Martini snobs are probably in the process of writing me an angry email denouncing the “sacrilegious” nature of this recipe. But if you’re into the concept like I am, here’s why you need to try this recipe:
- These martinis are the best of stirred and shaken. They’re super smooth like a stirred martini but they’re also ice cold like a shaken one.
- These martinis take about five minutes to mix up. So easy!
- With a 3:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, they’re balanced, boozy, and crisp. The best.
- It’s the perfect drink situation for a crowd. 8 cocktails, 1 bottle, the end.
Ingredients & alternatives
- Gin – I like a classic London dry gin. But you can use whatever gin you like best. Just pick something higher-quality because this is a very spirit-forward cocktail. If you like a vodka martini, feel free to use your favorite vodka instead of gin.
- Vermouth – there is a dry versus sweet vermouth debate amongst martini fans, but personally, I like dry vermouth. And it’s the most traditional option! Again, pick something high-quality.
- Water – classic martinis are either shaken or stirred with ice which dilutes the drink a bit. Since we’re just mixing this cocktail in a bottle, we need to add water to make up for the lack of ice. Most martinis will end up being about 20% water content, so we’ll use 20% water in this bottled version! Make sure to use filtered water for the best taste.
- Lemon bitters – this is another hot debate when it comes to martinis, but I personally love some citrusy bitters in my martini. Orange bitters work too. But if you’re not a fan, just leave them out.
- Garnishes – a lemon twist or a couple of green olives is the go-to. Use your favorite!
Mix it up
- Start by pouring some of the gin out of the bottle. Save it for another time!
- Then, add the vermouth straight into the bottle of gin.
- Add the filtered water to the gin-vermouth mixture.
- Add a few dashes of lemon bitters to the bottle. Cap the bottle & give it a few good shakes to mix everything together.
- Freeze the martinis for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour about 3 ounces of the gin martini into a glass. Garnish with a twist or olive and enjoy!
Bitters are like salt and pepper – add them to taste! I typically prefer more bitters so I added about 16 dashes to this bottle. But, I would start with 8, taste, and add more if you like.
For a dirty martini…
If you like a dirty martini, no problem! Just replace the water with olive brine. Then, taste a sip of the martini and add more brine if you like. Just be careful not to add too much brine or the martini might end up slushy instead of crisp and smooth.
Freezer & make-ahead
Storing these martinis is beyond easy. Just pop the bottle in the freezer door! They will last for months in the freezer (although let’s be real, they probably wont!).
Since the martinis need to freeze for at least 4 hours, this makes it the perfect make-ahead cocktail. Just mix everything together and freeze until you’re ready to serve.
If you’re throwing a big party, feel free to make a few freezer door cocktails! Each 750 milliliter bottle will make about 8 cocktails. So, this is a super easy recipe to scale up depending on how many people you’re serving.
Gin recommendations
I would usually say to just pick whatever gin you like. But no matter what, you’ll want something higher-quality since this is a very spirit-forward drink. These are some of my go-tos:
- Sipsmith London Dry
- Beefeater London Dry
- Boodles London Dry
- Hendrick’s
- Empress 1908
A few notes
- In this lemon gin martini recipe, we’re using a 3:1 ratio of gin to vermouth. But if you prefer a different ratio (4:1, 5:1, etc.) feel free to adjust. Just make sure you’re still using the 5 ounces of water to dilute the cocktail!
- If the martinis start to get slushy in the freezer, just add more gin. You want the alcohol content to be above 25% (50 proof) so it doesn’t freeze.
- Pick a gin that’s 80 proof (40% alcohol) or higher. This will keep it from freezing or turning slushy!
- If you do get ice crystals in the martinis, just give the bottle a gentle shake. After you pour the cocktail, the ice crystals will melt after a couple of minutes.
- Place the bottle in the freezer door, not the shelf! The shelf is a bit too cold and the drink will turn slushy.
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Freezer Door Martinis with Lemon Bitters
Ingredients
- 750 milliliter bottle of gin
- 5 ounces dry vermouth (148 milliliters)
- 5 ounces filtered water (148 milliliters)
- 8 dashes lemon bitters, plus more to taste
- Lemon twist or green olives, for garnish
Equipment
- Jigger
- Martini glasses
Instructions
- Pour 10 ounces (296 milliliters) of gin out of the bottle. Reserve it in a resealable bottle or jar for another time.
- Add the vermouth, water, and bitters to the bottle of gin. Cap the bottle, give it a few shakes, and freeze the martinis for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour about 3 ounces (90 milliliters) of the chilled cocktail into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olives. Enjoy!
Hi Sara, if I wanted to added olive juice to make it on the dirty side, how much would you suggest portion wise?
Thanks!
Hey Allison! To make a dirty martini, just replace the water with olive brine and add more to taste. Just make sure not to add too much or the martini will turn slushy in the freezer! (And if it does, just add another splash of gin.) Hope that helps! xx.