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.

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, you need to try this recipe.

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.

London dry gin

I like a classic London dry gin in this recipe. 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.

You also need 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.

For the rest of the recipe, you need filtered water, lemon or orange bitters, and lemon twists for garnish if you like.

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!

Mix it up

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!).

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. Some of my go-tos are Sipsmith London Dry, Beefeater London Dry, Boodles London Dry, Hendrick’s, or Empress 1908.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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