Breakfast Martini
Gin, orange liqueur and lemon, with a spoonful of marmalade stirred in. Bright and bittersweet.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Coupe
- Strength
- 2.6 UK units
How to make a Breakfast Martini
- Chill the glass. Fill a coupe with ice and water and leave it while you make the drink.
- Stir the marmalade into the gin. Add the marmalade and gin to the shaker and stir with a bar spoon for about 10 seconds, until the marmalade has loosened into the gin.
- Shake with the rest. Add the orange liqueur, lemon juice and a good handful of ice. Shake hard for about 12 seconds, until the tin is frosty.
- Double strain. Tip the ice from the coupe, then strain through a Hawthorne strainer and a fine strainer so no peel or ice shards get through. The drink should look cloudy gold.
- Add the orange twist. Squeeze a strip of orange peel over the top, skin side down, then drop it in or rest it on the rim.
- Glass
- CoupeNo coupe? A martini glass or a small wine glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- Orange twistOr: A small strip of buttered toast on the rim.
What you need to make a Breakfast Martini
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Fine strainerA small tea strainer catches ice shards.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- Thin-cut marmaladeChoose one with plenty of bitter orange: Frank Cooper's or Wilkin & Sons Tiptree both work.Find it on Amazon
- Triple secCointreau is the benchmark and keeps for years.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Breakfast Martini story
The usual story is that Salvatore Calabrese made the first one at the Library Bar at the Lanesborough in London, inspired by the marmalade on a breakfast table. It has been served in bars well beyond London ever since, and it is a modern classic rather than an old one.
The marmalade does what sugar syrup would do, but it adds a bitter orange edge and a little body. Use a good thin-cut marmalade, and make sure it dissolves completely in the shaker, or the fine strainer will catch it.
Breakfast Martini: your questions answered
What is in a Breakfast Martini?
A Breakfast Martini is made with 50 ml London dry gin, 15 ml triple sec, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and thin-cut orange marmalade. Garnish: orange twist.
Is a Breakfast Martini shaken or stirred?
A Breakfast Martini is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Breakfast Martini?
Made to this recipe, a Breakfast Martini contains about 2.6 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Breakfast Martini in?
Serve a Breakfast Martini in a coupe. No coupe? A martini glass or a small wine glass.
