My friend Jessica gave me a large jar of preserved Meyer lemons, so I spent most of the afternoon thinking up what to do with it. At first, I thought of maybe a salty soda, like those salty plum sodas Vietnamese restaurants serve. That led to thinking about a salty cocktail, which led to a Preserved Meyer Lemon Martini. It’s kind of like a dirty martini, but instead of olive and olive brine, I used the preserved lemon and a bit of the liquid in the jar.
The piece of lemon I included with garnish was great — it completely made the drink. Unfortunately, I think I put in too much gin compared to everything else because it tasted like a science project. Next time, maybe I need more dry vermouth. Or maybe I’m just not as big a fan of martinis as I thought.
Stir the gin and dry vermouth in a mixing glass with some ice cubes for about a minute. Stir in the lemon brine. Strain into a martini glass. Top with garnish.
