The Fifty | fifty fifty cocktail
SanFrancisco’sKeliRiversmakeshundredsofdifferentgincocktailspernight.Still,whenaskedwhatherveryfavoritegincocktailis,shereplied:“Iwouldn’tkickaFifty-FiftyMartinioutofbedforeatingcrackers.”Though dryMartinis[1]—oftenatratiosanywherefrom3-to-1to9-to-1—havebeenthestandard-bearerformostofthelate20thandearly21stcenturies,theFifty-Fifty[2] (equalpartsginanddryvermouth)isalight-drinking,refreshing,sessionablevariantofthestyle.“Thetrendoflower-ABVcocktailscontinuestogainmomentum,”explainsBrahmCallah...
San Francisco’s Keli Rivers makes hundreds of different gin cocktails per night. Still, when asked what her very favorite gin cocktail is, she replied: “I wouldn’t kick a Fifty-Fifty Martini out of bed for eating crackers.”
Though dry Martinis[1]—often at ratios anywhere from 3-to-1 to 9-to-1—have been the standard-bearer for most of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Fifty-Fifty[2] (equal parts gin and dry vermouth) is a light-drinking, refreshing, sessionable variant of the style.
“The trend of lower-ABV cocktails continues to gain momentum,” explains Brahm Callahan, the beverage director for Himmel Hospitality Group. “While I do love a stiff Martini, there is something appealing about having more than one of something… This has resulted in many [bartenders] shifting ratios or swapping ingredients.”
It’s hard to track when the cocktail first appeared—do equal-parts drinks ever need to be written down?—but Kara Newman, in her 2016 book Shake. Stir. Sip...