Transcription:
Laura Unterberg: It's the Christmas season. It's really time to show up and show your friends how to make a great cocktail. This year everything revolves around the Martini. I mean, every year it's about the Martini. But this year, especially, it has been the number one cocktail. So, taking some Silent Pool, we just became fully available in the US, and I love sharing with two parts intricate layers of Silent Pool English Gin, a delicious splash of orange oil. And lots and lots of ice. So the Martini is an essentially American cocktail. I love sharing it with family and friends, and it's very, very easy to make a great one at home. It's simply about having the highest quality ingredients. There's nothing to hide behind in a Martini.
Related: Why are alcohol sales declining?
Conway Gittens: Are you shaking or not? Remove? What are you agitated or stirred?
Laura Unterberg: Ideally a little of both would be, but for Silent Pool Gin, I love it stirred. A nice cold, crunchy smoothie adds too much oxygen to me. I like my martinis silky and smooth. You never really know what's going on in the glass.
Conway Gittens: So what are the ingredients in this trendy drink?
Laura Unterberg: Absolutely. Thus, Silent Pool Gin is distilled with 24 English botanicals. There are already so many rich flavors: linden, elderflower, organic, hyperlocal honey. We really like to highlight them. Dilute it with a little cold, crisp water and a little more orange peel. That oil illuminates and adheres to the palate.
Conway Gittens: So what makes this drink trendy right now?
Laura Unterberg: It's interesting to see. I mean, the Martini has really grown a lot in the last few years. I think people are much more interested in making cocktails at home and want something delicious but affordable. There's also the newfound nostalgia of a cocktail that truly represents turn-of-the-century America. We're all thinking about the 1950s and '60s and their giant martini pitchers, and we're finding a way to take those classic drinks and make them our own. Would you mind doing the honors? Health.
Conway Gittens: Strong, but good.
Laura Unterberg: It's one of my favorites to start a cocktail hour during friend gatherings or family gatherings. Make everyone feel a little comfortable. And with so many botanicals, it really pairs well with a variety of foods. I love a martini with a charcuterie board. Cheeses, meats and fresh fruit, or even more savory items like sage and toppings and fillings.
Conway Gittens: Alright, take us to a classic Christmas drink.
Laura Unterberg: Oh, classic Christmas drink? You have to opt for the blueberry. I mean, people talk about pumpkin spice and gingerbread. For me it has always been the blueberry. So we wanted to stay in the martini realm and do something a little more fun and lighter. Again, two parts English Silent Pool Gin. Distilling with honey is kind of our secret. It's what gives it that really rich, beautiful pour. And then a part of spiced cranberry syrup. It sounds fancy, but I just use cranberry juice, brown sugar, and a couple cinnamon sticks and peppercorns. And then fresh lime juice. And here will come your chance to have that shaken drink. I said we'd do both, seems fair.
Conway Gittens: What's your favorite drink that's easy to make?
Laura Unterberg: Oh, absolutely. I love these Martini variations because you don't have to have 15 ingredients. There's nothing worse than falling in love with a cocktail at a great bar. And the bartender is very nice and he gives you the recipe and you have this whole list, you have to go to the supermarket and buy 16 things and you're on the hunt. We like them to be fun and lightweight – things you'd have in your cabinet. You'd be surprised how many amazing cocktail ingredients you already have at home. Honey, maple syrup, the last bit of jam left in the jam jar. These can all be amazing additions, especially if you start with a handcrafted, sustainably and ethically crafted base spirit. It really makes a difference. And it's the holidays, we have to go up the church a little. A small skewer of blueberries.
Conway Gittens: Elegant
Laura Unterberg: I think so. Alright.
Conway Gittens: This one is full to the brim.
Laura Unterberg: I know, you deserve it.
Conway Gittens: It has a cooling effect; that's the kind of drink where you'd say “oh, it's alcohol-free.” And the next thing that happens is you're under the table after three of those.
Laura Unterberg: I couldn't talk about that. I exclusively enjoy blueberries responsibly.
Conway Gittens: Alright. Let's talk about the Silent Pool Gin Christmas party. What will you serve at that party?
Laura Unterberg: Oh my God. I feel like they always put me in charge of making cocktails. And I love teaching other people how to do it so they can enjoy it. But we distill with mandarin, lime and fresh English pear. So I love a pear and almond tart for dessert with a delicious silent cocktail by the pool.
Conway Gittens: Alright, are you going to do it for us?
Laura Unterberg: Yes, it seems fair. I wish I had an oven with a full cake. That sounds amazing. Let's go in the other direction. As much as I enjoy a pear tart, I've been trying to cut out sweets. So to finish we are going to opt for a tastier cocktail. If the martini was really classic and the spiced cranberry martini was a little fun and refreshing, let's go in a savory direction, something that really pairs well with all those dishes and highlights the coriander, timor pepper and cassia bark . in Silent Pool.
Conway Gittens: So what do we have here? Two parts gin?
Laura Unterberg: Yes, two parts of Silent Pool Gin. Let's go with another splash of orange oil. Look, this is dangerous. From now on you will be in charge of preparing the cocktails. I always tell people they can't pay my hourly rate. My mom never likes that joke. The dirty martini has been very, very, very trendy this year. But I'm not a big olive person. So I like a Gibson. It's like hitting a few of those notes in a dirty martini. You've got the saltiness, you've got the dilution, but some delicate cocktail onion instead.
Conway Gittens: An onion instead of an olive?
Laura Unterberg: Yes, it reaches that salty note a little more tasty, a touch sweeter. And then for the holidays, I add some rosemary and make a beautiful rosemary wreath.
Conway Gittens: Well, around 10:00 no one notices the crown.
Laura Unterberg: But it's fun for cocktails. You get a little tray. It has that beautiful aroma. Martha Stewart could never do it. I'm going to get in trouble for saying that. Martha Stewart definitely could do it.
Watch ICYMI this week:
- amazon could have a bumpy holiday season
- Fed rate cuts in 2025: Expert outlines more realistic expectations
- Why are alcohol sales declining?
- Biden forgives another $4.28 billion in student loan debt
