Martinez – The Perfect Father’s Day Cocktail

I’ve been missing the past few weeks because the newest member of our family has finally arrived. Yes, Thomas Julian has finally made his presence known after nine long months of stretching and wiggling around inside me. He was well worth the wait as everything has been going swimmingly thus far. (I know it’s only been two weeks, but the second time around has been much easier than the first for a variety of reasons I won’t bore you with here.)

Since I’m sure you’re all wondering what he looks like, my friend, the amazing photographer Jennifer Castle, was nice enough to swing by and snap a few shots for me to share. She’s been shooting our family for the past three years, so it seemed fitting that she capture Thomas when he was only five days old. Isn’t he the cutest? Yes, I’m biased, but still…  Anyway, I could go on and on about our new seven pound bundle of joy, but this post is dedicated to Hubs and his special day.

See, I thought the perfect way to introduce our newest son to the world was for Father’s Day, as my wonderful husband is now a daddy for the second time. And with a second baby comes a whole new round of sleepless nights, changing diapers constantly and doing everything you can to keep the first born occupied and tired. And Hubs has been doing a terrific job! If I’m breast feeding (which I seem to be doing constantly as I’m a milk machine once again) or changing TJ’s diapers, Hubs keeps A busy by building cities with his train tracks, playing soccer or running him ragged at the park. He’s also been ordering my favorite take out since as a second-time C-section I haven’t really been up for cooking. In short, he’s been an amazing amount of help and support and I couldn’t imagine doing this without him. So for the day that’s devoted entirely to him, I thought he deserved a cocktail. And what better cocktail than the precursor to his favorite, the martini.

The Martinez was supposedly first created by Jerry Thomas at the height of the California Gold Rush for a forty-niner who wandered into the town of Martinez and wanted to celebrate his gold strike. Of course there’s also the theory that it was created a few years earlier by O.H. Byron for a traveler on his way to Martinez. Personally, I like the Gold Rush story better because nothing’s cooler than creating a drink to celebrate a special occasion, like striking gold or bringing home a new member of the family.

So to Hubs for his amazingness in both the father and husband department.  And to my wonderful new son Thomas for bringing even more joy to our household. And finally Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Whether you’re brand new to the role or have been doing it for years, you’re all awesome and definitely deserve a cocktail for everything you do.

Martinez

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz Maraschino liqueur
• dash of Angostura bitters

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for one minute. Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve.