Beefsteak Martini

Recipe: Phil Ward , Long Island Bar , Brooklyn

Photo: Kelly Puleio

May 04, 2026

An aromatic Japanese herb imbues this Martini with fresh, herbal notes.

A simple overnight infusion of fresh shiso leaves in gin can speed up preparation of this cocktail and make it easier to fix en masse, but the infusion isn’t strictly necessary. If mixing on the fly, simply add three torn shiso leaves to the mixing glass along with the other ingredients (increase the gin to 2 oz. since you won’t have the infusion on hand) and let everything sit for a few moments before adding the ice and stirring. To serve, rub a torn shiso leaf around the rim of the cocktail glass to boost the aromatics.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. shiso-infused gin
1 oz. dry vermouth
1 oz. blanc or bianco vermouth

Tools:barspoon, strainer
Glass:cocktail
Garnish:shiso-infused gin in an atomizer (or a torn shiso leaf)

Preparation

Stir all of the ingredients with ice until chilled, and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish by spritzing the cocktail several times with an atomizer filled with shiso-infused gin (or simply rub a torn shiso leaf around the glass’s rim).
Shiso-Infused GinIn a quart jar, combine 1 bottle of gin with 25 grams of fresh shiso leaves. Cover the jar and let infuse at room temperature overnight, then strain and bottle for use. The infusion will last indefinitely, but the shiso character will fade over time.