Caesar Martini

Name: Caesar Martini
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Krissy Harris , Shy Shy , New York City

May 14, 2025

A fan of Caesar salads and wet Martinis, Krissy Harris, owner and beverage director of Shy Shy in New York, mused about combining the two in a clean and light sipper. Instead of infusing anchovies in the vodka, she swaps in dried shiitake mushrooms, which add an umami element without overpowering the other flavors. To round out the mouthfeel and texture of this Martini riff, Harris fat-washes the infused vodka with extra-virgin olive oil.

At Shy Shy, they serve the cocktail with a boquerone on a lettuce leaf sprinkled with Parmesan and Aleppo pepper flakes. But Harris recommends enjoying the cocktail at home with a Caesar salad to “tie the whole experience together.”

Ingredients

2 oz. Caesar vodka
1 oz. dry vermouth

Tools:mixing glass, barspoon
Glass:coupe or martini
Garnish:Baby Romaine lettuce leaf with a single boquerone and a sprinkling of Parmesan and Aleppo pepper flakes

Preparation

Add the ingredients to the mixing glass followed by ice filling 3/4 to the top. Stir for at least 20 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish.
Caesar vodkaAdd 2 1/3 Tbsp. of seasoned rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. of ground black pepper, 3/4 tsp. of kosher salt, peel of 1 lemon, 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, and 750ml bottle of vodka to a vessel that is nonreactive and can be put in the fridge. Stir until salt is dissolved. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours. Using a mesh strainer and cheese cloth, strain out solids. Squeeze mushrooms until all liquid is removed. Discard solids. Add 3 oz. of extra virgin olive oil, stirring well to incorporate into the vodka. Place the vodka in the freezer until the olive oil has solidified. Then poke a hole in the olive oil and strain the vodka through cheese cloth. Will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely.