Swashbuckler Martini: An Oyster Martini

Name: Swashbuckler Martini: An Oyster Martini
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Eric Alperin , Queen's Raw Bar & Grill , Los Angeles

Photo: Ari Kolender

June 13, 2025

Queen's Swashbuckler Martini: Oyster Martini

When Eric Alperin created the cocktail program at Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill in LA’s Eagle Rock neighborhood, he knew he wanted to add a Dirty Martini that incorporated the umami flavors of the raw bar, so he introduced an oyster to the cocktail’s brine. “The unctuousness of the oysters combined with the olive brine and dry vermouth give our mouths a 3-D explosion,” he says.

Ingredients

2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. Swashbuckler brine
lemon peel

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:Nick & Nora
Garnish:blue cheese stuffed olive wrapped with anchovy and bookended with Guindilla pickled peppers

Preparation

Combine the gin, vermouth, and brine in a shaker. Shake with one cube of ice. Strain into a chilled glass. Express a lemon peel over the drink, then add the garnish.
Swashbuckler Brine (6 1/2 oz./6 servings)Add 2 oz. of Dolin dry vermouth, 1 oz. of olive brine, 1/2 oz. of mignonette, and 1 whole small-medium oyster to a shaker and blend with an immersion blender. Strain through chinois. Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

MignonettePlace 5 1/3 oz. of white wine, 1 1/2 cups of rhubarb (cut into 1/2-inch pieces), 1 cup of white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 bay leaf in a pot over high heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has come to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it steep until the rhubarb is softened and cooked, about 20 minutes.

Set a strainer over a heat-proof container and pour the liquid through. Let the strainer sit allowing all the liquid to drip through. Once it is cooled to room temperature throw in 3 Tbsp. of small diced shallots and transfer it to the refrigerator until chilled through. Yields 2 cups. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.