Can I do two martini posts in a row? With the amount of gin I have, I would say the answer is yes.

But, more than that, I think I’ve discovered a new favourite cocktail so, yes, that’s more than enough reason to do so.

I was recently, gratefully, on the receiving end of a media drop featuring two bottles of liquor from a Quebecois distillery whose products are now hitting the Alberta market thanks to Spur Imports.

The package of holiday cheer featured a bottle each of gin and creme de menthe from Les Subversifs, among other goodies.

The small distillery currently offers four options: vodka, the aforementioned gin, a creme de menthe — which, don’t you dare raise your nose at; this is no mouthwash-evocative booze you used to drink as a teenager at clandestine house or bush parties —and a maple liqueur, each named for an historical Quebecois figure.

(I’d like to note here that I have been very fortunate in my career to be gifted products to try and opportunities to eat at new restaurants etc. I try to ensure it’s very clear when I’m being gifted something because it’s really important to me to make a distinction between a gift/media event and something I am posting about because I love and truly endorse it. This gin? It very much fits into the category of “gifted but 10/10 would purchase — and likely will.” Also, most of the time that you see me posting on social, it’s because I paid my own money for things. OK, I feel better for getting that out of the way.)

Which means that when I tell I consumed about a fifth of the bottle of Isabelle Montour creme de menthe, it is a legit endorsement of a delicious liqueur that works simply on the rocks, though I will definitely be trying it as a hot chocolate add-in.

But I digress.

Admittedly — and certainly confirmed by the Vesper Martini disaster — I’ve never been much of a martini drinker. I can remember the first I had, with my friend Julie at some bar in Victoria while we were still at UVic for our undergrads. (Pucker readers, it’s the same Julie who introduced me to the beauty of the Whiskey Sour, so any encouraging she did for me to have a martini is entirely forgivable.) Obviously, my tastes have changed a lot in the, cough, cough, number of years since then. But I still haven’t really managed to get into martinis.

Until this one.

Behold the Gibson!

Actually, let’s be clear: behold the Gibson made with Les Subversifs’ Gin Marie-Victorin.*

*Because, let me tell you, if I’ve learned nothing else in recent weeks it’s that some hard liquors are better in some applications over others. One gin is great with tonic, while another is really best where it can shine. And this gin? It’s the latter.

With similar leanings as a London dry, there are undertones of lemon, juniper, cardamom and coriander. But the subversion comes from using parsnip — surely an unexpected ingredient — to lend a slight sweet, earthy note that makes for a very smooth, highly drinkable gin.

The first time I tried it was straight-up… and I liked it.

So I was intrigued when it was suggested I try it as a Gibson. Gin + pickled onion? Yes, I am in.

This is not the martini where you skip over the vermouth because you really just want ice-cold gin in a fancy glass. Vermouth is crucial. As is the briney, acidic addition of a cocktail onion.

The ones I had the pleasure of enjoying — eight pearl onions over two cocktails — were made by a former colleague. I had been hoarding them for the last numerous months and, frankly, I’m glad I did. They were waiting for this cocktail. Now it won’t take long for the rest of them to disappear.

Like most martinis, the beauty here is in the simplicity and using liquors you genuinely enjoy. (It doesn’t have to be this gin. But it does have to be one you love the taste of, of course.) If I can, I would recommend adding just the smallest, dirtiest splash of pickled onion brine before stirring to chill.

It’s a drink and a snack all in one!

Gibson

• 2 1/2 ounces gin
• 1/2 ounce vermouth
• cocktail onions

Add gin and vermouth to a mixing glass full of ice. Stir until well chilled.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cocktail onion — no judgment on how many.