Tree Martini

Tree Martini is an unusual version of Dry Martini—typically made with a 5:1 ratio of gin and dry vermouth—served in Spanish porrón, a glass pitcher with a long spout. The pitcher allows the drink to flow in a thin stream, directly into the mouth.

Tree Martini hails from a ski resort located north of the city of Taos in New Mexico. The cocktail was invented in the winter of 1958-59 by Ernie Blake, a ski instructor and the owner of the Ski Valley resort. The legend says that one of Ernie’s trainees struggled to get down the slope during a skiing lesson.

Ernie sent his son to get a Dry Martini, which he brought poured in a porrón. The combination became legendary, and Ernie used to place porróns on various places around the slopes. The tradition continues at Blake’s skiing school, but instead of burying pitchers in the snow, they are kept safe in locked wooden tree boxes—and are used as a reward for students after a successfully finished course.