Order your martini on the rocks at New York’s Il Matto restaurant, and don’t be surprised to find one in your glass. Their stone martinis are served with - just as the name suggests - an actual stone. Functional chic or over the top?
At Il Matto, bartender Christina Bini chills each stone and soaks it in vermouth. When added to the drink, the flavor seeps into the martini and simultaneously keeps it cold. These aren’t your garden variety pebbles, however; they are carefully chosen rocks from Italy and Mongolia - the former garnishes the sweet white stone martini and the later is the centerpiece of the dry black stone martini.
Don't have fancy international stones in your backyard? Several retailers have caught on to the trend and sell stones cut just for cocktails. Chill the rocks in the freezer and bypass the issue of diluted drinks. Soak them in vermouth or elderflower liquor to add another element to the drink.
Would you try this at your next dinner party?
• Whiskey Stones , $19.50 for a set of 9 at Amazon
Related Link: Hot or Not: Nordic Rock Stone Ice Cubes
(Image: Stephanie Barlow)
(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)
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Stone Soup anyone!?
Are these actually porous? If not how do they add anything substantial to the drink taste wise?
Confused and sceptical!
Cute
What on earth?
Wouldn't want these knocking against my teeth.
No thank you. Call me boring but I'll stick to regular ice.
They keep your drink cold for a while without watering it down (like ice). I think it's a gimmick, but it's probably one I'd fall for. Sounds cool to me!
E. Savill, you're right, the stones pictured after the jump are soapstone and non-porous. However, Il Matto uses porous varieties. If we're talking vermouth, I think even non-porous stones would capture enough for a martini, but I have to admit, I only like a few drops of the stuff! Thanks for the feedback!
Isn't this where the term "on the rocks" comes from? Like stickyheels said -- it's to keep drinks cold without watering them down (especially a good thing for scotch ;)
Hmm they'd scratch my glasses, knock my teeth, and I'd probably manage to let them grow bacteria and mold in a drawer after not letting them dry out enough. Pass.
My friend, a big scotch guy, swears by them. Keeps them in his freezer. And I must say, that my cocktail was great with them. A conversation piece, at a minimum.
This is just stupid- almost as stupid as ingesting gold leaf, with the proviso that at least gold leaf won't chip your teeth...
@Purdygirl, if he drinks his scotch cold he isn't a great scotch guy.
I've seen these before but I can't help but think they're a great way to knock out your teeth. If you like the taste of the alcohol so little that it must be ice cold to the last drop then maybe you should change your drinking habits. There's also the fact that adding water helps open up some of the flavors so SOME water isn't a bad idea.
I'm not sure about this myself... alcohol is a pretty good solvent for a number of things. Perhaps even some of the trace elements in the stones?
Ummmm. Not new. Whiskey stones? The use in martinis, however, is. Probably because it's nonsensical since martinis are already cooled with a cocktail shaker. Silly and gimmicy.
Also, @Tiamat whiskey stones don't cool down the drink in the same way as ice. It's a subtle chill and not really enough to mask flavor. It's purely a preference thing.
I thought part of the appeal of ordering something 'on the rocks' was that you *wanted* the booze to get watered down a little bit. Water can bring out the flavors and dilute stronger, all alcohol cocktails (like martinis).
Ice melts. Whisky Rocks.
Ideal for putting a slight chill in your whisky
without diluting the dram of your dreams.
I bought mine at Sur La Table.
Genius.
I hate when I get to the bottom of a drink and it's all watery.
Another fun ice cube replacement is frozen fruit. When I have over-ripe fruit, I'll blend it in a food processor and stick it in an ice cube tray. There's nothing like cooling down lemonade with frozen blueberry squares or popping frozen mango in a vodka-cranberry.
I don't know, I think the watery element is actually pretty important for a strong drink, whether it's a cocktail or a straight liquor. When you shake or stir a cocktail in a separate mixer, then strain it into your glass, as long as you've done it properly, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the drink will be water. Water helps the flavours show through the alcohol, so that you can appreciate the complexity and deliciousness without it all being masked by alcohol burn. I think this is a gimmick.
Do the rocks get reused?
Interesting. I'd like to give them a go because I definately share some of the concerns of other users (contact against the glass and your teeth), but definately seeing some of the benefits as well and plus I think some of them are aesthetically very pleasing.
We've had these in my part of the world for years already and I've never heard anyone complain about scratched glasses. People seem happy about non-watered down drinks though. Personally I think they are horribly ugly though and prefer real ice cubes.
at least the weight would keep them at the bottom of the glass as oposed to ice floating on the top and hitting your teeth. I like the idea of blending fruit and freezing that into ice cubes to add to fruity cocktails - will have to try that one.