The Key Ingredient to the World’s Best Martini: MSG
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We didn’t think it was possible to improve upon a classic dirty martini — until Studio Food Editor, Jessie YuChen, told us about the MSG martini from Bonnie’s, a wildly popular Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. Bonnie’s is part of an exciting new age of Asian American restaurants in New York City that are inclusive, fun, and bold (other spots include WenWen, Madam Vo, and Thai Diner). The restaurant’s menu has roots in traditional Cantonese cooking, with sprinkles of Western influence (think: fuyu cacio e pepe mein, chow nai sundae with Ovaltine hot fudge, and the aforementioned MSG martini, the one cocktail we can’t stop thinking about).
“It’s unapologetic Asian American pride,” Jessie says of the drink. “MSG is an ingredient that has had a bad reputation due to xenophobia, and many places still avoid being associated with it. But Bonnie’s doesn’t shy away from it — instead, the restaurant puts it directly on the menu to celebrate it.”
MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a salt that’s nearly impossible not to love. Even if you try to avoid it (despite evidence that it is not, in fact, bad for you), you’re most likely still consuming — and enjoying — it. That’s because glutamate occurs naturally in ingredients like tomatoes, mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese; it’s what makes them taste so good! In Bonnie’s martini, MSG complements the briny olives by bumping up the umami flavor.
Lucky for all of us, MSG is easy to get your hands on, so you can bring a little bit of the Bonnie’s experience home, thanks to the recipe that Channing Centeno, the person behind the restaurant’s drink program, shared with Punch Drink. Although if you’re able to get to Williamsburg, Jessie suggests going to Bonnie’s and getting the hup to ha, fuyu cacio e pepe mein, yeung sang choi bao — and the martini, of course.
How to Make Bonnie’s MSG Martini
Making a dirty martini with MSG takes a couple of extra steps. First, make an MSG solution by dissolving MSG in water at a ratio of 1 to 50. Next, add a dash of the MSG solution to an ounce of olive brine.
From there, the process is a breeze. Add gin or vodka, the MSG-olive brine, and some Shaoxing wine to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with Castelvetrano olives.