Of all the Martini variations, the Gibson might be my favorite. Any time I see it on a menu, I have to order it — because not only is it delicious, but as far as Martinis go, it’s one of the rarer offerings. The Gibson is basically a standard Martini with one crucial difference: Instead of being garnished with an olive or a twist, it’s finished with a pickled onion.

Like many classic cocktails, the origins of the Gibson are murky. Some say it was created by businessman Walter D. K. Gibson at San Francisco’s Bohemian Club in the late 1800s; but the recipe first appeared in print in The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them in 1908. Besides the onion garnish, the Gibson is historically made without orange bitters, which further differentiates it from the classic Martini recipe.

Yes, you can buy a jar of pickled pearl onions just as you would olives or cornichons, but the store-bought versions pale in comparison to the flavor and texture of those that are homemade. “I think it’s the tang you get from a high-quality vinegar that is lacking in most store-ready onions,” says Meaghan Dorman, bar director of Dear Irving on Hudson (and all the Dear Irving locations, for that matter). “They don’t taste pickled, more just blandly preserved.”

I fell in love with the Gibson again at Dear Irving on Hudson, where the lightly savory cocktail is garnished with a purplish-pink pickled onion (which, might I add, perfectly matches the crushed velvet furniture in the sky-high bar). I’ve pickled white pearl onions and even drained and re-brined the mediocre store-bought kind, but according to Dorman, you should always start with the raw alliums and go for red, if possible.

“I have re-brined cocktail onions with some success, though I would suggest just subbing regular white onions, shallots or pickling red onion rings,” she says. “I did that during pandemic times when shopping was very limited. I sliced regular red onions, popped the rings apart and then pickled them. You can add as many as you like, and it’s a pretty look in a coupe glass.”

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If you go the sliced-onion route, the resulting pickles are also great for topping tacos, burgers and bagels with lox. But even the fully-intact pearl onions have uses besides garnishing a Gibson. “A Bloody Mary/Maria is great with a pickled onion, as well as drinks with an element of green like jalapeño or cilantro,” Dorman says. “I find that an onion pairs well in a fresh and savory drink.”

Below, Dear Irving on Hudson’s recipes for pickled onions — and their signature Gibson.

a gibson cocktail with a red pickled onion on a white marble surface — Dear Irving on Hudson’s famous Gibson

Eric Medsker

Pickled Gibson Onions and Brine

Servings: About 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups Champagne vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. pickling spice (in a tea holder to avoid debris)
1/2 lb. red pearl onions

Directions

1. In a pot, combine all ingredients, except for the onions, and bring to a boil. Add the onions and boil for one minute.
2. Remove the pot from heat and scoop the onions into a lidded container and refrigerate overnight. Allow the brine to cool, and pour it into a separate container; chill in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Rejoin the onions and brine and store in quart containers. They will keep for four weeks, if refrigerated.

“Created in 2014 for Dear Irving’s opening menu, our more savory take on a Gibson with house-pickled onions has become a signature drink,” Dorman says. “Our goal was to find a new audience for the Gibson, where the standard London dry [gin] and astringent store onions had lost the luster of the Martini’s reputation.”

Dear Irving's Gibson

Servings: 1

Ingredients

.25 oz. onion brine
1 oz. Carpano Bianco vermouth
2 oz. Tanqueray No. Ten gin
Pickled onion, for garnish

Directions

1. Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a pickled onion (cut in half if large) on a cocktail pick.