The recipe

1½ ozDry English gin45 ml
1½ ozDry vermouth45 ml

How to make it

1Stir everything with ice until very cold.
2Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish: A pickled cocktail onion (the modern garnish).

Variations: Most Gibsons now are much drier, mixed like a Dry Martini, and always with the onion.

Boothby’s 1908 recipe is half gin, half dry vermouth, “no bitters should ever be used”, and no onion; the onion became the rule later.

The ratio

1 : 1

In parts, a Gibson is 1 gin and 1 vermouth. Change one part and you have a cousin; the closest are below.

Gin · 1Vermouth · 1

Find the Gibson on the ratio map →

Built the same way

Gin → Whiskey

Brooklyn

1 : 1

Gin → Scotch

Bobby Burns

1 : 1

Also gin

Tuxedo

1 : 1

Gin → Rum

El Presidente

1 : 1

Head to head

On screen

North by Northwest (1959)

Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant)

In the dining car, Thornhill orders a Gibson sitting across from Eve Kendall.

Sources: The Infatuation: 9 Iconic Cocktail & Movie Pairings; GamesRadar+: 7 classic cocktails and the best movies to watch them with; Cheryl Charming (Miss Charming): Cocktails in Film

The Queen's Gambit

Season 1, Episode 4, “Middle Game” (2020) · Beth Harmon

Flying home from Mexico City after Alma's sudden death, Beth raises a Gibson, the drink Alma favored, in a toast to her adoptive mother.

Sources: TVLine - Performer of the Week: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit, episode 4); Smiley Pete Publishing - Drink of the Month: The Gibson; The Three Drinkers - Iconic cocktails from TV & film (Gibson / Beth Harmon)

Cocktails in movies and TV →

More Martinis & Manhattans

Adonis — Sweet vermouth and sherry with orange bitters, stirred: a soft, low-alcohol aperitif named for an 1880s Broadway hit.
Algonquin — Rye, dry vermouth and pineapple juice: a dry, fruity Manhattan cousin.
Angel Face — Equal parts gin, apricot liqueur and Calvados: strong, fruity and spirit-forward, with an orchard character.
Bamboo — Dry vermouth and dry sherry in equal parts with orange bitters, stirred: light, nutty and dry, at about half the strength of a Martini.
Bijou — Gin, green Chartreuse and sweet vermouth in equal parts with orange bitters, stirred: herbal, sweet and strong.
Black Manhattan — A Manhattan with the Sicilian amaro Averna in place of sweet vermouth: darker, bittersweet and a little herbal.

All 29 Martinis & Manhattans →

By the numbers

Estimated per drink, as served

Calories

≈ 150

Sugar

≈ 1 g

Strength

≈ 20%

Std. drinks

≈ 1.5

Gin ≈ 99Dry vermouth ≈ 50 How we estimate

Of all 206: #6 lowest sugar