Dry vermouth and coriander seed add layers of flavor to this simple pickling solution.

Vermouth adds sweet depth to these bar essentials, the key to a classic Gibson martini.

OK - so maybe serving cocktail onions as a side dish isn't the classiest thing I've ever come up with, but it certainly is delicious. I am a...

These little onions can be used as a cocktail garnish, or as a snack. When brined in a flavorful spiced liquid, mild, naturally sweet pearl onions become the signature garnish for the Gibson, the pickled onion–lover's riff on the gin martini. You can also set out a bowl of them for garnishing when you serve Bloody Marys for a Crowd, or use them on a cheese plate.

Pickled Pearl Onions are super delicious as an appetizer or in a cocktail called a Gibson.

This 80s party staple is a classic appetiser! With cheese, cabanossi hotdogs & pickled cocktail onions, this party hedgehog will delight your guests.

Are you wondering how to use that fresh jar of cocktail onions? We have the scoop on the best drinks with cocktail onions and a guide for buying them or making them yourself at home.

Consider the Gibson. Cousin to the martini, its only distinguishing characteristic is the use of a cocktail onion as its garnish. A great cocktail onion is crisp and carries a hint of other flavors, beyond just the piquant onion. Cocktail onions, being small, are generally sweeter and less bracing than their full-sized counterparts. When you buy cocktail onions in the store, you have several choices. But many of them include additives and preservatives that would embalm a horse.

This three-ingredient pickle is a game-changing addition to your Christmas cheeseboard. Pickled onions are simmered in their liquid with added sweetness and heat, leaving you with crunchy, tart yet sweet nuggets with a gentle hum of chilli. They’re perfect with cheese (particularly cheddar) and wonderful with cured meats. Give them a go. Serve these cocktail onions alongside our easy fig and pecorino biscotti.

As with many classic cocktails, numerous origen stories have attached themselves to The Gibson like barnacles, and the truth is uncertain. One thing is clear, however: the pickled onion hasn’t always been part of the Gibson legend. The recipe in my 1933 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book is essentially a formula for what many would call a 50/50 martini — half gin, half dry vermouth, with a faint spritz of lemon essence. Nonetheless, we now tend to regard The Gibson as a martini in which a…