• 1 cup white pearl onions
• 2 cups champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. juniper berries

• 2 1/2 ounces gin
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• Splash of cocktail onion liquid
• 2 or 3 cocktail onions

Note: The directions here show how to make a single drink. Increase the amounts depending on how many cocktails you plan to serve.

Boil 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Add onions and boil 1 minute; strain. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Put vinegar, sugar, saffron threads, bay leaves, and juniper berries in the saucepan over medium-low heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Add onions, increase heat, and bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, remove from heat, and cool in pan. When room temperature, transfer contents to a container and chill in the refrigerator. It's best to marinate onions for at least 1 week. They can be stored for up to 2 months.

To make a drink, place ice in a cocktail shaker. Add gin, vermouth, and onion liquid. Shake and strain into a glass. Spear 2 or 3 onions on a pick, and add to glass.