This Matzo Ball Soup Martini will give your Passover a boozy twist

In my family, Passover is all about tradition with a twist. Every year my sister writes a new Haggadah, following in the footsteps of our cousins who wrote their own when we were young (one time during a Star Trek fandom phase they translated all the Hebrew into Klingon), and every year, my dad tries an elaborate main course. My brother tries to outdo himself on epic desserts and each seder, my aunt, who spends her holidays with the family she married into, arrives with her mom’s traditional classics, like salmon cakes, brisket, and vegetable kugel, alongside my uncle who brings General Tso’s stir-fry.

While thinking about how I wanted to approach the matzo ball martini, I knew it had to include dill. My brother challenged us to accept variations like miso matzo ball soup over the years, but my mom and sister always make a traditional recipe: one that reminds me of my grandmother’s, in which dill is the star ingredient. The following martini recipe can be adjusted for any family tradition — whether you want to steep your gin in roasted vegetables, use a schmaltz wash, or omit the dill and use parsley (karpas anyone?), make the change that feels most inspiring to you. If the drink itself may seem a little out there, well, there are always ways to incorporate tradition.