The exact origin of the Martini is not known. There are stories and claims but the only actual records are books of cocktail recipes published at various points in history. Researchers, such as the authors of books footnoted below, have used these to come up with a plausible Martini genealogy.
The Manhattan is the great grandfather of the Martini. This simple American cocktail with a complex taste was originally made from equal parts rye whiskey and either sweet or dry vermouth, plus small amounts of maraschino and bitters. It was created in the late 1800s as vermouth increased in popularity with bartenders.
In the 1880s came the Martinez, a variation on the Manhattan made from two parts Old Tom gin (which was sweet), one part dry vermouth, and small amounts of maraschino and bitters. The Martinez has a pleasing but very different taste than a Manhattan due to substitution of gin for whiskey.
The Marquerite came along in the 1890s. This was a variation on the Martinez made from two parts Plymouth gin (which was dry), one part dry vermouth, and bitters. Switching from sweet to dry vermouth and dropping the maraschino changed the taste again.
The classic dry Martini came into being in the early 1900s and contained equal parts dry gin and dry vermouth with a slight flavoring of bitters. Bitters remained a martini ingredient through the 1930s but disappeared by the late 1940s. The amount of vermouth used remained a ratio of one to one, especially during the Prohibition years 1919-1933 when it was needed to mask the crude taste of “bathtub gin,” but diminished steadily into the 1950s to an almost unnoticeable presence. Some bartenders even began using atomizers to disperse it into a drink. Thus emerged the classic dry gin Martini we know today, now popular for more than half a century.
Variations on this venerable classic abound. Adding olive juice makes it a “dirty Martini.” Substituting vodka for gin turns it into a vodka Martini. Garnish with an onion instead of an olive and it’s a Gibson. A Charles Dickens Martini has no olive or twist. The Vesper is perhaps the most storied martini. Made with one part vodka, three parts gin, and a dash of French vermouth, it was ordered by James Bond “shaken, not stirred.”
During the cocktail craze that began in the 1990s and is still going strong today, many drinks have been called Martinis even though they stray far from the classic recipe. If a drink contains no gin, no vodka, and no vermouth, is it a Martini merely because it is served in a Martini glass? Purists who cling to the classic recipe as the only true path loudly say no and dismiss these drinks as further evidence of civilization’s decline.
But what does it really matter? Such creations as the Apple Martini, the Cosmopolitan, the Chocolate Martini, the Caramel Apple Martini, the Mochatini, the Coconut Cream Pie Martini, the Lemon Drop Martini, and others, many of which are quite tasty, serves to widen interest in both new and historic cocktails. Their popularity also encourages bartenders to experiment and invent new combinations to enjoy during cocktail hour.
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Conrad III, Barnaby. The Martini. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995.
Regan, Gary. The Joy of Mixology. New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2003.