DEFINITIONS:
- A Martini is a cocktail containing unequal amounts of dry gin and dry vermouth (in a ratio of somewhere between 2:1 and 15:1, inclusive), served chilled in a conical stemmed glass, garnished with either a green olive or a lemon twist. This is the purist’s definition, which further states that it is the only definition.
- You can make a bad Martini with premium ingredients. You can make a decent Martini with ordinary ingredients. The difference depends more on preparation than the quality of the components.
- A Martini is part water from melted ice. Water serves to blend the flavors of gin and vermouth and the ratio of water, gin, and vermouth determines the final taste. The exact quantities are a matter of personal taste determined through experimentation.
- Gin is an aromatic clear spirit deriving its flavor from an assortment of botanical flavorings, the predominant usually being juniper berries.
- Vermouth is an aromatized wine made by adding ingredients such as alcohol, sugar, caramel, and water to white or red wine and infusing the resulting mixture with a variety of herbs, wormwood being the most important.
- Vermouth serves to soften the gin’s flavor. A mere hit of it retains the gin’s bite and evergreen flavor. Increasing the amount of vermouth smoothes and tones the gin’s flavor down.
- When requesting a Martini at a bar, expect to get one made with gin. A vodka Martini should be requested as such.
DIRECTIONS:
- Chill a cocktail glass in the freezer.
- Fill a shaker half full of clean, fresh ice. To temper the ice (remove frost, edges, and corners), run water into the shaker over the ice, then stir and drain it. This also chills the shaker.
- Sprinkle vermouth into the shaker, then stir to coat the ice. A capful is a good starting point for vermouth, which should be refrigerated but not frozen.
- Add 3 shots (4.5 ounces) of premium London Dry gin. This refers to the style of gin, not a brand.
- If the gin is room temperature: cooling the drink will take longer. More ice will melt to dilute the drink, and the gin’s aroma will begin to release immediately.
- If the gin is frozen: the drink will be cold at once. Its aroma and flavor will be subdued but will release gradually as you drink it, thus creating a delightful backdraft as you exhale.
- If shaken: shake the mixture for 10-15 seconds. This will cool the drink and chip off fragments of ice which will float in the drink. Shaking aerates the gin and makes the taste sharper, but also dissolves the ice more quickly.
- If stirred: stir the mixture both clockwise and counterclockwise for 20-30 seconds recognizing that it will take longer to cool. The resulting drink will be perfectly clear.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with one or three olives (never two) or two cocktail onions. Or, if garnish is a lemon twist, squeeze the twist over the glass then wrap it into a corkscrew shape and drop it in. No straw.
- A truly well-mixed Martini will have a bright, distinctive taste. With too much gin the drink will taste bitter. With too much vermouth it will taste sweet and soggy. If it has been stirred or shaken too long and has too much water, the drink will taste thin.
- To find your ultimate Martini, experiment by varying the brand and quantity of ingredients.
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Gadberry, Brad. The Martini FAQ.