Classic Dry Martini
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| Photo by Jamie Winkelman |
Classic Dry Martini | |
At my place, the Martinis are made with gin and just a hint of dry vermouth. Shaken, with gusto, they are served very cold and very dry, with lots of olives!
Martinis are one of those classic drinks that demand the proper glass and the proper preparation.
The right Martini glass is small, only about 4 or 5 ounces, so that you can imbibe in more than one Martini. The glasses must be chilled, and the cocktail shaker filled with so much ice that the gin smokes when poured over it.
While many folks bastardize their Martinis and make them with vodka, gin is the original ingredient, along with dry vermouth. Concocted in the mid-1800s and first referred to as a Martinez, there are numerous postulations about the true origins of the Martini. Most point to the American invention (either in San Francisco or New York) by the legendary bartender known as “Professor” Jerry Thomas. By 1900, the Martini was popularized by the 5:00 tick of the cocktail hour.
Vodka didn’t come onto the scene 1951 when it showed up in a recipe for a Vodkatini. James Bond later made the Vodka Martini famous, when he routinely ordered his “shaken, not stirred.”
I think vermouth is an essential ingredient in a Martini. Without it, the drink is just gin, neat, in a sexy glass. A Martini must be made with dry, not sweet, vermouth. My father-in-law prefers Noilly Pratt; I opt for Cinzano.
It is rumored that Winston Churchill prepared his dry Martinis by pouring the gin, and briefly glancing at a bottle of vermouth across the room. Others favor the “in and out” method in which you coat the shaker with vermouth, then pour it off. Still others use a mister. I use a very quick flick of the wrist to add just a dash of dry vermouth.
The Martini culture has generated some very memorable quotes over the years. Here are just a few...
“You ought to get out of those wet clothes and into a dry Martini.” ~variously attributed to both Charles Butterworth and Robert Benchley
“One Martini is alright, two is too many, three is not enough.”~James Thurber
“I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.” ~W.C. Fields
“I love to drink Martinis
Two at the very most
Three I'm under the table
Four I'm under the host”
~Dorothy Parker
Ingredients
4 ounces gin
1/2 ounce dry vermouth (or less)
ice
olives (or a twist of lemon)
Instructions
Chill Martini glasses until they start to frost, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. (Ice should be dry and hard frozen.) Pour gin over ice. The gin should smoke as it settles in over the ice. Add vermouth. Shake vigorously, reveling in that magical sound, until the shaker develops a layer of frost on the exterior.
Pour into chilled Martini glasses and garnish with a generous dose of olives.
Be sure to use fresh ice for the second round!