| By
far, the Martini is the King of cocktails.
It is the
icon of the cocktail culture and whole books have been written
about its simplicity with a dash of controversy. You should
know that no one knows when, who, or where the first Martini
was created. What we do know is that Jerry
Thomas
published a cocktail recipe called a Martinez in
The
Bartenders Guide in 1887. It consisted of gin, sweet
vermouth, maraschino liqueur, bitters and a lemon twist. This
sounds like someone was trying to create a Manhattan spin-off.
|
 |
Check out my adorable Martini
jewelry
here!
Martinis
have been a very controversial subject for a few years now.
These days, it seems
that anything poured into a Martini Glass (cocktail glass)
is all of a sudden called a Martini. Great marketing idea
for the liquor company that started it! However, a true Martini
is still just Gin and Dry Vermouth.
n
1907 William Boothby published
a Dry Martini Cocktail in his book, The
World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them. That recipe
consisted of gin, French dry vermouth, orange bitters, a lemon
peel and an olive.
During
prohibition, Martinis flourished because
gin didn’t require aging like whiskey, so it was readily
available in speakeasies. At the time Martinis were being
made with equal amounts of gin and dry vermouth. Through the years
the amount of dry vermouth decreased and by the 1950s Hollywood
movie stars were swirling just a couple of drops of dry vermouth
in the glass on the silver screen.
| All
hell broke loose when
Ian Fleming wrote about a fictional British spy named
James Bond in the novel Casino
Royale. Bond orders a cocktail called a Vesper
(name of his love interest) containing gin, vodka and Kina
Lillet aperitif, shaken, not stirred, with a lemon twist.
|
 |
There are slight variations of the classic recipe
like substituting vodka for gin, using olives vs. a lemon twist,
and using different vermouths to make the true connoisseurs
of Martinis just shake their heads.
KNOW
that the novelty Martinis you
sip today are simply the shooters that were chugged yesterday.
And not too far back either! (mid 1990s!) They come in all flavors
imaginable and are very marketable for the masses.
Glass:
Martini or rocks.
2 ounces of gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
Mixing Method: Shake and strain or stir and strain depending on
what the guest wants.
Garnish: Lemon peel or green olive.
Note: If you’d like to try the original Martini, then
add a dash of orange bitters.
When
a guest orders a Dry Martini it means that you
only use a couple of drops of dry vermouth. When they order it
very dry or extra dry it means that you don’t
use any vermouth at all. An in & out or
upside down Martini is when you swirl a few drops of
dry vermouth to coat the inside of the glass and then pour it
out. A Perfect Martini (or perfect anything for
that matter) means to use half dry vermouth and half sweet vermouth.
A Dirty Martini means that you add olive juice.
And a Martini garnished with cocktail onions is called a Gibson.
Martinis can also be requested on the rocks.
More things to know about the Martini
When you shake a Martini,
the melting ice creates essential water needed for the cocktail.
Some guests like it to be shaken until there are thin shards of
ice on top and after straining. The feel of a shaken Martini is
light and airy on the tongue because you’ve added air to
the mix while shaking. The initial look will be a little hazy.
Martini connoisseurs call this bruising the gin.
When
you stir a Martini for half a minute, it
creates a heavy satiny and silky feel on the tongue. The look
is very translucent. This is the way Martinis were made before
James Bond was created.
Martini
connoisseurs say that you shouldn’t
keep liquor in the freezer or start making a Martini with the
liquor being cold because you don’t get the same dilution
of water from the ice. Truly, it’s all how you like it.
Lots of people like just a small amount of water being added to
their Martini.
A
Martini Mister is a small stainless steel
refillable spray canister that you fill with dry vermouth to mist
the top of your Martini.
There
is much debate over how many olives a Martini
should get. Most of the experts agree with one dropped to the
bottom and will accept two speared olives through the sides on
a cocktail pick due to the pressure of movies, TV, artist renditions,
photos, cartoons, etc., because it’s hard to get away from
what’s been crammed down the masses' throats. Three or more
olives are unacceptable unless requested by the guest or you work
at a low-end bar that stocks the tiny olives.
Olive
stuffers can be found in upscale bars. The
most popular ingredient to stuff in olives is bleu cheese.
The reason why gin and dry vermouth go well
together is because gin is infused with herbs and botanicals and
dry vermouth is a fortified wine meaning that herbs have been
added.
You’ll
find that Dirty Martini lovers like different
strengths of dirtiness, so I’ve learned to ask, Would
you like it R, X, or XXX rated?
Know
that the Martini glass is
really called a cocktail glass.
My
4th published book, The Everything Cocktail Party &
Drinks Book, has a chapter titled,"Martinis
for the Adventurous". Here are the recipe names:
Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Martini, Melontini,
Goin’ Coconutini, I Dream of Genie Martini, Peaches and
Creamtini, White Chocolatini, Blue Velvetini, Pink Cadillactini,
Good Karmatini, Green Eyed Blondtini, Black Martini, Lucky Charmartini,
Caramel Appletini, Southern Hospitality Martini, Honeymoon Suitetini,
God Bless Texastini, Death by Chocolatini, Almond Joytini, Upside
Down Pineapple Martini, and Tootsie Rolltini.
