Classic Martini Recipe

Posted in Classics, Cocktails, Gin, Martinis on January 15, 2014

 

Greetings readers!  Today I'm going to show you how to make a Martini the old fashioned way.  What is in a martini and how do you make a martini you may ask?  Enter and read more about the King of all Cocktails...

 

The Classic Martini Recipe
-2 oz Gin
-1 oz Dry Vermouth
-Green Olive(s) or Lemon Twist

How to Make a Martini

Here it is, the classic Martini, in all of its wonderous glory. I personally prefer a 2-to-1 ratio of gin to vermouth, but you can adjust the ratios to personal taste.  From the wet Martini with a 1-to-1 ratio of Gin and Versmouth to an extra dry Martini with only a dash of vermouth, you can adjust the ratio of ingredients to your personal taste. Of course, a lot of people like an extra dry Martini with no vermouth in it at all - but when you actually think about it, that would simply make it cold Gin and not a Martini at all!  In any case, if you want to drink a glass of cold gin, go ahead and drink cold gin if that’s what you like.

If you don’t want to actually drink a glass of cold gin and still make a really dry Martini, there’re two ways to do it.  The first and more common method is to coat the inside of the glass with vermouth before you actually make the drink. This gives the drink a small hint of vermouth flavor after you strain the gin into the glass.  The second way is to pour some vermouth into a mixing glass with ice, stir it around for a little bit, then strain the rest right out.  After doing this, the essence of the vermouth gets left on the glass, and creates a tiny bit of the vermouth flavor on the ice.

As a Martini aficionado, I highly disapprove of this, and recommend you have your martini with at least half a half ounce of vermouth in it. But alas, as with everything in the culinary world, adjust it to your personal tastes. As long as a cocktail contains gin, vermouth, and a garnish, you can pretty much consider it a Martini. However, if you drop one of those ingredients, you’re bound to get endless disagreements about whether or not it’s a real Martini will immediately break out.

I personally think the 2-to-1 ratio is a good medium, and a good introduction to the Martini taste. This ratio contains enough vermouth to smooth out the gin, but not enough to negatively impact the flavor of the drink of the drink. If you haven’t tried a Martini yet, this is a good place to start.

Now let’s talk over the garnish a little bit. The olive is a straight-up classic ingredient of the Martini, and biting into an olive after drinking a Martini just feels right. On the other hand, the lemon twist is an excellent and underrated ingredient of the Martini.  For a beginner mixologist, it just might be a better choice as a garnish.  Your hands will smell amazing after mixing the Martini using lemon twist, a smell that personally fills me with pristine happiness.  Go ahead and give a lemon drop martini a chance if you haven't had the opportunity to!!

In the end, feel free to experiment a bit when it comes to garnish. The Martini is the perfect drink to demonstrate the importance of the garnish, as a Martini will taste COMPLETELY different depending on your chosen garnish. Once you’re acquainted with the lemon twist and olive, see if you’re feeling adventurous.  I’ve tried anything from basil, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, anchovy, pepper, pomegranate, and even macadamia nuts, and each has been a completely different experience.  The Martini is a blank canvas that colors and accentuates any flavor added through garnish, which the mixologist can use to express his own unique personality.

Anyway, go make yourself a Martini, remember, just stir the gin and vermouth with ice and strain it into a Martini glass. You’ll want to stir until the glass or tin becomes too cold to touch, which usually takes anywhere from half a minute to a minute.  After that, add your garnish, sit back, take a deep sip, and enjoy.