The Martini

[slkinsey]

I would suggest that DeVoto, while an entertaining author, can hardly be considered an authority on chemistry. Many of the things he wrote were purely for the delight of the prose and the curmudgeonly humor in writing them. It also seems that he envisioned people mixing up pitchers of Martinis and then attempting to store them in the refrigerator not only with the top open but also with the ice still in the pitcher.

I certainly would not claim to possess a better palate, but at the risk of having two active threads referencing the same Cooking Issues post at one time, it's worth pointing out that some people claim you can store a martini in the freezer without harm.

To be fair, I don't think they're saying that you can store a bottled cocktail in the refrigerator or freezer with no degradation of flavors, etc. They simply say that there is no difference in the quality of a cocktail that is chilled be stirring with ice and one that is diluted appropriately and chilled by being placed in a cold ambient environment (e.g., the freezer).

The question of this thread seems to be whether one could pre-mix vermouth and gin, and then store that pre-mix for some number of days (either at room temperature or under refrigeration) with no degradation of flavors, etc. It's unclear whether the OP envisioned diluting the mixture with water and serving it straight from the freezer or keeping the pre-mix on the counter and chilling/diluting it with ice as normal.

[FrogPrincesse]

Continuing with an Ivy League theme, here is the Yale cocktail, a dry Martini with a touch of Maraschino liqueur (an "improved" martini?).

Same ingredients as the Martinez from the Savoy Cocktail Book which uses dry vermouth, although the more commonly accepted version uses sweet. Add an absinthe rinse and you get a Tuxedo No. 2 or Turf Cocktail.

[radtek]

For the first time I drank a couple Vespers last Friday per the stated recipe. Whew. Quite good but smooth and sneaky.

[FrogPrincesse]

For the first time I drank a couple Vespers last Friday per the stated recipe. Whew. Quite good but smooth and sneaky.

I started writing here but ended up responding in the Vesper thread.

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is the Tuxedo No. 2, a very nice martini variation.

2 oz gin, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur, 2 dashes orange bitters, absinthe rinse (I used pastis), lemon twist.

Lots of pleasant herbal notes from the dry vermouth and the absinthe. There is just enough absinthe/pastis to add a little something intriguing without overpowering the cocktail (I use a little spray bottle).

I think the new (original) formula Noilly Prat works great in that drink.

[huiray]

For myself, when I order a "MARTINI" without any additional descriptive words I expect one made with GIN and garnished w/ an olive. Whether the proportions (w/ the vermouth, etc) are "perfect" or not doesn't matter *that* much to me. I get annoyed if the bartender or wait person then asks me if I want gin or vodka or a lemon twist. Sigh. If I wanted vodka I would have asked for a "Vodka Martini" and if I wanted a lemon twist etc I would have said so. Am I the only one who feels this way?

(It's OK to ask me which gin I would like)

Edited December 23, 2012 by huiray (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Tuxedo No. 1 last night, a 2:1 martini with a rinse of absinthe. Sipsmith London dry gin, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, St. George absinthe. Very floral especially at first, mostly from the absinthe. The botanicals from the gin come through after a few sips.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Simon Difford's Surf and Turf Cocktail, a variation on the Turf Club (aka Tuxedo No. 2) with Old Tom gin (Tanqueray), dry vermouth (Dolin), fino sherry (Lustau Jarana), curaçao (Pierre Ferrand dry), Angostura bitters, lemon twist. Slightly briny and completely lovely.

 

 

 

[Shel_B]

Allow me to preface my question by noting that I rarely drink alcohol, and know almost nothing about various drinks and such.

 

Every now and then - maybe once a year or so - I'll have, what I call, a vodka martini - vodka and vermouth.  Someone told me that a martini is only gin and vermouth, and the concoction I drink is not called a martini.  It was never explained to me what vodka and vermouth is called.

 

Yesterday I had lunch at a local restaurant, and their drink list had these items listed under martinis:

 

Coconut vodka and pineapple juice;

Ruby Red Vodka, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup;

Ketel One vodka, lychee liquor, lychee juice;

Belvedere vodka, Midori, pineapple juice, fresh lemon and lime juice.

 

There were other such similar drinks, none of which seem like a martini to me, but I'm unfamiliar with all these drinks.

 

So, what constitutes a martini?  What is vodka and vermouth called?  Are the drinks mentioned above considered mto be martinis?

Edited March 11, 2015 by Shel_B (log)

[Craig E]

If you grill chunk salmon and put it on a toasted roll, is that a burger?

It's not what anyone means when they just say "burger." But all the same, the purists who would argue that it shouldn't go on a burger menu are probably fighting a losing battle.

 

I'd call vodka and vermouth a vodka martini.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Craig E (log)

[KD1191]

'Vodka Martini' gets the point across, but the drink is actually called a Kangaroo.

 

Many people use Martini to refer to any cocktail served in a V-shaped glass...not much different from how many refer to any protein served between two buns as a burger.

Edited March 11, 2015 by KD1191 (log)

[cdh]

If the 007 nomenclature is canon, then your beverage is a "vodka martini", per his order "vodka martini, shaken not stirred".  Where the kangaroo nomenclature comes from, I have no idea, but have never heard of it before.   The extension of "martini" to any drink in a conical glass is a hallmark of restaurants that don't take their drinks seriously, and don't care about the opinion of people who do.  So long as they tell you what is in your martini, no harm done, and it saves them the mental energy of thinking up better names for the sweet fruity concoctions they're slinging.

[Kerala]

To the OP: your preferred drink is legit, as cdh notes.

[Hassouni]

As others have said, vodka and vermouth is a Kangaroo, but "vodka martini" is acceptable, and frankly more common.

 

A generic "martini" is gin and vermouth. With orange bitters. And a twist. (Keep those fuckin' olives out of my drink. Put them on my plate!)

 

On a slight tangent, I've found using "new American" gin [read, floral and not very junipery] a great way to make martinis for, and thus convert, people who "don't like gin"

Edited March 12, 2015 by Hassouni (log)

[patrickamory]

Hassouni, I don't think orange bitters are canonical, though they may be tasty.

[Hassouni]

Hassouni, I don't think orange bitters are canonical, though they may be tasty.

 

Ehhh, debatable, re: the former, and hell yeah! re: the latter.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Hey cdh,

 

The Kangaroo name for a vodka martini is legit.

 

There are 279,000 results on Google for "kangaroo cocktail recipe," including:

 

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/cocktails-the-kangaroo-vodka-martini-recipe.html

 

I also own a book entitled "The New York  Bartender's Guide," published in 1997 by Black Dog and Leventhal, and it's similar to the Serious Eats recipe except it calls for 2 oz. vodka with 1 oz. dry vermouth with the twist. Same proportions.

 

Seems like a LOT of vermouth for my taste, but I've never had one so I can't testify to that.

 

Edited: link didn't work the first time.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[liuzhou]

I have a Chinese dictionary of cocktails which lists Kangaroo. Its recipe calls for 1½ oz vodka, ¾ oz dry vermouth and twist of lemon peel. 

 

It also lists two Martinis - dry Martini and Holland Style Martini. The recipes are almost identical. 2 oz gin, ½ oz dry vermouth, twist lemon peel. The only difference is that the dry Martini doesn't specify any particular gin, whereas the Holland one required 'Dutch genever gin'.

 

I'm not sure where they got their recipes from. China doesn't use ounces.

Edited March 12, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[Adam George]

Being that the word cocktail now applies to any mixed drink of two or more components rather than the traditional spirit, sugar, water bitters, it is detrimental to our trade and the enjoyment of our guests to get too upset when they order an Apple Martini, Passion Fruit Martini et al. Doesn't mean I think the latter are good drinks or should be listed as such, but as is the way of the world.

However, do put me down for a Martini being between 2:1 and 4:1 gin to vermouth with orange bitters and a twist. I'll do the same with vodka and not be upset with you for ordering it - vodka pays the bills and I like getting paid.

[Adam George]

If someone asked me for a Kangaroo, I'd ask what bar they worked at.

[KD1191]

If someone asked me for a Kangaroo, I'd ask what bar they worked at.

 

And, what would you pour if I asked for a Shibboleth?

[brinza]

I don't mind the term "vodka Martini" but that's how I think it should be, ie the version with vodka should require the modifier, and a "Martini" should be gin.  Sadly, unless you are in a craft cocktail bar, if you just order a Martini, you will get vodka unless you specify that you want a "gin Martini."  It shouldn't have to be that way.

Edited April 3, 2015 by brinza (log)

[radtek]

It may be different in the EU, but I've never heard of a kangaroo and was a bartender for 7 years. However, most folks meant vodka when they ordered a "martini" and extremely dry at that. So much so that the drink really was a chilled vodka served-up. Or as the busboy said: "a rich people way of doing a shot..."

 

With a stranger I always clarified for exactly what they really wanted and it varied quite a bit.

 

Me? I go for the classic gin recipe, sometimes on the rocks but always with a garnish- usually olives but I do love those little onions. So I like a gibson too...

[patrickamory]

I'm pretty sure that here in New York if you order a martini the default will be gin.

[FrogPrincesse]

Simon Difford's Surf and Turf Cocktail, a variation on the Turf Club (aka Tuxedo No. 2) with Old Tom gin (Tanqueray), dry vermouth (Dolin), fino sherry (Lustau Jarana), curaçao (Pierre Ferrand dry), Angostura bitters, lemon twist. Slightly briny and completely lovely.

 

 

 

I made a variant of this drink last night. I used half Old Tom gin, half samphire vodka to continue to take this Martini to the ocean side. I skipped the dry curaçao and used a generous amount of orange bitters - Regan, Fee, Angostura. It was exactly what I needed after a long swim.

 

Variation on the Surf and Turf with Tanqueray Old Tom gin, Kis Kangaroo Island samphire vodka, Dolin dry vermouth, Lustau fino sherry, Regan/Fee/Angostura orange bitters.