The Martini

[Splificator]

I must confess to the same irritation the estimable JAZ had with the x-tini. I can't help but see a certain parallel with how "sports fan" has come to mean somebody who primarily watches others engage in strenuous excercise on television. It's a case of glamour by association--at least, that's how it was at first. Nowadays, I don't think somebody ordering a lightly-alcoholic beverage mixed to taste like a cold, wet toll-house cookie, wedged into a v-shaped glass and garnished with chocolate syrup and crumbs of this and that makes any mental connection with ol' Nick and Nora. In other words, it's a lost battle, and I, too, am trying to get over it--although I'm still not going to say "th' hell with it" and call whatever new formulae I throw together Martinis. If somebody else does it, fine.

And Huntington? Definitely Huntington.

[ned]

I've read about Yuzu before when I was researching sake, but never seen or tasted it.

I'm guessing it may be this. It is flavoured with this citrus.

I look forward to ned's response.

Sorry for the delay. Passover had me in its clutches this year.

Yuzu is a citrus fruit that grows in Japan. Close relative of lemons or limes. It differs aromatically. It has a strong and musky gestalt, heady almost. It's hard to get the fruit itself but there is a concentrate, only it's not concentrated, something that is sold. . . just went to the fridge to get it and found that there's no english on the bottle. So then. I got it at the Masuko market in Edgewater New Jersey. It's an awesome market, worth a visit whether you need yuzu or not. They often have fresh yuzus there also (six bucks apiece, haven't bought one).

No sake involved.

[Danne]

Admin: Threads merged.

I haven never been a big fan of dry martini. It's just not my type of drink. But me and some friends are going to have an "dry martini eavning". We are going to test some different recepies of the dry martini. I just wanted to check here first.

what do you think makes a dry martini perfekt.

the brand of the gin and vermouth is not important, we only have one gin (tanqueray) and one vermouth (nolly prat).

what proportions do you think is the best? I will go fore 5 parts gin 1 part vermouth, or 9 parts gin and 1 part vermouth.

then to the garnish.

an olive on a toothpick.. and/or a lemon peel. squeesed over and "rimmed".

does and one else have some good tips?

[Carolyn Tillie]

the brand of the gin and vermouth is not important, we only have one gin (tanqueray) and one vermouth (nolly prat).

←

That's a pity because the brand of gin and vermouth is important. I prefer Vya vermouth and Tanqueray's 10.

But dealing with what you have, I would pour a cap-full of vermouth into a frozen glass, splash it all around, and then dump it out. Add the well-shaken (i.e., chilled) gin to the glass and garnish with a single olive on a toothpick (although I tend to like two or three olives...)

[Danne]

Yes I know, the brands is () important.. but it's not possible to use other brands, sadly but true.

So I need tips on the recepie. pouring the vermouth into the glass and splash it around is a smart idea. I'll try all the ideas you guys can give me.

thanks alot.

edit: do you think that another proportion is better? tell me, I want to know as mouch as possible.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Danne (log)

[Splificator]

Yes I know, the brands is () important.. but it's not possible to use other brands, sadly but true.

No need to worry. There are many dedicated Martini drinkers--myself among them--who consider those two brands you have to be perfectly acceptable, and then some, for Dry Martinis.

As long as you're trying the in-and-out method of Martini making, why not try something from the other extreme, and mix a round with half gin and half vermouth? This is how they were made before Prohibition, and those folks knew a thing or two about drinks. If you can find a bottle of orange bitters, two dashes in each drink will really kick these into orbit. In any case, a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel twisted over the top to release the oils, as you indicate, will work wonders.

Whatever proportions you use, use lots and lots of ice, preferably fresh from the freezer and then cracked (wrap it up in a bar towel and whack it with a rolling pin), and stir.

Good luck!

[johnder]

Obviously what is "Perfect" to one person won't be perfect to another.

If I was going to have a dry martini I would shoot for 5 to 1 ratio or 6 to 1 . (My preferred Martini is 3 to 1.

I would definately not just rinse out the glass with vermouth, what you could do is fill a shaker with plenty of ice, pour in 1-2 parts of Vermouth, stir with a barspool, pour out the vermouth, leaving what is covering the ice. Add 5 parts gin (room temperature), and a few dashes of bitters (orange bitters preferably), stir.

stir some more.

stir a little more.

Rim a chilled martini glass with lemon peel, strain martini into glass.

repeat as needed.

[johnder]

ahh seems the splif man beat me to the punch with the bitters. I would expect nothing less!

cheers,

john

[Danne]

humm. I like the answers, but what I've been learned is that a

"sweet martini"

is 3/4 pars gin, 1/8 part dry vermouth, 1/8 part sweet vermouth.

"medium martini (perfect martini)"

is 4/5 part gin 1/5 part vermouth

"dry martini"

is 5/6 parts gin 1/6 part vermouth

i know that in the beginning of dry martini they used 1/2 part gin and 1/2 part vermouth or 2/3 gin 1/3 vermout, and today the dry martinis are eaven dryer, 10/11 part gin 1/11 part vermouth..

or just the frase "a dry martini please, but just shpw me the botle of vermout"

I'm trying to find a bottle of orange bitter, but the only thing i can get is angostura bitter.. do you think that that will work?

[DaleJ]

I think your party will be fun. At least you're not using vodka. As a two martini per evening person for over thirty years, I recommend storing the gin in the freezer and forget the ice ritual.

[johnder]

I think your party will be fun.  At least you're not using vodka.  As a two martini per evening person for over thirty years, I recommend storing the gin in the freezer and forget the ice ritual.

←

I think you really loose something by storing your liquors in the freezer -- mainly getting a balanced drink. While yes, the liquor is cold, you are going to get a much harsher drink than if you stir (or shake it in the case of citrus drinks). Mainly because of the slight dilution of the drink the water will provide.

I can after a 45-60 seconds of stirring get a mighty cold drink, one that is round and balanced, as well as enjoying the actual art of making the cocktail. If it is speed over quality you are after, freezing helps with that.

Try both -- see what you think.

[SYoung]

The so called Winston Churchill method where you pour the gin while merely looking at the vermouth or just passing the vermouth bottle over the glass or shaker is, in my opinion, not a martini at all. A classic martini (named after the vermouth maker, Martini & Rossi) must have vermouth. Otherwise it's just two shots of gin straight up.

The purpose of the vermouth is to balance or round out the sharpness of the gin. So, in theory, the perfect martini is that which there is enough vermouth to just round out the sharpness. Not a molecule more or a molecule less.

Then there's the water added through the ice. The water is suppose to tame the alcohol. The degree of taming needed varies by individual. Therefore, in practice, there is no one perfection for all, as the optimum gin-vermouth-water combination depends on individual taste preference.

In terms of tips... the "In & Out" method of making an extra dry martini (which, by the way, can be performed in the shaker or in the cocktail glass) described above is pretty common. A less common procedure is to put the vermouth in a spray bottle and spray a mist into the glass or shaker. A even more inventive method is to first down a shot of vermouth and then exhaling into the glass of gin. For the sake of not spreading germs, however, this method should be used only when making your own drink.

[SYoung]

I think you really loose something by storing your liquors in the freezer -- mainly getting a balanced drink.  While yes, the liquor is cold, you are going to get a much harsher drink than if you stir (or shake it in the case of citrus drinks).  Mainly because of the slight dilution of the drink the water will provide.

It depends on the alcohol content of the gin you're using as well. For example, I can use 95 Proof Tanq 10 (my favorite!) stirred with ice and still have a stronger drink than mixing without ice and using 80 Proof freezer gin.

[KatieLoeb]

Martini & Rossi Bianco vermouth makes a very fine dry martini.

And yes - I agree that if there's no vermouth or if one bows in the direction of France with the gin bottle or any number of other silly ways to avoid putting the vermouth into the glass or shaker, you're just drinking gin up. The same room full of monkeys that are typing all the collected works of Shakespeare could mix that drink for you too. No skill involved whatsoever.

[Jmahl]

Now come on folks, we all know that a martini is just a fabulous way to get glycol directly into the blood as quickly as possible. And thank goodness for it. Sounds like your party will be fun.

[jmfangio]

Quoting from Luis Bunuel's autobiography, 'My Last Sigh'

"To provoke, or sustain, a reverie in a bar, you have to drink English Gin, especially in the form of the dry martini. To be frank, given the primordial role played in my life by the dry martini, I think I really ought to give it at last a page. Like all cocktails, the martini, composed essentially of gin and a few drops of Noilly Prat, seems to have been an American invention. Connoisseurs who like their martinis very dry suggest simply allowing a ray of sunlight to shine through a bottle of Noilly Prat before it hits the bottle of gin. At a certain period in America it was said that the making of a dry martini should resemble the Immaculate Conception, for, as Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted, the generative power of the Holy Ghost pierced the Virgin's hymen "like a ray of sunlight through a window - leaving it unbroken."

As for me - ingredients and methodolgy - I like Bombay Sapphire, Plymouth, and, lately, No. 209 gin, and Noilly Prat at a ratio of about 6:1. I always measure my gin (2 ounces), but just eyeball the vermouth. For variety, I'll add a dash of orange bitters, or just a drop of absinthe. You have to be careful with the absinthe - just a drop adds an interesting layer to the botanicals in the gin, but one drop too many and it's easy for it to overpower the drink. Glasses in the freezer first, and stir for exactly 30 seconds.

And while it may seem like over kill to some, I like a single olive, and a lemon twist.

Edited September 16, 2006 by jmfangio (log)

[Danne]

Now i read the whole thread. I'm becoming a dry martini expert.. hehe.

So I'll try one martini with 9:1 gin:vermouth and one martini with 2:1 gin:vermouth.

just to try the difference. most of the people who has whritten in the thread likes it between 3:1 - 6:1.

I can't get orange bitters, but can I use angostura and a twist of lemon?

Oh and another question, does any one think that i can use a twist of orange? Or is the taste of organge to sweet?

[stickyii]

I hadn't seen this thread before - lots of great ideas and comments.

One of my earlier Kaiser Penguin posts touched on getting the most chill for cocktails that benefit from arctic temperatures. I have found a pretty consistent (and easy) method for getting a martini down to 17 degrees without chilling the spirits first and getting just the right amount of dilution.

Cocktail Chill: A Scientific Experiment

A question too: How long does vermouth actually maintain its flavor once opened? I've heard everything from a few days (obviously wrong) to indefintely (also wrong). I've had varying experiences... does anyone have the official answer?

[johnder]

A question too:  How long does vermouth actually maintain its flavor once opened?  I've heard everything from a few days (obviously wrong) to indefintely (also wrong).  I've had varying experiences... does anyone have the official answer?

←

I think it depends on the vermouth and if it is sweet or dry, but once opened and if left on the counter, you are looking at a degredation of flavors after about a month.

I have heard somewhere that an opened bottle will keep in the fridge for ~6 months.

[Splificator]

One of my earlier Kaiser Penguin posts touched on getting the most chill for cocktails that benefit from arctic temperatures.  I have found a pretty consistent (and easy) method for getting a martini down to 17 degrees without chilling the spirits first and getting just the right amount of dilution.

Cocktail Chill: A Scientific Experiment

Nice. And I say that in part because those are pretty much the same results I got when I tested all this out, back when I was writing Esquire Drinks--ice right out of the freezer, whacked into smithereens in a Lewis bag, and stirred. Not a lot of dilution, maximum coldness. When I did the same thing and shook it, it was on average something like 3 to 5 degrees F warmer. I didn't use the delicious Fancy Gin Cocktail, though (I think mine was equal parts Bacardi 151 and water--had to find something to do with the stuff).

Edited because I said "colder" and meant "warmer." One of these days I'll get that whole "comparative" thing figured out.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Splificator (log)

[CtznCane]

While my wife is a fan of martini's, I had never had a fancy for them until the late WineSonoma introduced me to the use of orange bitters in the martini. To me this makes all the difference. regardless of whether 3 to 1 or 9 to 1, it's all good once you add the orange bitters and the olives. I mean really, is there such a thing as a bad martini? Not if you use good ingredients. Our gin of choice is Bombay Saphire but I like Beefeaters as well. Sorry to say I don't know that much difference between the vermouths and we usually use Martini & Rossi extra dry. As for the Orange biiters, they are easily ordered on-line, we get ours through Surfa's and have been happy with their service.

[slkinsey]

One of my earlier Kaiser Penguin posts touched on getting the most chill for cocktails that benefit from arctic temperatures.  I have found a pretty consistent (and easy) method for getting a martini down to 17 degrees without chilling the spirits first and getting just the right amount of dilution.

Cocktail Chill: A Scientific Experiment

Yep. Your results are more or less in line with what everyone seems to find. Stirring with crushed (or finely cracked) ice produces the coldest drink. This is all about two things: 1. Starting with very cold ice, and 2. increasing surface area for thermal transfer. Somewhere in my email archives I have a conversation I had with Audrey and I think Dave where I explained some of the science behind why this is the case. I'll have to see if I can drag it out some time. The thermodynamics of cocktails would probably make a valuable and interesting thread all on its own.

[boar_d_laze]

Martinis long ago entered the realm of self-expression. There is no one right way -- only the way you like best. In my opinion, the perfect martini tastes like cold nothing. The gin and vermouth, neither particularly pleasant on their own, when mixed properly make the perfect subtraction. I am a martini drinker of long standing. A decade or so (oy!) ago I switched from using a fair bit of vermouth to using almost none after I started drinking at Musso Franks in Hollywood. Nevertheless, the vermouth wash method gives the martini a less ginny nose.

I prefer Boodles, but regular Tanqueray and Bombay are almost as good. Gordons, Beefeaters, Plymouth, etc., are fine. The newer, drier gins such as Sapphire are not as good for martinis. Speaking of preferences, there are a variety of stuffed olives out there all of them wonderful. Something other than pimento may be heterodox, but in a drink this ritualized the olive stuffing is one the few legitimate improvisations. I always put three olives on each stick: Usually jalapeno, anchovy, and blue cheese.

1) Fill a shaker with ice, add gin in a sufficient quantity. Step away from the shaker. Working quickly in an organized fashion through the following steps will give the ice a chance to dilute the gin to the exactly correct proportion.

2) Fill a martini glass with ice cubes and add approximately 1/2 an ounce of dry vermouth, Noilly Prat is a good vermouth but Martini is better. Why do you think they call it a martini?

3) Prep the olive stick

4) Swirl the vermouth in the glass several times, letting it wash up to the rim. This chills and scents the glass. Discard the ice and vermouth.

5) Place the olive sticks in the glass.

6) Shake the gin vigorously. It is cold enough to drink when the shaker is uncomfortably cold to the touch.

7) Strain the gin over the olives into the chilled and scented glass. The martini should appear very cloudy, with a skin of ice on the top. These signs mean the gin is properly diluted and at the proper temperature.

8) Apply internally. PRN. Do not be afraid to rechill if you can't finish your drink before it warms up. Even sith lords do not drink warm martinis.

Rich

"A cocktail without a vegetable is no cocktail at all."

"A martini should taste like a frozen cloud."

"Brrruizhing the gin izh a good thing, Pushy."

[mjohnson]

A even more inventive method is to first down a shot of vermouth and then exhaling into the glass of gin.  For the sake of not spreading germs, however, this method should be used only when making your own drink.

The most unique method for adding just a mist of vermouth came from the cold war. (This is a complete rumour but having met some of those guys, I'd believe it)

During an aboveground nuclear test in the Pacific (early '50s?) one of the engineers placed a bottle of vermouth very near the device. Atop his bunker some miles downrange he placed two cocktail glasses in the open to dose them with the proper amount (fragments of molecules?) of vermouth in preparation for the post-test cocktails.

Weather conditions would have been chosen to avoid having the fallout come near the bunkers and shock waves don't carry material very far so while it may have happened, he probably just got a glass of gin.

mike

[eje]

Anyone have any tips on how to get bartenders to make not so dry, dry martinis?

There's a bar here that carries the Blue Coat gin, and I've been trying to get them to make me a martini with it.

My preferred martini is something like 2 oz gin, 1/2 oz dry vermouth, orange bitters, and a lemon twist.

I will be darned if I've had much luck getting bartenders to put in more than a dash (if I'm lucky) of dry vermouth.

I think the first time, they skipped the vermouth altogether, which I had a hard time even drinking.

What should I say?