The Ever Classic Martini
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When is a Martini NOT a Martini?
By: TheMeadMan
I admit it, I am a martini snob. I hate it when I go to a bar or restaurant and see a "Martini Bar" or "Martini Menu". It seems everyone has forgotten what a martini is, and they pass off any drink in a cocktail glass, commonly incorrectly identified as a martini glass, as some fancy martini. I can't recall the number of times I have seen a so called Martini Menu that didn't have a single martini on the menu. Loads of Chocolate Martinis and Mellon Martinis and all sorts of sweet sounding cocktails, and heck I even like a few of those so called martini's, but those are not martinis. I thought it high time I stop boring my friends with my rants about martinis and wrote a lens on the subject.
image is a stock photo, rights have been granted
I admit it, I am a martini snob. I hate it when I go to a bar or restaurant and see a "Martini Bar" or "Martini Menu". It seems everyone has forgotten what a martini is, and they pass off any drink in a cocktail glass, commonly incorrectly identified as a martini glass, as some fancy martini. I can't recall the number of times I have seen a so called Martini Menu that didn't have a single martini on the menu. Loads of Chocolate Martinis and Mellon Martinis and all sorts of sweet sounding cocktails, and heck I even like a few of those so called martini's, but those are not martinis. I thought it high time I stop boring my friends with my rants about martinis and wrote a lens on the subject.
image is a stock photo, rights have been granted
The Classic Martini Recipe
- Serves: 1
- Prep Time: 5mins
Ingredients
- 3 Parts Gin
- 1 Part Dry Vermouth
- 1 Olive
Instructions
Martini Stired
- Fill a lowball glass up with crushed or cubed ice
- put olive in the glass
- pour gin and vermouth into the glass
- stir and serve
Martini Shaken
- fill a cocktail shaker up with ice
- pour gin and vermouth into the shaker
- put strainer and lid on the shaker and shake well
- put olive in the bottom of a cocktail glass
- leaving the strainer in place pour the liquid into the cocktail glass and serve
Dirty Martini
If you wish to "dirty it up" add a splash of the brine from the olives to the mix.
Vodka Martini
Replace gin with Vodka and you have a Vodka Martini
Sweet Martini
cut gin to one part, and replace dry vermouth with sweet vermouth
Other Martini Variants
There ARE no other variants
That's it, those are martinis, everything else is a cocktail not a martini.Oh ok, you can vary it up a bit, the unvaried recipe above is a very dry martini. You alter the "wetness" by cutting down on the gin(or vodka). You can alter the sweetness by doing half and half sweet and dry vermouth to produce a medium martini. You can even vary the garnish some, I personally don't like the lemon twist or much else other than the olive, but I'd be willing to allow a martini with a twist still a martini.
So I guess there are a few other variants, but add any fruit juice or other such abominations and it is no longer a martini, plain and simple. I am even going out on a limb allowing vodka martinis the name, because really a martini is gin and vermouth vodka is a later variant and many purists won't even allow that.
image is NOT A MARTINI, but it is a stock photo, and all rights have been granted
Bar Necessities
When is a martini glass not a martini glass
ALWAYS!
There is no such thing as a martini glass, the type of glass often referred to as a martini glass is more correctly called a cocktail glass. The reason this misnomer rose is because martinis are properly served in a chilled cocktail glass. They are not the only cocktails that should be served in a cocktail glass but they are the iconic drink of the cocktail glass. You wouldn't call a high ball a rum and coke glass would you?
Libbey 4-Piece Z-Stem Martini Set
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 05/31/2012)
These improperly named glasses are the standard shape with a twist on the stem design for standard cocktail glasses. Always remember they are not Martini glasses, but rather cocktail glasses.
What's Your Favourite Martini?
I prefer a dry shaken dirty vodka martini with an extra olive personally, how about you?
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davespeed
Feb 20, 2012 @ 2:07 pm | delete
- I prefer a gin martini, shaken with three olives. Sometimes I will drink it dirty. Nice lens!
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grflgrfl
Jan 30, 2012 @ 12:25 pm | delete
- Martini - gin, no ice and an olive.
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About Me
by TheMeadMan
I am a martini purist, don't hand me a fancy cocktail in a "martini glass" and call it a martini. I like mine shaken not stirred.
http://mead.lilleyp...
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