I Love Martinis!

Did you know that the history of the Martini is not certain? But there is one account that says the Martini is the decendent of the Martinez, an older, sweeter cocktail consisting of two ounces of sweet vermouth, one ounce Old Tom gin (a sweetened variant), two dashes maraschino cherry liquid, and one dash bitters, shaken with ice, strained, and served with a twist of lemon. Wikipedia

Or that Winston Churchill chose to forgo vermouth completely, saying that the perfect martini involved pouring a glass full of cold gin and looking at a bottle of vermouth.

I know you know that in this day and age anything you throw into a martini glass is now called a "martini". There are hundreds of martini recipes out there and when tonight's "Happy Hour" is over there will be hundreds more in the morning.

The Gibson

6-8 Parts Gin or Vodka
1 Part Dry Vermouth
3 Cockatil Onions

Shake or stir gin or vodka and vermouth with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Spear onions with a toothpick or cocktail pick and place in glass for garnish.

The Dirty Martini

2oz Gin
1 tablespoon vermouth
2 tablespoon olive juice (from the jar)
garnish with olives.

Add the ingredients into your favorite martini glass with or without ice, preferred stirred not shaken.

The Saketini

2 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 tsp sake rice wine
1 cocktail olive

In a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin or vodka with the sake. Stir well. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the olive.

The Smokey Martini

2 1/2 oz gin
1 splash Scotch whisky

Stir both ingredients together with ice to chill. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel, and serve.

The Mexican Martini

2 oz tequila
1 1/2 oz Cointreau® orange liqueur
2 oz sweet and sour mix
1 oz lime juice
2 oz orange juice
1 splash Sprite® soda
2 olives

Pour all ingredients into a large cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a large cocktail/martini glass (8+ ounces) with a salt rim. Add two olives on a spear, and serve.

The Pickletini

1½ oz vodka
½ oz vermouth
1 oz The Pickle Plan dill pickle juice

Combine vodka, vermouth, and pickle juice in cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with pickle, garlic, and hot pepper skewered onto a toothpick.

Before bellying up to the bar and ordering your martini, you must first be honest with yourself: you are ordering this drink to make yourself look cool. Yeah, you like booze, but you want people to think you're hip. So your only true path would to be to order a true martini.

1. You want gin! Vodka is cheap gin without the juniper. Now with any bar you know you are already overpaying so why not order form the top shelf? (Bombay Sapphire)

2. You want vermouth! I know Winston Churchill drank his without it and only glanced at the bottle and all, but you're not drinking with him tonight are you?

3. You want it stirred not shaken. Why? Because shaking it breaks up the ice leaving some flakes in your glass and it ends up watering down your drink! Stirring it is the right amount of agitation needed to coat the ice with vermouth.

4. Answer to the really dumb question: Do you want your martini straight up or on the rocks? You said you wanted your drink stirred and are you are trying to keep water out of the picture. What bar are you going to? The answer is "Up".

5. How "dirty" do you want it? You want olives! One is okay, even three. If you want the bartender to add olive juice that means you like your martinis "dirty". Remember that a martini is made around the gin, so you really don't want to ruin it. So, if your a fan of olive juice you can order it "slightly dirty".

6. Always remember to tip the bartender! I tip $1 a drink (not a dollar every trip to the bar), so if I'm bellying up to the bar and ordering three martinis for me and some friends I leave the bartender a $3 tip. Bartenders love this and will always give you better service. Hey it takes more work to make a martini than it does do open a bottle of beer or to serve up a rum and coke!

Don't be a sipper! This means you ladies, you know who you are, you know walking around nursing the same drink for an hour or two. I'm not saying slam your drink, I'm saying that it's made with ice for a reason: because it is supposed to be cold. Really good bars even chill your glasses for you.

How To Order A Martini:
Gin Martini
Stirred
Straight Up
One Olive or three
Tip The Bartender
Drink, and Repeat As Neccessary.

I remember sitting at a restaurant with a friend and the waitress wanted to know our drink orders and I ordered a Dirty Martini. I could see that look in my friend's eye, ohhh a Martini. She had never had a martini before and always wanted to try one. So me being me, I ordered my friend one also. Yes the martini a drink that James Bond always orders. Tuxedos, fancy dresses, and luxury cars. Our martinis arrived, in crystal clear glasses, with little beads of sweat forming at the sides of the glasses. Three olives, pierced through their hearts a cocktail pick. My friend picked the glass up to her lips for a sip. Whoah! Did that ever change the expression on her face! Yes my friend was used to drinking wines and beer. This martini gave her a full taste of what alchol really tastes like. Needless to say her wonderful martini sat there with only one sip.

Try this recipe at your next holiday bash

Cherry Tomatoes In An Over Sized Martini Glass
(this takes twenty four hours to marinate but a ten minute prep)

30 to 40 cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes
1 tbs of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
750 ml of vodka
Tabasco sauce (optional)
parsley (for garnish)
lemon pepper seasoning (served in high ball on the side)
toothpicks or swords (placed in shot glass on the side)

Cut a shallow cross shape in the top of each tomato, put them in a large bowl and add the garlic (as much or as little as you like), a little salt, Tabasco (optional) and do not forget the vodka. Allow the tomatoes to marinade in the vodka, stirring occasionally; Let them soak overnight covered with a lid or Saran wrap and after 24 hours they can be put in the refrigerator. Pour into a large over sized martini glass and serve with a highball glass of Lemon Pepper for dipping and a shot glass with toothpicks or swords.

If you are in need of Giant Martini Glases check out The Swank Tank - Giant Martini Glasses from Swank Martini

Dirty Martini Kit

Enjoy the free book, glasses, shaker and jigger

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Flirtini Martini



The ideal gift for "The Flirt" who loves martinis

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Martinis Over Manhattan Print By Jeff Williams





Miguel Dominguez Posters Prints - Afternoon Martinis Art Art Print - Artist: Miguel Dominguez - Poster Size: 7x9

Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences

The minute the alarm clock punctures our dreams, we go to work. We have convinced ourselves that productivity is the name of the game and that leisure is a notorious sign of laziness. In Endangered Pleasures, Barbara Holland insists that enough is enough. It's time to kick back, relax, and relish the truly good things in life. Delightfully quirky .--The Boston Globe.

Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences

The Little Black Book of Martinis

Think jazz, art deco, James Bond, Great Gatsby parties, the Rat Pack, and you'll approach the martini mystique. This essential guide serves up the lore and allure of the king of cocktails, garnished with pithy quotations and etiquette tips. More than 80 recipes satisfy both the purists and the playful.

The Little Black Book of Martinis