This weeks question will shed some light on the infamous Martini.

Dan S. of Plymouth writes:
“There are so many flavored vodkas out there now, I’m told they are for martinis but I’ve always thought the martini was gin and olive juice. When do you add the flavored vodka?”

Shaken Not Stirred
The History of the Martini

When you scan the crowd at your favorite bar you most likely won’t find a debonair secret agent wearing a crisp white tux drinking a straight martini. You instead notice a sea of people drinking trendy, brightly colored, vodka based drinks that are expanding the definition of martini and may in fact cause Bond re-think his traditional drink.

There are countless martini recipes out there, literally. Every restaurant and bar has at least 10 variations on their menu if not twice as many. Even the novice bartender has 2 or 3 they have perfected. So where does the story begin?

Factually, a peach martini, The Cosmo, an appletini, a chocolate martini or a Flirtini only share similar base ingredients. To truly appreciate the martini, you need to discover the classic.

The original Martini, first called the Martinez was created sometime in the late 1860’s and called for 4 parts vermouth and only 1 part gin. Over time the changes in styles of gin and vermouth, and the addition of aromatic bitters to the drink brought the proportions of gin and vermouth equal. As the drink left London many people swapped gin for vodka. Although we know the origin of the drink, history has lost exactly when the olive was added to garnish. The original Martinez called for a cherry and it wasn’t until the 1920s that the olive became commonplace.

Gin? Vodka? If you were to order a martini in a bar this Friday, and included no other description but “Martini please” you will most likely receive cold gin and a few olives on a spear in a long stemmed shallow bowl glass. However, if you asked for a “Martini Menu” you will see an array of gin and vodka based drinks that would make the classic lounge lizard shiver. There are no rules about what can be done with the martini. Chocolate, honey, grapefruit, and key lime are just a few of the flavors you will find. Being that there are so many choices lets look at each style on its own.

First we need to distinguish between the vodka martini and the gin martini. If you ask a purists they will tell you there is only one martini and it is made with gin. Others will insist that a vodka martini qualifies as a classic but the traditionalists will always claim this as rubbish labeling the “vodkatini” a completely different drink. Whichever version you decide be aware that the martini is no frou-frou cocktail; there is no masking of the liquor flavors by a sweet mixer. Minding this, it is recommended that one use high quality ingredients as a starting point. Bombay Sapphire is a common choice when it comes to gin but there are many other top shelf gins that will create a wonderful cocktail such as Bookers, Hendricks, or Citadel. If vodka is your choice, Ketel One, Level, Charbay, Stoli, and Grey Goose are all great premium vodka choices.

The classic recipes for a martini are simple by design, but take practice to master:

The Classic: combine 3oz gin, 3/4oz dry vermouth
The Dry: pour 1/2oz of vermouth into a cocktail glass, swirl it around to coat the glass, then pour the vermouth out. Chill the glass and then add 3oz of gin.
The Wet: 1 ½oz gin and 1 ½ dry vermouth
The Perfect: 2oz gin, 1/2oz dry vermouth, 1/2oz sweet vermouth
The Sweet: 2 1/4oz gin, 3/4oz sweet vermouth
The Dirty: 3oz gin, 1/2oz dry vermouth, 1/2tsp olive juice, garnish with olive
Vodka Martini: substitute any ingredient of gin for vodka

Now that you have the classic recipes you need to learn a bit of lingo before you start to create this intense elixir. The first thing is understanding wet vs. dry. If you like a martini with a high proportion of vermouth to gin, you like your martinis wet. If you prefer little to no vermouth at all you like them dry. Like it dirty? All you are doing is adding a bit of olive “brine” or juice to the recipe. What about smoky or sweet? A smoky martini has, believe it or not a splash of Scotch whisky. Sweet refers to a martini mixed with sweet vermouth (rosso) instead of dry (white). Finally, if you prefer you can garnish your martini with a twist of lemon or orange instead of the olive. This wouldn’t be traditional but as stated earlier it is closer to the original Martinez that was garnished this way. Always remember there is no rule to ordering a martini, you can combine or eliminate these terms anyway to create your perfect drink.

Now that you have the lingo down and can order one at the bar, why not make one at home. Along with the choice of vodka vs. gin, there is debate over the proper way to mix a martini. Shaken or stirred. James Bond has immortalized the idea that a martini should be shaken not stirred. The argument is that a shaken martini will be much colder and slightly diluted, as the shaking will melt the ice some. On the other hand gently stirring the drink will result in a warmer, slightly stronger drink and purists claim that this way doesn’t risk “bruising” the gin. Most people can only tell the difference based on temperature, shaken being colder, however, a stirred martini will have a more clear look, effectively producing a more elegant cocktail. The bottom line is this is personal choice.

Now that you have sampled a few of the classic martini recipes you can discover as many bars an restaurants are, the realm of Martini related cousins. As mentioned the design of the martini is changing. Part of the change has come with the addition of many pre-mixed and flavored vodkas to the market. Vodka makers such as Absolut, Smirnoff, Sky, and Finlandia have “infused” flavors into the vodka. Citrus, Strawberry, Key Lime, Black Cherry, and many more distinctive flavored vodkas can be used as a great springboard to making your own unique and different martini creation. Stop by Princeton’s to pick up one of many infused vodkas, or traditional gins. Who knows, maybe your recipe could be gracing the menus in downtown Manhattan or be served at parties in the Hollywood Hills.

Photos credits: www.seanconnery.com, acclaimposters.com, epicurean.com/the-elegant-martini, joe/martini3.jpg@skyrush