Martini: Calling Gary Gillman, et al...

[TNbourbon]

Kinda odd, really (and I admit to not surfing through ALL 23 pages of 'hits' for the word "martini" -- I leafed through the first and last several pages), but we don't seem to have a thread dedicated precisely to this ubiquitous drink.

As many here know, I'm something of a traditionalist in all things -- which carries over to beverage alcohol -- so, to me, a martini is made with gin, not vodka. That said, I can't abide olives, but love maraschino cherries. You can guess where this is headed...

I recently decided -- because of a dearth of other liquor in the house -- to assay my first martini. I used a c. 5:1 ratio Gordon's gin:dry Noilly Prat/no garnish. I liked it. Thereafter, I added some cherries, and switched to basic Seagram's gin. I still like it, but am out of gin (to be rectified during tomorrow's liquor-store shift).

So, lend me some other takes, with the proviso that I may well ignore them (but others mayn't).

[snowrs]

You don't like olives as a texture or as a flavor? If a whole olive doesn't strike you add olive brine to your Martini, I think it really gives it a depth. I have done Jalepenos and capers as well, then there is a Gibson with onion.

[TNbourbon]

You don't like olives as a texture or as a flavor?..

Flavor -- yech! :puke:

I'm okay with the cherries, even if no one else is. Plain is fine, too.

[smokinjoe]

Ya know, Tim, I've been havin' a hankerin' for martinis, as we've been the beneficiaries of some terrific weather here, of late. I like a good martini, sitting out in the back on a warmish late afternoon. Our buddy, Jeff Yeast, turned me on to a great addition to the standard martini...coat the glass with a couple of shakes of Worcestershire sauce, before pouring your mixture. Makes it savory and oh, so, delicious. :yum:

BTW, looking forward to experimenting with the Corsairs Gin in a martini. It's much more herbal than most of the junipery ones out there. A nice change of pace, and I think it will make for a good one.

[snowrs]

I also like No 10 with Noilly at about a 4:1 with a shake of bitters as well.

[Gillman]

Tim! Many thanks, first, for your generous remarks on the BOTY thread, much appreciated as were Smokeless Joe's and those of all who posted there.

Libby calls Martinis Martoonis, a nomenclature that is second nature to me now.

I agree with your approach to the Martooni except perhaps for the cherry.

Gin is a sine qua non - for me. 4:1 is about exactly right, to the vermouth of course. I find olive a good addition, the slight briny note, similar in its way to Jeff Yeast's Worcestershire addition, fits in well with the dryness of the Martooni.

However a cherry sounds interesting, I will try this before long.

Joe, Corsair makes an excellent Martini. Ask Tony, or Gary Hodder. We made one according to the Bond recipe of mixing mostly gin with some vodka and then some white vermouth. Actually, Bond/Fleming called for Lillet, which I couldn't find in Houston, so we used Martini white vermouth. For this one though, we agreed, or Mr. Hodder was so persuaded, that a minimal amount of vermouth won't work - you need more, something like 3:1 liquor to vermouth or even more vermouth than that.

Such was the judgment (using that term relatively) of the Faculty at Randy's that night.

Gary

[ratcheer]

For me, a martini is a quick and simple affair. I usually just make mine in a measuring cup! I have my olives ready in my cocktail glass. I add the gin and vermouth to the cup, add ice cubes, stir for about 30 seconds, and strain into the glass. That's it.

I prefer regular Beefeater or regular Bombay gin to the fancier types. In the no-man's-land of Alabama, I have to take whatever I can get for vermouth, but it is usually Cinzano. And I like a 4:1 or 3:1 ratio. I used to make them "bone dry" at 6:1, but I have found that more vermouth really opens up the cocktail flavors.

I drink it fairly quickly, too, so it remains cold.

Tim

[imbibehour]

I am not the much of a fan of martinis but can enjoy them, and as a cocktail purist I agree they should be made with Gin.

I like Plymouth, and occasionaly Bombay Saphirre (junipery). I like about a 4:1 ratio sometimes a little more, 5:1 is too dry for me and I like vermouth.

Noily Prat is what I use also, if you want to really step it up use some Dolin although Prat is fine (Dolin is a little pricey and if you're not a vermouth fan and like dry martinis then don't bother).

A suggestion I have for you is the classic garnish of lemon peel. Channel knife some peel, trim the pith. Twist over your glass and rub the rind around the rim and drop it in.

Also another thing that I have gotten from some cocktail martini fans but haven't tried...

Throw orange bitters in your martini... totally new drink.

[imbibehour]

The martini is probably one of the most bastardized cocktails on the planet, and there's a bit of a trend now to going back to how it was properly made.

Aside from all the crazy concoctions and vodka inspired stuff "appletini, chocotini etc..." The biggest one was the omiting and less dependence on using vermouth.

So much so that you went to a bar sometimes and saw some guy make a martini, throw a drop of vermouth in a glass, or pretend to then stupidly wave it around like some production, and the fill a drink completely with vodka. So what you got was chilled vodka, and olives.

Now people are starting to realise vermouth has a purpose in a drink and are increasing the measurements and going back to how this was properly made. Also once you open a bottle of vermouth, use it up and store it in your fridge. It's like wine, it doesn't keep once you open it, and also is why you got a lot of bad martinis with vermouth in bars. The stuff sat on the shelf for months and then would get used way past its prime and people wouldn't like it.

[pepcycle]

I garnish with unbruised rosemary sprig as my favorite.

I don't necessarily need a snack with a martini (olives, stuffed olives, onion, caperberry, pickled cherry tomato, pickled garlic clove) but often do.

I've fallen for Old Raj Gin that has a hint of color and flavor from Saffron.

If shaking "cracks" the gin, I like mine shattered with slivers of ice, served up.

Rimming the glass with various citrus adds an interesting note.

I also add less than a drop of Worcestershire to a shaker of more than one martini. ( I like the briny but not the clovey, tamarindy)

Burnt citrus peel oil sprayed over the finished cocktail is another "twist" on the twist. Lime is my preferred peel.

(see here http://www.thespir.it/articles/bartender-bootcamp/#)

Occasionally I serve them OTR, chilled in the shaker and served over a single large ice thingy (cube, ball, muffin)

I can't say that I do anything all the time,

[BourbonJoe]

My favorite Martini is a Bombay Sapphire made at 3 to 1 with a good dry Vermouth and 3 large olives. A splash of olive juice sometimes.

Joe :usflag:

[Gillman]

It's great to see all the expertise displayed here. It's true that the drink can be made quickly and simply, but attention to detail, no matter how simple or complex the recipe, does result in a superior product.

A cold Martini, however made but provided it is well-made, would be a good palate cleanser for any SB gathering.

Gary

[SBOmarc]

In place of olives you can try a caperberry. That is just a very large stemmed version of the caper and looks great the glass. It has a distinct flavor that you may or may not like.

I also had a button down martini that featured vermouth soaked button mushrooms, 3 to exact skewered as a garnish. Nice sub for the olive.

[imbibehour]

It's great to see all the expertise displayed here. It's true that the drink can be made quickly and simply, but attention to detail, no matter how simple or complex the recipe, does result in a superior product.

A cold Martini, however made but provided it is well-made, would be a good palate cleanser for any SB gathering.

Gary

One guy I know likes the way he makes his martinis. He calls it his 10-12 minute get home "ritual" of sorts.

[squire]

Good topic Tim, being a traditionalist here are mine:

1. Plymouth Gin, Noilly Pratt vermouth, 3/1 mixture, shaken with ice (doesn't bruise the gin), poured into a chilled martini glass (best kept in the freezer ready for use) and a green olive garnish.

2. Beefeater Gin, Noilly Pratt, same proportions and prepared as above with lemon peel twist rubbed on the rim and snapped into the glass.

3. Any gin, any white vermouth, made as above and poured into a glass prepared by swirling a small amount of other liquor or liqueur.

[TNbourbon]

Wow, lots of great responses (many thanks, Gary and others) and food for drink (or, is it thought?:skep:)

Anyway, I'm a slow learner, so tonight, I simply learned that I didn't find the Nieuw Amsterdam/M&R dry vermouth combo superior to Gordon's/Noilly Prat.

I DID swish some Worstecjes'ewoprer (or whatever) sauce around, and it's added some interest -- but I don't think I think I liked it 'better'. Like I said, I'm a traditionalist, and it may be innate, not acquired.

Just let me get some really good ingredients, and watch me go...:grin:

[ratcheer]

Just let me get some really good ingredients, and watch me go...:grin:

I would like to see that, Tim.

Tim

[cowdery]

I like a 4:1 ratio, but 5:1 is okay too. I do like to mess around with different gins and have New Amsterdam on the bar now. Noilly is my vermouth of choice. I've been enjoying jalepeno-stuffed olives lately, but garnish-free is okay too. A friend of mine from years ago called martinis "crystal num nums." I only have them up and very cold.

I came up in the era when, for some reason I've never understood, people played all kinds of games with calling gin on the rocks a very dry martini. Why they couldn't just order gin on the rocks is beyond me. There were a million jokes, "he pours the gin in the glass and whispers the word 'vermouth.'" That sort of thing.

[imbibehour]

I came up in the era when, for some reason I've never understood, people played all kinds of games with calling gin on the rocks a very dry martini. Why they couldn't just order gin on the rocks is beyond me. There were a million jokes, "he pours the gin in the glass and whispers the word 'vermouth.'" That sort of thing.

[smokinjoe]

The classic version on this story is of course my favorite about Winston Churchill. He would enjoy his martinis in the ratio thusly:

Grab a bottle of gin. Place a bottle of French Vermouth on the table in eyesight and glance at it.

Make drink.

Yes I am paraphrasing but you get the idea

Same here. I've heard a similar story...Again paraphrasing, after pouring the gin in the glass, Churchill turned to face in the direction of France...nodded his head...and drank. Not to get off topic here, but, Churchill is one of those people I'd really like to go back in time, and be a fly on the wall.

[jasonh]

I think the original recipe for a martini is 2:1 (Maybe 3:1, going off memory here) with a dash of orange bitters and a twist of lemon peel. I don't know when people started adding olives, or personally, why.

Martinis used to be one of those drinks I always wanted to like but just couldn't quite warm up to. Found out it was due to bad vermouth primarily, and secondarily that olives shouldn't go in drinks. M&R Rosso is pretty good stuff, and what I prefer for manhattans if I can't find punt e mes, but M&R dry sucks balls. Noilly Prat is good stuff though. Adding a dash of orange bitters and lemon peel instead of going with an olive totally changes the drink as well. I find now that instead of going easy on the vermouth, I prefer a 3:1 ratio.

One should keep in mind that the flavor profile of gin and vermouth has changed over the years. I think that might explain to some degree why people used to like more vermouth in their drink back before prohibition than people do today.

[squire]

Taste do change (evolve?) generationally. The drinks served at a cocktail party during my parent's time are different from what would be offered now.

On the other hand we may be seeing a broader training and education among bartenders now than in the last decade or so.

[Parkersback]

Here's a cool little essay about martinis that comes from a collection of essays from The New Yorker about food and drink:

http://books.google.com/books?id=AOoS04nJ52UC&pg=PA339&lpg=PA339&dq=roger+angell+martini&source=bl&ots=mNet6OY0JP&sig=MPoRd9tM7-Cw9Xv-FTTLz8nJgFg&hl=en&ei=qa9uTaWKCsH98Aa8_O2bBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=roger%20angell%20martini&f=false

[ratcheer]

Here's a cool little essay about martinis that comes from a collection of essays from The New Yorker about food and drink:

http://books.google.com/books?id=AOoS04nJ52UC&pg=PA339&lpg=PA339&dq=roger+angell+martini&source=bl&ots=mNet6OY0JP&sig=MPoRd9tM7-Cw9Xv-FTTLz8nJgFg&hl=en&ei=qa9uTaWKCsH98Aa8_O2bBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=roger%20angell%20martini&f=false

[craigthom]

Well, dern. I was thoroughly enjoying that when it ended somewhere in the middle.

For those who may not be aware, Roger Angell was one of the premier writers of the mid-20th century.

Tim

I was sorry it ended, too. I wanted to keep reading.

One sentence bothered me a little, though: "They are thinking Myrna Loy, they are thinking Nora Charles and Eva Gardner..."

It struck me as odd that he listed an actress, a role that actress played, and different actress. They don't really go together. Maybe "The are thinking Myrna Loy as Nora Charles; they are thinking Eva Gardner..." would have worked.

That's a small thing, though.