Martini

omartini
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Tips and history from http://listverse.com/2008/02/08/top-10-classic-cocktails/

A martini is always made with gin. If you use vodka, it is not a “Martini” it is a “Vodka Martini”. Using a twist of lemon instead of an olive in a Vodka Martini, gives you a Kangaroo. A Martini is always stirred, not shaken a la James Bond. All white cocktails are stirred – shaking introduced bubbles, introduces too much water, and the shaken wine (vermouth) makes the final result murky. Shaken, it is a Bradford. If you use a cocktail onion instead of an olive, you have a Gibson.

Gently stir the ingredients in a bar glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist some lemon peel over the top (do not put the peel in the drink – just twist it to spray the top with the juices). Serve with one stuffed olive on a toothpick.

A dry Martini is made with dry, white vermouth. Over the course of a history, the amount of vermouth has steadily dropped... during the 1930s the ratio was 3:1, and during the 1940s the ratio was 4:1. During the latter part of the 20th century, 6:1, 8:1, 12:1, or even 50:1 or 100:1 Martinis became considered the norm.

A classic Martini recipe is given below (after the Vesper), the listverse recipe is:

1 part Lillet Vermouth (or any dry French)
7 parts gin (Tanqueray No. 10)
Stuffed olive, pref. with a nut

A more usual ratio is given in GQ. "A martini is a beautiful elegant drink that contains two parts: gin and dry vermouth. I like aTanqueray 10 martini 3:1 with Dolin Dry Vermouth... You want dilution in every cocktail, but in a martini you want to chill it super cold and retain that oily, viscous quality that ice cold alcohol has.... My ideal method of making a great martini is to build in a mixing glass and stir with Kold Draft (1" cubes). You want dilution in every cocktail, but in a martini you want to chill it super cold and retain that oily, viscous quality that ice-cold alcohol has. (Think of the way vodka tastes after a bottle has been sitting in the freezer for hours.) Stir the drink for 30 seconds and see how it tastes. If it's too strong, you need to keep stirring, and if it's too watery then you've stirred too long and over-diluted. ALWAYS serve is a glass that's been stored in the freezer (or iced down). I take mine with a lemon twist.

Vesper

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
"Oui, monsieur."
"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"
"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.
Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."
—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

The novel goes on with Bond telling the barman, after taking a long sip, "Excellent ... but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better,"

Bond eventually calls it The Vesper, named after the novel's lead female character, Vesper Lynd. A Vesper differs from Bond's usual cocktail of choice, the martini, in that it uses both gin and vodka, Kina Lillet instead of the usual dry vermouth, and a lemon peel instead of an olive.

Since both Kina Lillet and Gordon's have been reformulated since 1953, substitutes can be made that attempt to recapture the original flavour of the drink:

To recreate the original bitter flavour of Kina Lillet, add a dash or two of Orange bitters, Angostura bitters, add a pinch (1/16 of a teaspoon) of Quinine powder or use a mix of Lillet and the bitter China Martini, this also turns the drink light golden, as described in the book.

Alternatively, it has been pointed out that Aperitivo Cocchi Americano has a similar flavor profile to the classic Kina Lillet and is an acceptable substitute

For a more traditional flavour, use 100-proof Stolichnaya Vodka to bring the alcohol content of the Vodka back to 1953 levels.

Likewise, Tanqueray Gin provides the traditional flavour of 94-proof gin; whereas Gordon's Gin was reformulated to less than 80-proof.

A "Green Vesper" substitutes absinthe for the Kina Lillet. Lime peel may be substituted for lemon.

A modern cocktail glass, which is larger today than was common in 1953, is often substituted for the deep Champagne goblet.

Classic Martini

A cocktail should be served so cold it hurts, which you should repeat to yourself as you stir. And stir. And stir. Beefeater and Noilly Prat because the botanicals in each balance one another out.
From: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/classic-martini-3 Makes 1

4 ounces Beefeater gin
¾ ounce Noilly Prat dry vermouth
1 lemon

Holding a large (preferably 1") cube of ice in the palm of your hand, use the back of a stirring spoon to crack it into large pieces; place in a mixing glass. Repeat with enough ice to fill glass.

Pour those four ounces of gin, first into the 1-ounce side of the jigger (always pour to tension) then into the glass. Do the same for the vermouth—into the ¾-ounce side of the jigger to tension—then into the glass. Rapidly stir 50 times in a circular motion (the outside of the shaker will become very cold and frosty). Don't hold the glass as it'll warm up ;)

Strain martini through a Hawthorne strainer (or a large slotted spoon) into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Strain any excess cocktail into a sidecar set over ice (or a small glass in a bowl of ice).

Using a small serrated knife, remove a 1" piece of peel from lemon; it should be stiff enough to provide some resistance (some white pith is okay). Twist peel over drink to express oils, then rub around rim of glass. Float peel, yellow side up, in martini.

Soho House Espresso Martini

From "Eat, Drink, Nap", the new book by Soho House, the club's founder Nick Jones mixes up the hotel's signature cocktail. This was created by a barman, Dick Bradshaw, in the 1980s. Rumour has it he was asked by one of his customers to “make a drink to wake me up”, and the result was this creamy, rich cocktail.From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10681309/Espresso-martini-cocktail-recipe.html Serves 1

25ml (1fl oz) Kahlúa or Caffé Lolita liqueur
25ml (1fl oz) espresso
50ml (2fl oz) vodka

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake very vigorously to combine. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with three coffee beans placed next to each other on top.

Olly’s Insane Dirty Vodka Martini

From: https://goop.com/recipes/ollys-insane-dirty-vodka-martini

2 ½ shots of ice-cold Grey Goose vodka (I always use the ratio of 5:1 of vodka:vermouth when making any martini gin or vodka)

½ shot dry vermouth (to taste, i.e. dry or wet)
4 teaspoons of olive brine (though I always ask how dirty they like it
3 large green olives
equipment
martini glass, preferably straight from the freezer. If not, fill the glass with ice and then with water wait 2-3 minutes until cold
atomizer for the vermouth – I coat the inside of the glass before I pour the martini in, as I think it makes the taste a little smoother. This step is not completely necessary in a dirty martini but in a normal one, I highly recommend you do this.
cocktail shaker
Hawthorne strainer
fine strainer

Fill the shaker with ice nearly to the top.

Add all the ingredients. I prefer to stir my martinis for about 20-30 seconds but you can shake it (max 10 seconds), which is thought to blend the vodka and vermouth better but traditionally the shaking makes it a Bradford. Also, shaking adds air bubbles, hence the cloudy appearance, and dilutes the mix which freshens the taste.

Using the atomizer, coat the inside of the martini glass with vermouth.

Through the Hawthorne and fine strainer, pour the dirty Vodka martini into a frozen martini glass.

Add olives and serve immediately.

Fifty-Fifty Martini

This is your starter martini. Try it if you want to be a martini-drinker but aren't quite there yet.
From: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fifty-fifty-martini Makes 1

1½ ounces Tanqueray gin
1½ ounces Noilly Prat dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
1 lemon

Holding a large (preferably 1") cube of ice in the palm of your hand, use the back of a stirring spoon to crack it into large pieces; place in a mixing glass. Repeat with enough ice to fill glass. Add gin, vermouth, and orange bitters, and, using a bar spoon, rapidly stir 50 times in a circular motion (the outside of the shaker will become very cold and frosty).

Strain martini through a Hawthorne strainer (or a large slotted spoon) into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Strain any excess cocktail into a sidecar set over ice (or a small glass in a bowl of ice).

Using a small knife, remove a 1" piece of peel from lemon; it should be stiff enough to provide some resistance (a little white pith is okay). Twist peel over drink to express oils, then rub around rim of glass. Float peel, yellow side up, in martini.

Smoking Dorini Dreamy Martini

Saunders created this drink for Dori Bryant, "a whiskey-drinking lady." This recipe differs from the classic "Smoky Martini" because she added Pernod. From bonappetit.com Serves 1

2 ounces Belvedere vodka
½ ounce Laphroaig 10–year-old Scotch
5 drops Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueurs
1 lemon

Holding a large (preferably 1") cube of ice in the palm of your hand, use the back of a stirring spoon to crack it into large pieces; place in a mixing glass. Repeat with enough ice to fill glass. Add vodka, Scotch, and Pernod and, using a bar spoon, rapidly stir 50 times in a circular motion (the outside of the shaker will become very cold and frosty).

Strain martini through a Hawthorne strainer (or a large slotted spoon) into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Strain any excess cocktail into a sidecar set over ice (or a small glass in a bowl of ice).

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Martini

Vesper

Classic Martini

Soho House Espresso Martini

Olly’s Insane Dirty Vodka Martini

Fifty-Fifty Martini

Smoking Dorini Dreamy Martini