Martini Recipes

A martini is a cocktail made with gin and dry (not sweet!) vermouth. The proportions of gin to vermouth is very much a personal preference, leading to descriptions of a dry martini (one with very little vermouth), and a driest or arid martini, and jokes about whispering the word 'vermouth' over the bottle of gin in lieu of actually adding any. One wonders, hearing some of these 'maritni recipes,' why the inventor (or jokester) doesn't just drink straight gin. But straight gin isn't a martini.

Gin and Vermouth

Gin is a grain alcohol that is flavored with juniper berries, which add a sharp, piny flavor to the alcohol. Vermouth is a wine that has been flavored with herbs and has a slightly bitter, acidic bite. Purists believe that a hint of the tangy vermouth mingles with the sharpness of the juniper for a perfect flavor.

Shaken, Not Stirred

Martinis are mixed traditionally in a shaker by pouring the gin and vermouth over ice, then shaking it to both blend and chill. The drink is strained off the ice into a martini glass, usually stemmed with a flaring cup, and garnished with an olive. The olive's pungent taste adds dryness to the drink.

Alternatively, a martini can be garnished with a small cocktail onion, making it a Gibson. A twist of lemon or lime peel can also be added by twisting the skin, forcing the aromatic essential oils to the surface. When put in the alcohol, the oil forms a slick on top of the drink and flavors each mouthful.

The Vodka Martini

Vodka martinis became popular in the middle part of the Twentieth Century. Since vodka has little flavor, this became a favorite drink for people who wanted the glamour of a martini yet disliked the flavor of gin.

The "Real" Martini

Vodka now comes in so many flavors that vodka martini recipes abound. Some people have stretched the definition even further, using martini to refer to nearly every cocktail. However, the only real martini is one that is made with gin and vermouth.