The Martini

[jmrtnko]

Editor's Note: Three threads on the perfect martini merged into one (Including the excellent "Adulterer's Cocktail of Choice" thread and the new "Quintessential Martini" thread.)

Watch it though. The "perfect" Martini, by name, would technically be half sweet and half dry vermouth.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

6:1 Ratio; Boodles, Plymouth or Tanqueray Export.
Current Vermouth of choice: Dolin Dry
STIRRED (anti-clockwise) :-D served in a pre-chilled glass
No garnish

 

[Wally_Hood]

6:1 Ratio; Boodles, Plymouth or Tanqueray Export.
Current Vermouth of choice: Dolin Dry
STIRRED (anti-clockwise) :-D served in a pre-chilled glass
No garnish

6 to 1? Leapin' lizards...

Dolin Dry is the favorite as of late, as is Hendrick's. Stirred.

 

[Adcurium]

I prefer to make mine the night before. In the summer, when my lush friends are taking up residency on my patio, I always keep a pitcher in the fridge.

 

[Wally_Hood]

6:1 Ratio; Boodles, Plymouth or Tanqueray Export.
Current Vermouth of choice: Dolin Dry
STIRRED (anti-clockwise) :-D served in a pre-chilled glass
No garnish

Going over the new posts, I re-read yours, and another thought hit me: if EB in the UK stirs anti-clockwise, should those in Australia stir clockwise?

 

[Computergeek]

beefeater 6 ounces (keep the bottle in the freezer) noilly pratt dry vermouth .5 ounces, olive juice 1 ounce. steel shaker, shaken until the outside frosts over. no ice. served with 2 olives.

Cheers,
Jeremy

 

[John in Covina]

I think if you offered people two drinks to rate, a well-made Daiquiri and a well-made Martini, nearly 100% would choose the Daiquiri. A fair assessment? Regards, Senator Jack

Yes there is truth to that but it is because many people as adults don't have experience with certain flavors and with the concept of dry versus sweet or sweet versus tart. In a culture where people have a Coke for breakfast with a Krispy Kreme doughnut, it is not surprising that the taste buds have no education. It is the same reason people drink Lite and Dry Beer as cold as possible in a frozen mug, they take the least flavor and kill it with cold because in reality they don't actually like the flavor of beer, real beer is too much and a real martini is too much whic is why we see all of the bastardizations of the Martini.

I like the Junipero Gin from the Anchor Steam people and Tanquerey Ten for a stultifying martini no and then.

 

[Yeps]

Yes there is truth to that but it is because many people as adults don't have experience with certain flavors and with the concept of dry versus sweet or sweet versus tart. In a culture where people have a Coke for breakfast with a Krispy Kreme doughnut, it is not surprising that the taste buds have no education.

This makes sense to me. I have to say, a breakfast of coke and a doughnut sounds horrible to me. I will eat sweet things, but only if I have something bitter, like black coffee to go with them.

And for the record, I do like the taste of gin, and find the martini very tasty. Most drinks, including a G&T are far too sweet for me.

 

[John in Covina]

Hi in the LA area I was horrified at the number of people that I've worked with that drink Coke or the like as a breakfast drink. OR Pop Tarts and Tang as the All-American breakfast.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Gin martini. Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood Blvd, LA. Oh how I wish I was back there.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Gin martini. Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood Blvd, LA. Oh how I wish I was back there.

That looks, superb!

 

[Marcus]

M'am an excellent choice.
I believe that Lillet Blanc is till available (there's a red version too), sadly not quite as bitter as Kina Lillet but it's not a bad substitute.
That said, Noilly Prat is pretty good too.

This version has ruined me for all others. A peel of lemon finishes it off to great affect. Lillet Blanc is definitely available at BevMo. Luckily my local grocery store carries it so I don't have to make the 30 minute trip. Sadly it's not a drink I've been able to get get while out on the town so far. I was actually told by a waitress that even IF they had Lillet...they couldn't serve more than 3oz of liquor in one drink. I'm not a big bar person so I was curious if that is common??

 

[mummyjohn]

Amazing the number of variations I've seen here...though that just adds to the ever-growing lore of the martini, and all the further ensures that there'll never be a consensus on't. I had my first barely a week after I turned 21, and was very pleased: it wasn't the best I've now ever had, nor was it the worst, but it lived up to the reputation. I was expecting to taste a legend, and I did.

That having been said, the O.P. is correct: a true, if you'll allow such use of the word, martini does have just a few slight dashes of orange bitters. Myself, I've been reading extensively about cocktails for the whole last week, so I haven't even gotten to try one that way yet. Evidently the lemon peel's the proper garnish, too, as opposed to the understood-to-be-standard olive. Not long into my drinking career, I started requesting them dry and with no garnish whatsoever, just gin & vermouth, or as I like to call it "The Roark Martini." Because it's got everything it needs and nothing it doesn't.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem I [and many others] have noted is the vastly improper sizing of the cocktail glasses. A martini ought to be ~3 fluid ounces, and never more than 4 oz. But - even in nice restaurants that should know what they're doing - I've received martinis in enormous 8+ ounce cones, complete with stems thick as a car axle holding 'em up!

 

[Abyss]

I drink my martinis in an 8 to 1 ratio, but that's because my preferred martini gin is Bristol Bay, distilled in Alaska, which has a subtle nibble instead of a sharp bite. When I use a different gin I prefer 4 to 1.

Has anyone tried a burnt martini, replacing the vermouth with scotch? It seems to cut the bite just as well. I think I may prefer such a martini.

What would one call a martini made with absinthe?

 

[Adcurium]

Just can't do the olive

I love Martinis. But I abhor olives. I add a lime twist, instead.

 

[Mr.Astor]

For a twist on the olive. Pickled mushrooms are great in a martini.

 

[Brad Bowers]

The two Martinis I had with dinner at a nice restaurant last night were the first ones I've ever had with orange bitters in them. Surprised me from the first sip.

Brad

 

[mummyjohn]

...were the first ones I've ever had with orange bitters in them.
Brad

The essential! The most on-point description of bitters I ever heard was that they're like seasoning on a steak: you don't necessarily think, when eating a well-seasoned steak, "gee, this seasoning's fantastic!" You simply think the steak itself is brilliant. But if there was no seasoning, there'd be something...just sort of wrong. Without bitters, many cocktails seem to be just lacking that little zing.

 

[newsman]

Gentlemen and ladies, I started drinking Martinis in college before the rage of "Martini bars" with menus devoted to the topic. To me...there is only a gin or vodka martini...not chocolate martinis, green martinis, watermelon, etc. Those are just fancy drinks that get poured in a sexy glass.

The proportions of the vermouth are a personal choice...but clearly...it appears the most critical aspect of the drink is temperature control in production. As long as you have quality ingredients you should be fine.

Inside our fridge is a small half jar of olives...half the vermouth is removed to allow room for the vermouth. Drop a couple of these in the glass and it's about perfect. Serve in a chilled glass.

-newsman-

 

[Heather]

Bump!