How to Mix a Martini
April 10, 2009 | In: General
Make A Martini
Martini is one of the most famous mixed alcoholic beverages present most of the time at cocktail parties. This cocktail drink is basically made from gin, vermouth and olive but many variations have been developed through the years.
The name martini was derived from a large town called Martinez where the drink originated. It was in 1849 during the time of the California Gold Rush when a miner who arrived in Martinez wanted to celebrate by having a drink of champagne. Unfortunately, the bar he visited didn’t have champagne at that time and so the bartender instead offered him a drink called the Martinez special. Eventually, the Martinez special drink became known as simply martini.
The dry martini is the one that’s more popular among drinkers. By dry, it refers to having a lesser amount of vermouth. The lesser the vermouth, the drier the martini you make. This drink is best placed in a martini glass, a wine glass with a long stem but is triangular in shape.
To make the basic or classic martini, you will need two and a half ounces of gin or vodka, a hint of dry vermouth, olive and ice cubes. The proportion is 8 parts gin and one part vermouth. The amount of vermouth will depend largely on the preference of the drinker. It can be just a few drops of even a full shot of vermouth.
Mix the ingredients in a mixing jug and then stir. When done, pour the drink into a martini glass and add one olive. Sometimes, the olive is stuck in a toothpick by itself or with a cube of cheese.
For variety, you can add one-fourth ounce lemon juice (Gimlet) or onion juice (Gibson). Then shake or stir the ingredients and strain it into a martini glass. For garnishing, use cocktail onions or lemon wedge. The use of onions, olive and lemon were later variations because the traditional martini only used lemon peel for garnishing purposes.
The smokey martini can be made with two and a half ounces of gin and a little of scotch instead of a dry vermouth. Preferably, the Laphroaig scotch should be used to achieve a really smoky flavor. To chill the ingredients, use ice for better results.
Some people also ask which martini tastes better – the one that’s stirred or the one that’s shaken? The answer actually depends on the drinker’s personal preference. There are some who like a clear cocktail drink and believe that shaking only results in a cloudy martini.
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