The muscle-car of gin drinks, the Martini demands only the finest gins for the serious gin connoisseur.
- Hawkeye Pierce, M*A*S*H
“I’d like a dry martini, Mr. Quoc. A very dry martini. A very dry, arid, barren, desiccated, veritable dustbowl of a martini. I want a martini that could be declared a disaster area. Mix me just such a martini.”
FAQs
What is a Martini?
The Martini is a cocktail made with gin and dry vermouth, chilled with ice (thereby adding a little ice melt-water), and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. A sad few choose to substitute the gin with vodka, but that violates applicable ASA Standards (read on). Over the years with some thanks to Hollywood, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages around.
What ratio of gin-to-vermouth is best?
Balance, my little Grasshopper, balance is key. Without getting into the weeds, the vermouth compliments the gin best at a specific ratio. In the 19th century, this meant using sweet (red) vermouth from Italy — until the French came out with dry (white) vermouth that usually works better. (See Figure below.)
By 1922 the Martini reached its most recognizable form in which London Dry gin and dry vermouth are combined at a ratio of 2:1, stirred in a mixing glass (or shaken) with ice cubes, with the optional addition of orange or aromatic bitters, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Over time the generally expected garnish became the drinker's choice of one or more green olives or a twist of lemon peel.
Over the course of the 20th century, the typical amount of desired vermouth steadily dropped as the quality of gins improved. (Vermouth is added to tame gin’s alcohol ‘bite’, but also to soften a bad-tasting gin.) During the 1930s the ratio was 3:1, then during the 1940s the ratio was 4:1. In the latter part of the 20th century, 6:1, 8:1, 12:1, 15:1 (the "Montgomery"), or even 50:1 or 100:1 Martinis became considered the norm. Beware of bartenders unfamiliar with Martinis who make yours by the recipe book — they’ll typically use an ancient ratio like 2:1 or 3:1 and probably give you a bad surprise.
Are there any relevant standards for the Martini?
ASA K100.1-1966 Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis (original)
ANSI K100.1-1974 Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis (updated)
Is there a best gin to use in a Martini?
Now you’re asking the right question !!! If you are a seeker of great martini gins and how to best mix them with dry vermouth, then as a starting point you should read this guy’s writeup at DrinkBoy.com. In general, you can expect to favor good London Dry gins that aren’t too juniper-forward:
Citadelle Jardin d’Ete Gin
Gin Mare Capri Mediterranean Gin
Gray Whale Gin
Hendrick's Gin
KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin
Martin Miller’s Gin
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin
Plymouth Gin
Sipsmith London Dry Gin
Star of Bombay London Dry Gin (Note: this is not Bombay Sapphire)
Tanqueray No. TEN Gin
Tanqueray No. TEN Grapefruit & Rosemary "Citrus Heart Edition" Gin
The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
What about using a different-style gin for a Martini?
London Dry gins work best, but you might’ve noticed that we included Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin in our recommendations above, which is actually a New Western Dry. It makes a wonderful Martini. Plymouth Gin is also called out above and works well, which is a Plymouth-style gin (duh). We’ve actually gone as wild as trying Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, and somehow that worked also for those who like both bold reds and Martinis. Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla (known as “Sevilla Orange” in the U.S.) also makes an excellent Martini. Then again, we tried Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale, which was ok but… well, honestly it just didn’t seem like a martini anymore. So: try for yourself. Also, know that Old Tom gins tend to not do well with the cold; you won’t taste their sweetness at first (here’s why under Answers), but you will eventually when the drink warms up. And that’s NOT a good trait for a gin in a Martini.
Who invented the Martini?
If you want to put your date to sleep, you’d share crap like this and end the night early — and alone. What the hell ?!? Just say Joe Martini did it and move on!
What is a ‘dry’ martini? And how do you order one?
See the figure below. There are many variations, including ‘sweet’ and ‘perfect’.
Aren’t there famous quotes about dry Martinis?
Reportedly these are quotes from Sir Winston Churchill on how dry he likes his Martinis; all are likely just Churchill lore.
Pour the gin while glancing across the room at the vermouth.
Whisper the word ‘vermouth’ over the glass.
Glance at the vermouth bottle briefly while pouring the juniper distillate freely.
I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini.
Add the gin to the ice, then simply bow in the direction of France.
Fill the martini glass with gin, glare at an unopened bottle of vermouth, then add an olive.
Hawkeye Pierce, “M*A*S*H”:
You pour six jiggers of gin, and you drink it while staring at a picture of Lorenzo Schwartz, the inventor of vermouth.
Six parts gin and a moment of silence for the vermouth.
“Hey look at me guys, I'm ordering a martini”How to order your Martini like a proper gentleman
So it’s made with gin and… what?
Oh by the hairs of great Odin’s beard!! You don't know Vermouth? It's a specific type of apéritif wine that is both aromatized like all apéritifs (infused with botanicals that add flavor and color), and fortified to boost its alcohol content. "Infused with botanicals"... why, it's kind of like the gin of wines then!
The Figure below provides top-level need-to-know vermouth info; clicking on it drills down even deeper.
If you’ve read the Gineology page’s section on Fruit Cups, then you'll know of Dubonnet, the French apéritif wine used in Queen Elizabeth II's (RIP) favorite cocktail of the same name. Dubonnet is classified as a quinquina apertif instead of a vermouth apéritif because it includes Peruvian chinchona bark amongst its many botanicals. Chinchona bark is the world’s primary source of quinine, a key ingredient for 18th century tonic water (as an anti-malarial) that still persists to this day. So, QE II’s favorite drink is essentially an over-apéritif ’ed martini, with a 1:2 ratio of gin-to-apéritif instead of the typical ~20:1, with quinine added like in a GT. Amazing, a GT martini — well done.
QE II picked up the Dubonnet habit from her mom The Queen Mother, who was a, ummm, errr… well, let’s just say she was a “very accomplished tippler”, kicking back 10 drinks each and every day. Dayamm!
