How To Make a Martini
Shaken or Stirred - Recipes for James Bond's Favourite Drink
The Martini is one of the great classic cocktails which has recently enjoyed a rebirth in the form of fruity versions.
As anyone who watches the cult comedy Scrubs will know the Martini has recently been reinvented in many fruity forms such as the Appletini. For most Tini fans however the original is the best and a definite for anyone wanting a pure and simple alcohol hit.
The History
As with a lot of the classic cocktails many people claim to have invented the Martini and so it's origin remains unproven. Most sources agree that it was around from the mid or early 1800s and rose in popularity during the prohibition period of the 1920s as gin was quick and easy to produce unlike spirits such as whisky. The James Bond films of the 1960s saw a change for the gin based drink by replacing the gin with vodka to create Bond's famous “Vodka Martini shaken not stirred”.
The classic Martini glass is similar to a wine glass in shape i.e. With a long stem but the bowl is a shallow triangle shape.
Some famous fans of the Martini are: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Richard Nixon, Ernest Hemingway, W.C Fields and of course James Bond and his creator Ian Fleming.
The Recipe for a Classic Martini
You will need:
6 cracked ice cubes
3 measures of gin (1 measure is approximately 3 tablespoons or 1 ½ oz)
1 tablespoon of dry vermouth
1 olive
Put the ice cubes, vermouth and gin into a mixing jug and stir. Pour into a Martini glass and add an olive for decoration.
Alternative Martini Recipes
- A Vodka Martini is the same as a Classic Martini but using vodka instead of gin.
- A Gibson is a Classic Martini with 2 or 3 cocktail onions instead of pickles
- A Dirty Martini is a Classic Martini with a ½ measure of brine from the cocktail olive jar added
- A Tequini is mixed from 6 ice cubes, a dash of Angostura bitters, 3 measures of white tequila and a ½ measure of dry vermouth finally strained into a Martini glass.
- A Saketini is a mix of 6 ice cubes, 3 measures of gin and a ½ measure of Sake strained into a Martini glass
- An Appletini is 1 measure of vodka or gin and 2 tablespoons of sour apple schnapps
From the Martini Recipe Website you can find some experimental and fun Tini recipes such as a: Lemon Drop Martini, Chocolate Drop Martini, Blue Martini, Watermelon Martini, Chocolate Mint Martini or a Sweet Martini.
No matter what the mix is one truth remains – a Martini is a matter of personal taste. In fact there has even been a Martini atomiser invented which is used to spray little droplets of vermouth over the gin or vodka for the driest of Martinis.
