Martinis

[ripper1]

Any martini drinkers out there. I like mine with either my favorite vodka or gin. I prefer them shaken and not stirred....although they say shaking is not good with gin and preferred to be stirred as not to bruise the gin. And please no vermouth. Garnish with three olives and good to go.

[utrecht]

My friends make fun of me but I like the newer flavored martinis. My favorite has whipped creme vodka, Triple Sec, orange juice and a teeny bit of half and half....shaken. Tastes just like a cremesicle.

[Cricky]

Drinking one now. For me it has to be gin (2.5 oz, Beefeater is fine but gins vary a lot and it's fun to experiment; this one is Boodles), with vermouth (.5 oz of Dolin), a shot of olive brine and 2 or 3 olives. My wife likes to mix them half vodka (Tito's), half gin, which is okay. I'm afraid I'd be with Utrecht's friends on that drink....

[NW-Bound]

I drink martini occasionally and make it with Bombay Sapphire, my favorite gin. I drink many spirits straight, but always put some vermouth in my martini. Else, it's just frozen gin.

This thread reminds me that I need to go get some Lillet to try James Bond's Vesper Martini. It's something to make and share with my brothers in the upcoming holiday meals.

[WhoDaresWins]

I will only drink the occasional vodka martini when I dine out in a restaurant. I don't know if it is shaken or stirred, but I order it straight up (no ice), with olives. In truth I can't tell the difference in taste between vodkas, but I usually specify Grey Goose for the vodka brand. I never keep vodka at home, but every summer I buy a bottle of Hendrick's gin for hot weather gin and tonics (with ice).

My much loved now-deceased aunt mixed me my first martini thirty years ago and when I order one I think of her. She always used Stolichnaya for the vodka though and only one olive (I like several). And her gin had to be Bombay if she was drinking a g & t.

[Cricky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cricky ... a shot of olive brine and 2 or 3 olives....

Hah. Sorry, I didn't mean a literal shot, maybe 0.5 oz of brine too or a little less.

[swakyaby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utrecht My friends make fun of me but I like the newer flavored martinis. My favorite has whipped creme vodka, Triple Sec, orange juice and a teeny bit of half and half....shaken. Tastes just like a cremesicle.

Sounds like my kind of drink! I like the fruitish vodka cocktails: Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, Chocolate Martini, and something called Tangerine Dream (Grey Goose L'Orange, Cointreau, Midori, amaretto, and tangerine juice).

[FireBug]

Responding here, as I live in Martinez CA. We stick to our guns as to inventing the drink. While others may maliciously claim ownership, they are merely falsehoods. This particular factoid was located on the Interweb and as any reasonable person should know, if it's on the Internet, it has to be true. So there! (The part about SF is simply creative backstory)

How the Martini was Named
There are as many storied origins of the martini as there are ways to make one.
Some believe that a New York bartender named Martini invented the drink in 1912 while some believe it to be invented in San Francisco by Professor Jerry Thomas around 1850 for a miner on his way to Martinez, California. Lore says that a miner placed a nugget of gold on Jerry’s bar and challenged him to concoct something special. The result was the Martinez, the said prototype of the Martini. The Martinez was first published in The Bartenders Guide in 1887, the first bartenders manual of its kind and was made with a full wine glass of sweet vermouth, one (1) ounce of Old Tom Gin, some bitters and a dash or two of maraschino. In those days, if the drink weren’t sweet enough, gum syrup was added.
The citizenry of Martinez, California believe that the martini was first concocted right there in Martinez by a bartender named Julio Richelieu in 1870. They claim that a miner became disenchanted with the whisky Richelieu served him. After all, he paid for the whisky with a pouch of gold. So, Richelieu concocted a glass of gin, vermouth, orange, bitters and an olive to make up for the difference. Thus was born the Martinez.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cricky Drinking one now. For me it has to be gin (2.5 oz, Beefeater is fine but gins vary a lot and it's fun to experiment; this one is Boodles), with vermouth (.5 oz of Dolin), a shot of olive brine and 2 or 3 olives. My wife likes to mix them half vodka (Tito's), half gin, which is okay. I'm afraid I'd be with Utrecht's friends on that drink....

Half ounce of vermouth! I don't drink martinis, but have made them for years for MIL & FIL.

They taught me to use a light half-cap of the vermouth bottle cap, and split that between the two martinis. They drank Vodka martinis, with a lemon twist and a squeeze of that lemon rind, and smear it on the edge of the glass. Lots of ice. MIL now likes an olive or to, preferably blue cheese stuffed.

She also wants up-scale vodka. Fine, but can you tell the difference with lemon, a bit of vermouth, and a blue cheese olive? The frugal in me hates paying that price for ethanol and water, but whatever.

DW said - but you don't buy cheap beer! I said - find me a cheap beer I like, and I'll be very happy! Well, my homebrew costs less than craft beer, not counting my time/effort - but a part of it is fun.

-ERD50

[Meadbh]

I don't believe I've ever had a martini. What type of martini should I try?

[NW-Bound]

It should be the Vesper Martini, though I keep forgetting to try it myself as I mentioned in an earlier post. Vesper is the name of a character with whom Bond fell in love, and who turned out to be a double agent.

From Casino Royale (1953), Ian Fleming first ever novel:

"A dry martini," Bond said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
"Oui, monsieur."
"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"
"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

[harley]

I drink Scotch martinis. Single malt, straight. No vermouth, no olives, no gin or vodka.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireBug Responding here, as I live in Martinez CA. We stick to our guns as to inventing the drink. While others may maliciously claim ownership, they are merely falsehoods. This particular factoid was located on the Interweb and as any reasonable person should know, if it's on the Internet, it has to be true. So there! (The part about SF is simply creative backstory) How the Martini was Named There are as many storied origins of the martini as there are ways to make one. Some believe that a New York bartender named Martini invented the drink in 1912 while some believe it to be invented in San Francisco by Professor Jerry Thomas around 1850 for a miner on his way to Martinez, California. Lore says that a miner placed a nugget of gold on Jerry’s bar and challenged him to concoct something special. The result was the Martinez, the said prototype of the Martini. The Martinez was first published in The Bartenders Guide in 1887, the first bartenders manual of its kind and was made with a full wine glass of sweet vermouth, one (1) ounce of Old Tom Gin, some bitters and a dash or two of maraschino. In those days, if the drink weren’t sweet enough, gum syrup was added. The citizenry of Martinez, California believe that the martini was first concocted right there in Martinez by a bartender named Julio Richelieu in 1870. They claim that a miner became disenchanted with the whisky Richelieu served him. After all, he paid for the whisky with a pouch of gold. So, Richelieu concocted a glass of gin, vermouth, orange, bitters and an olive to make up for the difference. Thus was born the Martinez.

Thanks for posting that. I ordered a martini while in South Africa and received a Martinez. It was all you would expect, horrible. I said something to the server about it not tasting right. She and the bartender came back and apologized, they both were wondering why I ordered such a disgusting drink. I explained what I wanted and she fixed it right up.

[martyp]

A martini is my drink of choice. Gin is the only true martini. There are a wide variety of gins so your choice does matter. Being from the San Francisco Bay Area we have some good local gin's. My preferred choice these days is any of the gins from the Alameda distillery St. George Spirits.

I first chill the glass and the gin. Then I pour in the vermouth and spin it around the glass letting it slop over the edges of the glass. Whatever remains is what is get. I then pour in the chilled gin. I like garnishing with a lemon twist though I had previously used green olives.

DW doesn't like gin so I sometimes make vodka martinis. My preferred vodka is Hanger 1 original. I've been muddling my vodka martinis with lychees or fresh passion fruit. I also add a little Cointreau.

If I'm at a bar with a routine selection of gins I will pick Bombay Sapphire. Plymouth and Raj also work for me. I hate Hendricks and anything from Tanqueray.

[nate2953]

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[ronin]

Plymouth gin, very little Vermouth lining the glass then drained out, shaken and strained, one olive. Repeat as necessary.

At a gathering tomorrow's eve, it will be Tito's - otherwise the same. Not driving.

[Dog]

Tried a martinis at El Gaucho's in Seattle many years ago with my sister. We ate the olives and left the drinks. Too strong. We both prefer Cadillac Margaritas 😜


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[NW-Bound]

A key ingredient in James Bond's, or rather Ian Fleming's, Vesper Martini is the French aperitif Kina Lillet. This was reformulated in 1986, renamed to Lillet Blanc, and no longer has the same amount of kina or quinine that used to be in the original drink that was used in the 1953 recipe.

A search on the Web revealed that the closest to the original Kina Lillet is the Italian Cocchi Americano (pronounced Cokey). Both the Lillet and Cocchi are supposedly good drinks by themselves mixed with a bit of soda, well chilled and garnished with a lemon peel.

This will give me something to experiment with during the upcoming holiday festivities.

[calmloki]

Martini-Peabody for me. Great action.

[MichaelB]

I once sat next to a compulsive talker on a flight from Caracas to Bogota. He even went so far as to pull my earphones off my head so that we could talk.

He did all the talking that night, the only thing I recall is his description of the "perfect" martini.

Glacial ice, Smirnoff Vodka, dry vermouth, scotch whisky, swizzle stick, mixing shaker. Pour a little vermouth into the shaker. Swirl around to coat the inside, then pour out the rest. Fill the shaker with glacial ice, chipped. Add one measure of vodka. Dip the swizzle stick into the scotch, let the excess drip off, then use it so stir the vodka. Pour into a glass and enjoy. I've never tried this.

Key West is the perfect place to drink a martini.