As I sat down for lunch today at a Japanese restaurant in West LA, I gazed upon the cocktail list and was invited to indulge upon one of the various "apple and pomegranate sake martinis." My neighboring table ordered one and what arrived had a neon green hue that made me think of something you'd get if you added sake to a juice box of ecto cooler mixed with a packet of fun dip. Does anyone here actually remember what a martini is made from?
Gin. A martini is made with gin. Do I need to repeat this? For some reason, this is a fact that escapes most people. While there are many drinks that have arisen claiming to be martinis, they are all imposters. These wolves in sheep's clothing hide themselves under the guise of an up glass (what most people call a martini glass), in order to be associated with the classic gin cocktail of the same name. One must not confuse these Benedict Arnolds with the real deal. Granted, some of these up cocktails are rather tasty, and certainly even I am prone to enjoying a dirty vodka "martini" from time to time, but at the end of the day we must not lose sight of reality. A martini is made with gin.
For those of you who have never actually had a real martini (and I'm sure that there are many of you out there), go to your nearest liquor store, get yourself a quality gin and some dry vermouth, and get shaking. I've included a recipe below in order to help you out.
Take your time. Chill your glass in the freezer prior to service. Use a jigger to precisely measure your ingredients. Shake or stir with care (some argue that shaking bruises the gin, I argue it's personal preference and prefer mine shaken). Set up your garnish in the glass (either an olive or a lemon twist will do), pour yourself a cocktail, adopt a pseudo British accent and kick back and relax while enjoying the glory that is a classic martini. (*note: you can, and probably will, enjoy your martini without the British accent, I just feel that it heightens the experience).
The Martini
2 1/2 Oz Gin
1/2 Oz Dry Vermouth
Olive or Lemon Twist for Garnish
Combine gin and vermouth in a shaker with ice
Shake or stir well
Strain into glass with garnish
Enjoy!
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Note: I am still a firm believer that you should drink whatever you enjoy. Once you have tried the classic martini, if you find you don't enjoy it, don't drink it. Feel free to enjoy the fruitinis that have become so popular, but for the love of god, please don't call it a martini.
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1 comment:
Amen. I find very few people who drink actual martinis, and usually this is due to an extreme aversion to gin. I'm tired of places that host an enormous list of candy martinis yet are unable to produce one regular gin martini. And I agree, shaken all the way.
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