Post #32970 by thejab on Mon, May 5, 2003 1:39 PM

I like my martinis with original Bombay gin, a dash to 1/4 oz. of Noilly Prat vermouth (I like mine somewhere between a 1 to 5 and a 1 to 7 ratio of vermouth to gin), a lemon twisted over the drink but not dropped in, and an olive. Sometimes I add a few drops of orange bitters. I stir gently for a long time with cracked ice so it gets nice and cold with some dilution. I do not freeze my gin because I find it does not cause the ice to melt enough. I prefer making a pitcherful at a time so I can share it with a special someone while listening to a George Shearing LP.

I don't like vodka martinis because they have no flavor. I dislike shaken martinis because I hate having little specks of ice floating in my cocktail. The only thing worse than a shaken martini is a shaken Manhattan full of foam that won't go away.