Vodka history anyone? - Tiki Drinks and Food

T TorchGuy Member Renton, WA Joined: Apr 24, 2008 Posts: 242	T TorchGuy Posted posted on Sat, Sep 3, 2011 5:50 AM On 2011-08-15 20:20, Limbo Lizard wrote: “A martini should always be stirred,” he writes. “That’s the only way you can achieve that silky smooth texture and dry martini clearness . . . a shaken martini is a weaker drink.” And don’t get him started on vodka substituting for gin: “There simply is no such thing as a vodka martini. The martini is certainly more of a broad concept than a specific recipe, but the one constant must be gin and vermouth. Beyond correctness, vodka and vermouth is just a terrible match.” I think that's why there's the trend for martinis to be as dry as possible: because what's popular is VODKA martinis, and vermouth and vodka DON'T go together. As for shaking, let's assume we're working with what passes for a martini made with vodka: vodka and ice and nothing else. Shaken, you get ice chips and a frosty effect. Why are they still CALLED martinis when they're NOT martinis? Because martinis are trendy. Have been for a few decades. They are supposed to be the drink of class. Vodka martinis are called that for the same reason that thousands of bars made appletinis, or anything else-tinis: it's a nice cocktail, it tastes good, but stick it in a martini-style glass, tack on the suffix 'tini, and suddenly it isn't just a tasty drink, it's a tasty HIGH-CLASS drink! BECAUSE it's "a martini". A "vodka martini" is just a method to quickly get vodka cold. Put it in a glass with ice, and by the time it gets cold, it's diluted. Me, I like vodka neat and ice cold, so if a really basic bar doesn't have vodka in the freezer or fridge, I can ask for that and get a basic drink they can't screw up. But, correct, it is still not a martini. A martini consists of gin, vermouth, and a garnish of some sort; WHAT garnish is up to you, and can and will influence the flavor. Olives of various kinds, citrus twist, cocktail onion (though technically, that's a Gibson - several probably false stories claim someone named Gibson, who was not a hard drinker, would pay servers to fill his glasses with water, and the onion made them identifiable among all the real martinis).

On 2011-08-15 20:20, Limbo Lizard wrote:
“A martini should always be stirred,” he writes. “That’s the only way you can achieve that silky smooth texture and dry martini clearness . . . a shaken martini is a weaker drink.” And don’t get him started on vodka substituting for gin: “There simply is no such thing as a vodka martini. The martini is certainly more of a broad concept than a specific recipe, but the one constant must be gin and vermouth. Beyond correctness, vodka and vermouth is just a terrible match.”

I think that's why there's the trend for martinis to be as dry as possible: because what's popular is VODKA martinis, and vermouth and vodka DON'T go together. As for shaking, let's assume we're working with what passes for a martini made with vodka: vodka and ice and nothing else. Shaken, you get ice chips and a frosty effect.

Why are they still CALLED martinis when they're NOT martinis? Because martinis are trendy. Have been for a few decades. They are supposed to be the drink of class. Vodka martinis are called that for the same reason that thousands of bars made appletinis, or anything else-tinis: it's a nice cocktail, it tastes good, but stick it in a martini-style glass, tack on the suffix 'tini, and suddenly it isn't just a tasty drink, it's a tasty HIGH-CLASS drink! BECAUSE it's "a martini".

A "vodka martini" is just a method to quickly get vodka cold. Put it in a glass with ice, and by the time it gets cold, it's diluted. Me, I like vodka neat and ice cold, so if a really basic bar doesn't have vodka in the freezer or fridge, I can ask for that and get a basic drink they can't screw up. But, correct, it is still not a martini. A martini consists of gin, vermouth, and a garnish of some sort; WHAT garnish is up to you, and can and will influence the flavor. Olives of various kinds, citrus twist, cocktail onion (though technically, that's a Gibson - several probably false stories claim someone named Gibson, who was not a hard drinker, would pay servers to fill his glasses with water, and the onion made them identifiable among all the real martinis).

Post #605329 by TorchGuy on Sat, Sep 3, 2011 5:50 AM