martini time

I finally made a martini for myself that I actually enjoyed. My very dry recipe: 1 jigger sapphire gin, 2 drops angostura bitters and 1/8 shot extra dry vermouth, put in shaker w/ ice and shake.
Garnish with 2 Manzenetta olives.
Any other martini recipes out there people tried and liked?

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.

Boodles and Bombay are both good gins.
I liked a fruity twist of Absolut Mandarin (oddly, tastier than Domaine Charbay orange, which uses real fruit) with a touch of Cointreu (or triple sec).
Also, for extra special treatment, you can infuse your own gins or vodkas. A lime or lemon-infused gin is a nice base. (Cut up a bunch of fruit, throw it in a pitcher, pour alcohol over it, let it sit for 2 weeks, strain fruit out with cheesecloth). Making a cantaloupe and watermelon infused vodka, icing it down and putting in a martini glass is nirvana. First discovered that blend in Quark's bar in LV Hilton (yes, I'm a trekkie; it's been established). sadly, they don't have infused alcohols anymore...
pineapple infused rum is good too!

Jen Infusion

I have a martini recipe on my site I like a lot. here

Mocha Martini

2 1/2 ounces of Vodka
1/2 ounce of Coffee Liqueur
1 ounce of Creme de Cacao
Mix all ingredients in ice filled shaker and strain into Martini glass. It's easiest to triple this recipe. 5 jiggers Vodka, 1 jigger Coffee Liqueur, 2 jiggers Creme de Cacao.

As is the case with most drink recipes, it is easier to double or triple them. If it calls for 1/2 ounce of anything, triple it and then you can use your jigger for it, and then that 1 ounce of whatever is just 2 of the big side, etc.

On 2003-05-09 16:00, dangergirl299 wrote:
Boodles and Bombay are both good gins.

Hendricks is another good gin. Has anyone in tha Bay Area tried Sarticious gin that's made in Alameda? I haven't found it at a bar yet.

On 2003-05-10 11:53, Swanky wrote:
I have a martini recipe on my site I like a lot. here

Mocha Martini

2 1/2 ounces of Vodka
1/2 ounce of Coffee Liqueur
1 ounce of Creme de Cacao
Mix all ingredients in ice filled shaker and strain into Martini glass. It's easiest to triple this recipe. 5 jiggers Vodka, 1 jigger Coffee Liqueur, 2 jiggers Creme de Cacao.

With all due respect that's not a martini. A martini is gin and vermouth. A vodka martini is vodka and vermouth. Additions like orange bitters, olives, or lemon twists don't change the fact that it's a martini. But by your definition everything in a cocktail glass is a martini.

I'm not trying to pick a fight but I have a pet peeve about calling all cocktails martinis.

No offense taken Jab. I am one of those people that gets angry when I order a Martini and they say "Gin or Vodka?" I said Martini!

But, that recipe is called what it is. I didn't name it. I do think the glass names a lot of drinks. If it's served 'up' in a Martini glass, it gets called one.

The Swank Pad Broadcast - If it's Swank...

[ Edited by: Swanky on 2003-05-11 09:40 ]

Mocha Martini

2 1/2 ounces of Vodka
1/2 ounce of Coffee Liqueur
1 ounce of Creme de Cacao

Some odd synchronicity here. Yesterday I made for the first time a drink called a 'Alexander the Great,' which has pretty much the same ingredients

• 2 shots Ketel One vodka
• 1 shot Kahlua coffee liquor
• 1 shot Bolswhite creme de cacao
• 1 shot Single cream

This recipe is from Sauceguide's Cocktails guide, I've started at page one and am working my way through many of the recipes - well, at least those I have the ingredients for.

Sauceguide's is great -- color pictures of every drink, and it is in a magazine format - over 1100 recipes. One of the bartenders at Emryville's Trader Vic's recommended it to me on a visit I made there last year.

'Martini' used to refer to a specific drink, which was served in what was called a 'cocktail' glass. Lately, more and more people are referring to the 'cocktail' glass as a 'martini' glass, and thus also calling anything served in the glass a martini.

Vern

I was going to say that I like dirty Vodka Martinis, but after reading... well... I think I'll just say that Dirty Tony's makes a damn fine olive juice if it's olives you like in your dirty V*dk@ martinis! :wink:

In my heart I believe that a Martini is made with gin. But my head knows that English is a steam roller of a language and it'll squash the meaning out of many words before the sun sets on today. Good for it. Personally I loathe the suffix "tini", yet I'll use it for a jokey drink name and because it easilly explains that drink to a guest: If it ends in "tini" they know it's a cold, strained drink served in a Martini glass.

Yes, I hate having to say "gin Martini" when ordering at a bar. But I smile and say it anyway and wonder if all Martinis come with ice chips in them...

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7685&forum=6&16

After much Martini recipe testing (fondly remembered) I found I like a Martini with a little more vermouth that everyone else in the world seems to want.* So far the gin of my dreams has been Greenalls. Unfortunately the Washington State booze stores stopped carrying it a year or so ago. (And they had a clearance sale that I missed!) Now I have to wait until I journey out of state in hopes of finding it.

*I saw an ad in a 60's magazine for "Martini Stones", a small jar of olive pit sized ceramic "stones". One was supposed to fill the jar with vermouth and the porous ceramic of the "stones" would absorb the vermouth. Drop one in your Martini and it'd supposedly release just the right amount of vermouth for the perfect dry Martini.

"There are even stranger versions of the Martini. Dashiell Hammett, who goes in for mystery anyway, has his mixed with vodka..."

The Bartenders Book (1951)

What I find interesting is how the Martini keeps getting drier and drier. My Sister-in-Law puts her vermouth in an atomizers and mists the glass. Personally, I would rather do shots at that point. Some of the early versions being 2:1 Gin to Vermouth, with the "Sweet Martini" being 1:1:1 Gin, French and Italian vermouth. the latter is an interesting drink but one I think works better with (dare I say it?) Vodka.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Put away your bottles, my babies. Leave the Martini to your wives and sweethearts and take up the drink that's the real test of survival, THE FRENCH 75:

2 oz. dry gin
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
juice of half lemon
champagne

Shake well with ice. Strain into tall glass which ice cubes have been placed. Top with champagne. Have Dr. Z's hangover remedy close at hand.

On 2003-05-10 20:32, thejab wrote:
[
Hendricks is another good gin.

Indeed! Quite unusual & a nice bottle too.
I also have a lot of time for Tanqueray and Plymouth gins. Plymouth is available in a special Navy strength (57% alcohol) too, if you are lucky enough to find it.

Trader Woody

[ Edited by: Trader Woody on 2004-02-17 08:44 ]

I think it's great that more and more gins are coming out lately. The high-end vodka trend is starting to move into gins. I only hope that we aren't inundated with flavorless gins that are targeted towards vodka drinkers.

:)

J$, I keep clicking on the martini & I'm not getting $50, what should I do next?

On 2004-02-17 15:11, freddiefreelance wrote:
J$, I keep clicking on the martini & I'm not getting $50, what should I do next?

heh heh i dunno, i just saw it on my hotmail it seemed APPROPRIATE to this discussion. tell you what, if and when we meet i'll buy you a drink ~ later, j$

no martinis for YOU!!!

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-05-04 10:36 ]

Tanqueray 10 has mover into my top gin spot.

I cheat, and use two olives that I take out of the jar and just plop into the glass so there's a little olive jar juice in the drink.

I wave an old vermouth bottle cap over the glass and gently whisper the word "vermouth" to get my vermouth amount just right.

A resturaunt here in vegas called Aureole makes good 'tinis but I don't know their vermouth ratio.

I did a search before posting about the perfect martini and this is one of two threads that came up. Like tiki, martinis are very near and dear to my heart so I wanted to discuss them with other aficionados and share my experience. I've been drinking them for 31 years- since I was 16 (I think Jab would be proud). The drinking age was 18 back then, so it wasn't that hard to get. A group of us would gather in the woods on weekend nights to party. While everyone else was chugging beers or Boone's Farm apple wine, I was sipping 'tinis. I would bring gin (cheap stuff back then, but well to my liking), vermouth (probably added too much), and even a jar of olives (I no longer like olives in my martini). We had a plastic shaker at home that my mom used to mix gravys in that actually came witha powdered shake making product called "Great Shakes" that they had stopped selling years before this time, and this is what I would use to make the martinis in. I can barely remember my name these days, but I can still picture that shaker in my mind (kind of scary).

I am in agreement with those that state a gin martini is the real thing, but I think that vodka martinis have gained enough acceptance that they can share the moniker (after all, that's what 007 drank). As far as all those chocolate and fruit flavored posers- the martini title is a joke, but it's not worth getting my panties all in a bunch over- if you like 'em, drink 'em; what's in a name? By the way, I also love Martikis made with white Rhum Barbancourt- it's always tough for me to decide which one to make.

My idea of a perfect martini (for me) made with Bombay Sapphire (although I sometimes try other premium brands for a change of pace- Kendricks, a Scottish gin made with cucumber and rose petals is an interesting change of pace). I like to use a chilled glass, but if I don't have one, I'll fill a glass with ice and sparkling water (the bubbles help to cool it faster). I put ice (never crushed ice) into the shaker drip a little vermouth (Noilly Pratt preferred) into the shaker, swirl it around and dump it out. Place new ice into the shaker, add the gin and shake lightly. I like to have a few really small slivers of ice in my drink. As I said before I used to garnish with olives, but I now think the taste of olive clashes with the botanicals of Sapphire (I love the taste of olives from a martini, but not the taste of the martini with the olives. Go figure).

One of the things that I find most annoying is the fact that most bartenders do not properly know how to make a lemon twist for a martini. They usually cut into the skin down to the fruit and peel of the skin with a thick layer of the white part, which is too bitter. The correct way (IMHO) is to peel it lightly with a knife like peeling a potato and get a very thin peel with very little white part (almost impossible to get none of it). For a change of pace, or if I am out of lemons (rare), I will use orange bitters instead (I keep a good supply on hand for making Martikis).

I had read somewhere that originally, martinis were made with Plymouth gin and orange bitters, and this is what Churchill drank. I make these on occasion for a change of pace. Churchill reportedly liked his martinis very dry and would not add vermouth, but would bow towards France before drinking.

Any more martini talk?

I can't add much but I second the complaint about the chocolate and fruit "martini" drinks. I see it as a way for those who dislike gin and vermouth to drink from "cool" looking martini glasses (since everything retro is now cool).

I used to prefer Tanqueray but am swinging toward Bombay Sapphire, although, Kendricks certainly tempts me. I definitely prefer Sapphire and tonic to Tanqueray and tonic but it is taking me longer with martinis.

What I am most unfamiliar with are dry vermouths. I'm not even sure what the bartenders put in my martinis. I think I have in my personal bar the standard vermouth that I see at every bar in Minnesota. What are your thoughts on vermouths? Does the vermouth make much of a difference?

Ray - Great story about your mar-teen-i drinkin' days! I am indeed proud! I bet the girls were impressed when you whipped out your shaker.

I think the vermouth does make a difference especially if you like your martinis less dry (with some vermouth). I prefer French dry vermouth, my favorite is Noilly Prat. I keep it in the fridge because vermouth (due to it's low alcohol content) will deteriorate over time if left at room temperature. Buy the smaller bottle if you don't go through it fast enough (within in a year or 2).

Lately I have been pouring Broker's London Dry Gin in my martinis and other cocktails. I would say it's now in my top 5 martini gins with Bombay regular, Plymouth, Junipero, and Tanqueray 10. But I will need to reevaluate Beefeater. The Beverage Tasting Institute awarded it 94 points and a "Best Buy" rating earlier this year.

http://www.tastings.com

ahh the martini time (usually starts at 5:00)
I'll take either'
Beefeater with Lillet & twist of lemon, stirred
or Stoli with Lillet,2 olives,shaken,served and drink!!!
AHHHHH!!!!!! gotta go!

Nice recipe ArtFINK! As you proably know 007 liked Lillet in his martini as well.

This brings up a commonly held misconception that James Bond drank vodka martinis. From Ian Fleming's first 007 book Casino Royale"

"A dry martini," he 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?"

Sure it had some vodka in it (as is fitting for a cosmopolitan guy like Bond - a lot of London, a little USSR, and a bit of France) but it's mostly gin so it can't be called a vodka martini.

One more thing: I don't like the bitterness of thick lemon peels either so I just twist them over the drink and discard them. It is the lemon oil you want, and you can see them hit the drink if you look closely while twisting the peel. Also I rinse my olives so the salt doesn't affect the taste of the gin as much. If you want your olive to stay cold while rinsing just put some water with the ice in the shaker after straining, stir for a bit, and strain the ice-cold water into a glass or bowl for rinsing your olives.

an easy way to get that thin twist of lemon peel
is to use a vegitable peeler. it will only take
off the top of the peel just what your looking
for.

A martini. My favorite cocktail. Beefeater, Bombay (regular) or Boodles will do nicely. The brand of vermouth is not terribly important to me as I don't use a lot—maybe a third of the bottle cap. I rinse my olives (2) 'cause I like a clean tasting drink. And, I don't like those big, hard olives. In fact, I rarely eat them anymore but a martini isn't a martini without some color in the glass. It's a proper thing to do. I'll buy ice or use filtered water to make the ice cubes. I prefer a classic shaped glass with the thinest lip I can find. Shaken please, as it "bruises" the gin to make it a bit more aromatic. Dark liquors should be stirred (as in a Manhatten) I'm told and I quess it makes sense, certainly looks better in the glass. Speaking of glasses, I'll buy'em anytime I see suitable ones at yard sales because the attrition rate on Martini glasses is high. I've learned not to spend too much on one. Or worse yet, begin to really like a particular glass. Ya just get your heart broken along with the glass. Someone earlier mentioned that they make them by the pitcher as they were meant to be shared, preferably with a lady. I couldn't agree more.

Winter will be along soon. I see Manhattens in my future.

foamy: The best reason for stirring whiskey cocktails is that shaking makes them, well, foamy. The bubbles never go away and they ruin the smoothness of a manhattan.

You're the first person I've ever heard that shakes their martini because they want their gin "bruised"! :D Before I heard that bruising the gin is bad, which I never thought made much sense. But bringing out the aromatics through shaking sounds logical. In any case, whatever works for you!

Jab (and anyone interested), here is a really cool website that analyses the drinking habits of James Bond in book and film: http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/007/intro.htm
I have not tried Broker's, but will have to do so. Believe it or not I have never tried Tanqueray 10- I will do so tonight! Other brands that are pretty good are Van Gogh and Citadelle, but not worth the premium price IMHO.

Scott, with the amount of vermouth I use, I don't notice a big difference between brands, but there is a subtle difference. I have done side by side comparisons! My go-to is Noilly Prat, but Martini and Rossi is pretty good, too. I am not a fan of Cinzano, but it's not terrible. IMO the most distinct and flavorful is Boissiere, and I sometimes us it to change things up a bit.

Great site recommendation, Urban Tiki. Makes me realize how long it has been since I actually read an Ian Fleming book.

This whole thread is fascinating. Makes me wish I had time tonight to pop over to my favorite bar for martinis.

gotta do a plug....

check out my martini lamp at http://www.dskdesigns.com

sorry-couldn't resist. thanks!!

Okay, to take this discussion to the next level, let's discuss the best hors' deurves to have with a martini. I prefer oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail (with a horseradish loaded cocktail sauce), stone crab claws, or just about anything else from the raw bar.

Thoughts?

I think the best things that go with an ice-cold martini are hors' deurves that are salty and crunchy and conversation that is sparkling.

Seafood, I think, goes best with a crisp beer. I think I could live on lobster and fresh french bread and ice-cold beer for the rest of my life.

And oh, enjoyed myself very much on that James Bond drinking website. Here's my favorite part:

During his first morning in Jamaica, Bond asks Quarrel if he’s had breakfast. The Cayman Islander replies he’s had “Salt fish an’ ackee an’ a tot of rum.” When 007 remarks that’s “tough stuff to start the day on,” Quarrel replies, “Mos’ refreshin’.”

And oh, I think the wonderful book Atomic Cocktails has the best martini recipe. Make it with gin, of course, but here's how one handles the vermouth: fill a saucer with vermouth, then pierce two olives with a toothpick and gently roll the olives in the vermouth-filled saucer. Then place in drink.

Some of my favorite exotic martini recipes...

Pondering God Martini
4 ounces Genievre Gin
1 ounce French Chablis
Pour into iced Mixer
Rinse Glass in Kirsch
Add Olive stuffed with Black Truffles

The Collaborator Martini
Dash of kirsch
2 ounces Genievre Gin
1 ounce of dry Rhine Wine
Olive stuffed with Sweetbreads or German Sausage

The Ovaltine Martini
Bombay Gin and Campari
whatever ratio you prefer
dash of Ovaltine

Oh Baby Martini
3 ounces Belgium Gin
1 drop Cherry Brandy
1 drop Framboise
Shake in Shaker

The martini Verboten
2 ounces Genievre Gin
1 ounce of Apple Cider Vinegar
Stir and serve as cold as possible with Olive

Rum Numb I wouldn't know where to begin shopping...All I have is Apple Cider Vinegar and Gin.

i'm finding it harder and harder to order a martini at a restaurant or bar, as i hate to pay $10 for something that i make better myself for a lot less money :)

I know what you mean JD, I live in the San Fernando Valley, not even Los Angeles and Absolut Martinis are $10.50 each.

Last time I was in New York the 'tinis cost $20. And the only good thing about that was that I was in New York.

Yeah, them price for martinis has gotten ridiculous here in Manhattan, but some of the bars are very cool. The cool thing about living here, though is you have the time to search out the bargain places. There is a very cool place in the village called The Fat Black Pussycat that serves a decent $6 top shelf martini until 8 pm.

lil story for ya.

the year was about 1984, i was about 13. i loved all the cocktail stuff in my parents' basement, which by that point was never used. i was particularly fascinated by the "mixing guide" slide rule, and had a random concept of what a jigger was.

one afternoon i decided i would use said discarded ephemera to concoct a drink ~ and for some reason, a clouded part of my brain told me that a "martini" was the apprpriate drink to make. i was pretty good about following the majority of the directions included on the mixing guide...

i found some gibley's gin and some martini & rossi in the liquor cabinet, and an old fashioned glass that had probably not been used for 15 years. i was fairly precise in measuring out the ingredients, excepting the olive, lemon, and orange bitters. of course, the instruction i ignored was "USE FINE ICE IN ALL DRINKS" :)

needless to say, when i tasted said concoction i was appropriately nauseated. i did not try to mix a martini again until 1996, after being inspired by the movie swingers and realizing that ice was an integral ingredient. and good gin. and good vermouth :)

Talk about good gin, I just made a few Royal Hawaiians from Beachbum Berry's grog Log. I made them with Tanqueray Ten, it came out so good.

I love a good martini. It is one of my favorite things. I am a bit of a martini purist, though. Just because a drink is served up in a martini cocktail glass that does not make it a martini. A martini is gin (or vodka), vermouth and anolive or a twist. An onion makes it a gibson, not a martini. While I am not at all adverse to vodka martinis (Skye Vodka does make a wonderful vodka martini) I do prefer mine with gin. Plymouth, Sapphire or Hendrick's preferred. Recently I have really been getting into Hendricks. it make for a really spectacular martini. Add a little Noilly Pratt and shake it up nice so that it comes out nice a frosty. That's a martini!

Speaking of gin, I tried making the Saturn in the Taboo Table book. I didn't blend it, I just shook it with crushed ice. I really like the result. A new gin cocktail added to my preferred list.

On 2005-10-20 16:12, PiPhiRho wrote:
I love a good martini. It is one of my favorite things. I am a bit of a martini purist, though. Just because a drink is served up in a martini cocktail glass that does not make it a martini. A martini is gin (or vodka), vermouth and anolive or a twist. An onion makes it a gibson, not a martini. While I am not at all adverse to vodka martinis (Skye Vodka does make a wonderful vodka martini) I do prefer mine with gin. Plymouth, Sapphire or Hendrick's preferred. Recently I have really been getting into Hendricks. it make for a really spectacular martini. Add a little Noilly Pratt and shake it up nice so that it comes out nice a frosty. That's a martini!

Spoken like a true connoisseur! I'm with you all the way.

"The proper union of gin and vermouth is a great and sudden glory; it is one of the happiest marriages on earth, and one of the shortest lived." -Bernard De Voto

The improper union of gin and vermouth can get you craaaaazy!

Ok so, here is my Pineapple martini recipe

1.5 oz. vodka
1.5 oz. DeKuyper Tropical Pineapple Schnapps
.5 oz. unsweetnd pineapple juice

combine in shaker with cracked ice and shake, pour into very chilled martiki class with pineable chuck garnish. You can use colored sugar to rim the glass if you like (red looks best).

Potato & anchovy popovers:

in a medium size bowl combine-
-1 cup mashed potatoes (instant works fine)
-1/2 onion, minced
-1 can anchovies
-white pepper to taste

Mix together and spoon into 2" pie crust rounds (use a cookie cutter and a couple of flat, frozen pie crusts), fold over and seal each round before putting into a preheated (450º) oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

These are delicious and salty- perfect with a martini.

On 2005-10-20 16:12, PiPhiRho wrote:
Speaking of gin, I tried making the Saturn in the Taboo Table book. I didn't blend it, I just shook it with crushed ice. I really like the result. A new gin cocktail added to my preferred list.

Two great gin drinks are the Saturn from Taboo Table, page 87, and the Coconut Willie from Intoxica, page 29. Both are blender drinks with lots of ice, which is great for the summer as the ice takes on a snowy texture.

I use Rear Admiral Joseph's Original London Dry Gin from Trader Joe's, which is only $8 and works great.

The Saturn is the only lemon juice drink I've had so far that isn't tart. The lemon juice and gin complement each other very nicely, and you don't really taste the gin. I use John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, which is also in the drink, and it has worked great in all the drinks I've made so far.

The Coconut Willie tastes of gin and coconut. This drink contains both Coconut Snow and Cream of Coconut. The Coconut Snow really adds another dimension to the drink.

Both drinks are clean and great for hot weather.

On 2006-05-30 16:08, TikiSan wrote:
The Saturn is the only lemon juice drink I've had so far that isn't tart. The lemon juice and gin complement each other very nicely, and you don't really taste the gin. I use John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum, which is also in the drink, and it has worked great in all the drinks I've made so far.

The Coconut Willie tastes of gin and coconut. This drink contains both Coconut Snow and Cream of Coconut. The Coconut Snow really adds another dimension to the drink.

Both drinks are clean and great for hot weather.

Also, you should try the Royal Hawaiian, which is perfect for hot weather and not too tart. It's in either the Grog Log or Intoxica, and it's on the menu at Forbidden Island tiki lounge in Alameda. I made them at a BBQ I went to recently and they were a hit! Sometimes I like to bring all the ingredients for one tasty but simple cocktail to a dinner party instead of a bottle of wine. Just make sure beforehand that your hosts have the right barware and glassware, and bring plenty of ice and more ingredients then you think you'll need. It sucks to run out when the guests ask for "one more please!" This almost happened to me but luckily my hosts have a lemon tree in their backyard, whew!

Royal Hawaiian
1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz pineapple juice
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon orgeat syrup
shake w/ice and strain into cocktail glass