The Martini

While the Martini is not a "Tiki" or Rum drink, I wasn't sure where else to post this and I couldn't find a Martini thread, but since it is a great cocktail, here goes, sorry for the long intro post........

HISTORY OF THE MARTINI
The true origin of the martini is draped in mystery! There are differing arguments as to who was the first to create the Martini. Many who claim or have been purported to have created the first Martini have varying recipes and names; none of which exactly fit the Martini recipe that exists today. While opinions differ, the modern day Dry Martini consists of Gin and a varying amount of dry white Vermouth (season to taste). An olive, a twist, or a cocktail onion are all acceptable as a garnish.

The most detailed historical claim begins with a cocktail named the Martinez which was created around 1862. This particular drink of the time called for 4 parts red, sweet Vermouth to 1 part Gin, garnished with a cherry. The first version included aromatic bitters and Old Tom Gin, which was very sweet and incorporated a strong Juniper flavor. The transformation into what is considered a modern Martini happened gradually. First the Old Tom Gin was replaced with London Dry. Orange Bitters took the place of the aromatic bitters. Aficionados began to replace the red Vermouth with a white, dry Vermouth. The proportions of the drink eventually became equal parts and soon the Dry Martini appeared, olive included.

If you don't buy that story, perhaps some of these will win your favor.

In 1870 at Julio Richelieu's saloon in Martinez, California a small drink was mixed for visiting miner. Julio placed an olive in the glass before handing it to the man, then named it after his town. Martinez, California continues to hold claim as the birth place of the Martini.

Jerry Thomas of San Francisco printed a bartending book in 1887 with a Martinez recipe. It called for one dash of Bitters, two dashes of Maraschino, one wine glass of Vermouth, two jigs of ice and a pony of Old Tom Gin, served with a slice of lemon.

There is a story that claims the drink's name came from the Martini and Henry rifle used by the British army in 1871. The hook was that both the rifle and the drink "shared a strong kick."

In 1896, Thomas Stewart published Stewart's Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them. The book contained a recipe for a drink called the "Marquerite" which called for "1 dash orange bitters, 2/3 Plymouth Gin, and 1/3 French Vermouth."

1888, was the magical year that the word Martini was first mentioned. Martini appeared in the "New and Improved Illustrated Bartending Manual."

Finally, in 1911 at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York the head bartender, a gentleman by the name of Martini di Arma di Taggia, mixed half and half London Gin, Noilly Prat Vermouth and orange bitters. He chilled the drink on ice and strained it into a well chilled glass. Many visitors to the Knickerbocker asked for variations of the drink and added the olive.

Regardless of the true origin, the quest for the perfect Martini will no doubt continue. Martini bars continue to hit the scene -- and variations of the Martini abound. In the new millennium, it may seem that anything presented in a Martini glass is considered to be a Martini. While that may or may not be true, we advise that you enjoy the moment! If it tastes good, it'll taste even better in a martini glass!

SHAKEN NOT STIRRED
"Shaken, not stirred" is a famous catch phrase of Ian Fleming's fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond and his preference for how he wished his martini prepared. The phrase first appears in the novel Diamonds Are Forever (1956), though Bond does not actually say the line until Dr. No (1958). It was first uttered in the films by Sean Connery in Goldfinger in 1964 (though the villain Dr. Julius No offers this drink and utters those words in the first film, Dr. No in 1962) and was used in numerous Bond films thereafter, with the notable exception of You Only Live Twice, in which the drink is offered stirred, not shaken.

This phrase has become a recognizable catchphrase in western popular culture, and has appeared in any number of films, television programs and video games for its cliché value. Roger Moore used the phrase in one episode of The Saint, eight years before he played James Bond himself. Ironically, while playing Bond, Moore never ordered one, although he received one in The Spy Who Loved Me.

The American Film Institute honored Goldfinger and the phrase on July 21, 2005 by ranking it #90 on a list of best movie quotes in the past 100 years of film.

Scientists, specifically biochemists, and martini connoisseurs have investigated the difference between a martini shaken and a martini stirred. According to a study at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario in Canada to determine if the preparation of a martini has an influence on their antioxidant capacity, the shaken gin martinis were able to break down hydrogen peroxide and leave only 0.072% of the peroxide behind, versus the stirred gin martini which left behind 0.157% of the peroxide. The study was done at the time because moderate consumption of alcohol appears to reduce the risk of cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, none of which afflict the fictional James Bond.

Andrew Lycett, an Ian Fleming biographer, believed that Fleming liked his martinis shaken, not stirred because Fleming thought that stirring a drink diminished its flavor. Lycett also noted that Fleming preferred gin and vermouth for his martini. It has also been said that Fleming was a fan of martinis shaken by Hans Schröder, a German bartender.

Some connoisseurs believe that shaking gin is a faux pas, supposedly because the shaking "bruises" the gin (a term referring to a slight bitter taste that can allegedly occur when gin or vodka is shaken). Others contend that Bond was only shaking because of the vodka it contained. Prior to the 1960s, vodka was, for the most part, refined from potatoes (usually cheaper brands). This element made the vodka oily. To disperse the oil, Bond ordered his martinis shaken; thus, in the same scene where he orders the martini, he tells the barman about how vodka made from grain rather than potatoes makes his drink even better. This does not explain why Bond in the films still preferred his drink to be shaken rather than stirred, because beginning mostly in the 1960s vodka refined from potatoes was virtually replaced by vodka refined by grains such as corn and wheat or by other ingredients such as grapes and soybeans.

Other reasons for shaking tend to include making the drink colder or as Bond called it, ice-cold. Shaking allows the drink to couple with the ice longer thus making it far colder than if it were to be stirred. Shaking is also said to dissolve the vermouth better making it less oily tasting.

LINKS
Got Martini
Martini Art
Martini Recipes
YOU TUBE
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4SQT8epHOc]George

You're right.
It's not a tiki drink.

Roy's has a nice Hawaiian Martini made with rum, coconut rum, pineapple and grand marnier, I think.
It's not too bad but really not a Martini. There are no less than 11,684 things called "Martini" that aren't.
Soon, all drinks will be called "martini" and the word "drink" will be replaced with "martini." Even the verb.

[ Edited by: pablus 2008-07-04 15:09 ]

Martini has already replaced the correct word (cocktail) for the kind of barware it is served in...

This

is not a martini glass....

If you replace the olive in a standard martini with a cocktail onion, it becomes a Gibson...another drink that is not a martini.

So, why exactly is it that we're talking about martinis?

I've asked to have this moved...thought this would fit in the drink section, but maybe it will be a better fit in "Beyond Tiki"...don't want to offend the rum drinkers. :)

On 2008-07-06 15:12, GatorRob wrote:
So, why exactly is it that we're talking about martinis?

I don't know, but try one made with 2 oz Hendrick's, 1/2 oz Noilly Prat, shake it with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish it with a slice of cucumber and an umbrella for genuine tiki-ness

[ Edited by: Chinarose 2008-07-06 16:55 ]

Well, it seems like today, whatever the hell someone puts in a martini glass, you can call it a Martini.

On 2008-07-04 13:55, VampiressRN wrote:
If it tastes good, it'll taste even better in a martini glass!

:lol: That's great Chinarose!!!

One of my favorite martinis is pear.

Vodka 3/2 Ounce
Triple Sec 1/2 Ounce
Prickly Pear Syrup 1 Tbsp

On 2008-07-04 15:05, pablus wrote:

Soon, all drinks will be called "martini" and the word "drink" will be replaced with "martini." Even the verb.

I like my Martini served in a double Old Fashioned glass filled with Rum, Lime Juice, Orgeat, Triple sec, and sugar syrup.
Shaken, as it isn't that good when stirred.

In all seriousness, I like martinis, they are just hard to get right, I,ve had them made by the best barmen i know and they still aren't great, then every now and then you get that perfect one. Strong and refreshing.
I think Martinis are more of a way of life than a drink, it's the only mixed drink that can be described as 'one step from alcoholism'

On 2008-07-07 02:22, VampiressRN wrote:
:lol: That's great Chinarose!!!

One of my favorite martinis is pear.

Vodka 3/2 Ounce
Triple Sec 1/2 Ounce
Prickly Pear Syrup 1 Tbsp

so, that's not a martini :wink:
Where's the gin and the vermouth ?

"So, that's not a martini...Where's the gin and the vermouth ?" -virani-

I sort of agree, but as I wrote in the thread Martini Time:

*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 easily 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...*

The Martini Time thread has some good discussion and suggestions.

The "Tiki Drinks" forum is really the best place for discussing various boozes and what to do with them. Yes, the Martini isn't a Tiki drink, but I've come to accept many things that gnaw at my desire for order or my feelings of what's right or wrong, such as craft projects posted in the "General Tiki" forum or the existence of the Appletini.

On 2008-07-07 11:17, woofmutt wrote:

as I wrote in the thread Martini Time:

There's the Martini thread...

Well, need less to say....my search efforts didn't land me there...which is odd. I agree that the martini is crazy in more ways than one...I prefer Gin....yet my favorite martini is made with Vodka...go figure.

I will ask the mods to delete this thread and head on over to the other one by the Mutt...thanks for the redirect. :)

No need to delete now that they've been connected. :)

...cripes, what an unfortunate grammatical error....

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-07-07 23:10 ]

Considering the many dozens of threads posted in the "wrong" place and threads which maybe should never have existed at all there's really no need to delete this one.

I prefer to see subjects discussed in as few threads as possible because it makes Tiki Central more user friendly and as such a better data base for Tiki and its peripheral subjects.

A link in a new thread to an existing thread on the same topic is the easiest way to help corral the information.

It shouldn't be taken as a slam unless it's preceded by something oh-so-helpful such as "OH MY GAAAAAWD!!!! WE ALREADY DISCUSSED THAT HERE DUMBASS!!!" When that happens it's best to remember that some people are just more special than other people and we must treat them in a special way.

I AM special!!!!!! My mother tells me so. But, she's a six Martini a nite girl....

On 2008-07-04 13:55, VampiressRN wrote:

1888, was the magical year that the word Martini was first mentioned. Martini appeared in the "New and Improved Illustrated Bartending Manual."

The Medical World (1883)
"...Nor ice cream, nor dish-water, nor dry Martini cocktail !

30 June 1887, BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, pg. 2: "aye, even sample the bewildering depths of the "Martini cocktail,"

On 2008-07-07 18:15, woofmutt wrote:
Considering the many dozens of threads posted in the "wrong" place and threads which maybe should never have existed at all there's really no need to delete this one.

Cool, I needed a place to put this. :D

By the way, what was the name (Yes, I searched) of that movie documentary again, about the history of the martini that was showed in Oakland (I think)? A great movie.

On 2008-07-09 23:26, Unga Bunga wrote:

On 2008-07-07 18:15, woofmutt wrote:
Considering the many dozens of threads posted in the "wrong" place and threads which maybe should never have existed at all there's really no need to delete this one.

Cool, I needed a place to put this. :D

By the way, what was the name (Yes, I searched) of that movie documentary again, about the history of the martini that was showed in Oakland (I think)? A great movie.

You must be referring to "Olive or Twist". ??
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=11213&forum=17

.

In short....

On 2008-07-09 23:26, Unga Bunga wrote:

Cool, I needed a place to put this. :D

You've never looked better, Unga...