There is no "one size fits all" for the gin/vermouth ratio. I've found 3:1 works 50% of the time for me. Also not every gin martini demands orange bitters. It depends on the brand of vermouth and gin used to make your martini. I appreciate the details he shares on making a martini.
I wish I could taste that Martini Cocktail.. I'm from Panama, living in Italy from 7 years and I just can't believe how difficult it's to find here a bartender that can make you a nice classic martini cocktail... I'll try this recipe by myself!! ;)
I agree, the Martini really is one of those cocktails where it really is up to you as a customer to determine your ratios. It’s like a steak where a waiter will ask you how you like it cooked. Medium? Blue? Well done? Any particular sauce? And so it goes with the Martini ratios and garnishes. For me, personally, I like a “wet” Martini, so 50/50 proportions of Vermouth and Gin. I also like it dirty with olive brine as well as olives (I like interesting olives, so something stuffed either with a pepper, garlic, anchovies, blue cheese, etc) or even a combo of olives and cocktail onions (I don’t believe in the myth that is even numbers are unlucky, so two olives and two onions on a stick is lovely to me😉). After that, just make sure it’s colder than the arctic and you’re golden!!!
While I don't care for my martinis in that style, I really like all of his principles. I personally prefer Embury's 7:1 ratio, with a dash of orange bitters, a splash of olive brine, and two big Spanish olives. But yeah, stir it, really bloody cold, with lots of ice. I like the Plymouth, too, or something a little more peppery for my gin.
They have some nice meanderings down recorded history pointing to it as well as the usual assortment of anecdotal - but the written references to bitters are there including the foster parents of Manhattan and Martinez. The heavier research goes toward 1900 Vermouth ("wet") but not wine (ala fortified wine/Vermouth). Ratios changed, yes, but the bitters were there too (eg. 1888 edition of Harry Johnson's "New and Improved Bartenders' Manual" lists bitters). So, that's my thought process.
Vodka can be chilled to very low temperatures, so it strictly isn't wrong to shake it. Apparently when the books were written, vodka was still new in the US, and was often made with potatoes, which made it very oily, hence it was often to disperse the oil.
Traditional, classic recipes for any cocktails include bitters - it's part of the definition. Earliest Martini recipes (mid 1800's) include aromatic or, more often, orange bitters in the traditional, classic recipe. *Savoy Cocktail Handbook *Jerry Thomas BG *Gary Reagan. Give it a try - it's subtle, yet complex and can really lift the gin just a notch without changing the soul of the drink. Just a dash, though. ;)
Finally, a properly-made martini on RU-vid. Other than that ugly glass. I don't insist on a triangular martini glass, but that one looks like one my mum uses to drink chateau cardboard wine.
what ive found is the drink called the martinez which was one dash of Bitters, two dashes of Maraschino, one glass of Vermouth, and a few other ingredients and topped it off with a dash of lemon. and apparently the martini came from that. and in 1888 bartenders manual, theres a drink which called for half vermouth and half gin. so from what i can find, the martini came from a drink which had bitters, but the martini itself never did.
1:15 in, I already like this video as you mentioned gin over vodka, you mentioned vermouth and Dolin vermouth at that and I see a bottle of Hendricks on the shelf. Hopefully it will continue to be good.
Agreed about the dry vermouth being the "dry" in dry martini, not a reference to amount. However, the printed dates I'm seeing with recipes for "Martini" by name keep me pointed this direction. If you have something documenting where "modern" came from as a date (we won't even talk about modern=vodka variant) I'm still, respectfully, reconciling this as original, by definition, with bitters, my good man. :) By the way - I'm really enjoying geeking out talking with you about this.
Best Classical Martini in ny opinion is made like this - Put a bar spoon amount of dry vermouth in to a mixing glass with ice, mix it a bit, then spill the vermouth out, so there is only remesence of it on the ice left. Then of course put in Gin(2oz/60ml) and mix it until it is really chilled(You can tell by the way that it pours out of the mixing glass if it is chilled enough, if it is you will see a nice straight line without any disruptions and splashes). Of course pour it into a frozen or a chilled coupe and garnish it with a lemon twist (also don't forget to splash out the oils from the twist on to the coupe and then rub the twist by the rim of the glass). Good mixing everybody and rock on. :)
Thanks for sharing!! The options are great, this is great for a new bartender!! That's it I don't have to say anymore like a few of these clowns below! Thanks again.
The use of bitters were pretty much what defined a "cocktail" before prohibition. When the Martini was created, it was gin, orange bitters (as they always go better with gin than aromatic bitters ), and vermouth. Sweet, red vermouth. Then they invented the dry vermouth, so a "Dry" Martini refered to the use of dry vermouth instead of the older, sweet one. Proportions back then (just starting the 1900s) were completely different too, with 1:1 ratios of gin to vermouth, sometimes even more vermouth than gin, and slowly consolidated to 2:1 ratios. Always keeping the use of orange bitters. That's what most people would consider a classic dry martini. Then prohibition kicked in, and the only bitters that survived afterwards were the aromatics (Angostura). Decades pasts without orange bitters available, so bartenders would make the Martinis without. And the ratios became pretty crazy too, going from the traditional 2:1 to 3:1, 4:1 or even 5:1 as you would see some people doing today, probably because the same bars that could not stock orange bitters had their vermouths sitting in the counter, going bad from the long time opened without any demand to make them roll. Heck, some people nowadays will drink pretty much straight gin and call it a Martini. But at the beginning of this century some companies started making orange bitters (as well as some other varieties) and they quickly found their way in this sort of "cocktail restoration" movement (?), so the trendy bartenders will include it in their Martinis, as it's the way the cocktail was intended. My favourite recipe is precisely the classic 2:1 dry gin to dry vermout, with orange bitters and a lemon twist. No olives. Fuck olives.
Although I'm always open to my continued education or re-education I'm fairly confident in the bitters-Martini providence. The quick and easy: Earliest definitions of a cocktail are: Spirit, sugar, bitters. Evolution happened form there (eg. sugar led to other sweeteners). So, definition on that front is my baseline. Another quickie: Check Small Screen Network Jamie Beuadreau or Robert Hess for Martini (not RU-vid but rather SSN directly). Lastly, the books I mention give historical points...
i like the cocktail glass better, but i do respect that you add the ice at the end. it's happened to me before that i'm making a drink and for some reason (like "Jesus, who killed the vermouth and didn't replace it?") I have to pause the mixing and the drink gets watered down and you can't serve that cause it would be a shame. I do think that he does go to far with all these extra steps. Like I'm sure you take your time to chill your mixing glass during rush hour. however, I do appreciate learning about the short and long pour and the way you stir the drink. I had never thought of the bubbles
One of the most iconic bars to get a Martini is Dukes Bar in London. They freeze the gin as well as the glass itself and simply pour the spirits into the glass. No water or ice introduced at all.
i did see jamie beuadreau make it with orange bitters. but it could have once been how the cocktail was made, but when it become known with the name 'martini' and the modern martini was made, it was just gin and vermouth. it could have ceom from one with bitters, but the first mention of the cocktail named martini with just gin and sweet vermouth actually, dry martini refered to dry vermouth, not the level of vermouth like it does today
You also said that the determining factors of a drinks temperature is the stirring glass's temperature. Doesn't that mean that if you add room temperature spirits to a cold glass it will change the temperature? Isn't it easier to add ice first and just be quick in your process?
It will change the temperature, but it will still be quite cold. I really think that adding your ice last is the best way to go. It's a lot more comfortable to work if you do not have to rush everything. It is also safer, in case you get distracted by something in the middle of building a drink (I guess this can happen a lot if you work in a bar, when it is busy)
Polarven The coupe as used here is actually the older form. The iconic V shaped glass came in later. Frankly I much prefer a coupe-particularly in standing, conversation settings-as it's much less prone to spilling. People always wind up gesturing with their glass hand when they're talking. :)
Im by far not a pro and i can see your skilled and know what your on about but one gripe is you ceased to chill your glass, the drink is a cold drink you need everything to be as cold as possible while maintaining the correct dilution to this end keep your glass chilled until your ready to pour. Futher more thats a lemon peel not a lemon twist, the difference is how you cut the peel. Two relatively small issues but i do like how skilled at stirring you are i don't get to practice nearly as much as i like.
(Sorry so long) Page 165 of Harry Johnson's "New and Improved Bartender's Manual" published 1888 lists "2-3 dashes of Boker's Bitters (Boker's Genuine only)" /quote/unquote Boker's at that time, was formulated with dried orange. So, there's the earliest reference I can find dated and verified. Some slightly earlier references require a little more "follow the bouncing ball" research but since the earliest reference to defining a cocktail includes bitters... it would seem orange was it.
Shaking a cocktail does not make it 'weak'. The cocktail will become diluted but the alcohol content will remain the same as a cocktail that has been stirred.
A true martini is made with vodka,sweet vermouth, a dash of sherry, shaken and chased with a beer. Just kidden don't kill my inbox with comments. Awesome video I have made them for myself using many different methods and that one is the best method.
No, just shaking it makes delutes it more.. So James Bond does take his martines kinda weak, but hey wateva. Shaking it does make it colder though. You get that "cross chill" that you do not get from stirring.
I figured out what my favourite cocktail is: A perfect martini with a twist, straight up and stirred. Edit: just to be clear if you order it shaken or on the rocks just order ice.
i read your post, the first mention of the martini wasnt until the late 1880s or the 1890s, which was a half glass of wine and half gin, then it evolved from there. never using bitters. the manhattan uses bitters, maybe your thinking of that? as bitters was never used in a martini.
The best recipe developed by me and all of my Martini drinking, cigar smoking friends: First of all, the gin MUST be kept in the freezer WITHOUT A DOUBT!! You don't want any of those nasty tasting ice cubes watering down your drink!! This is very complicated, so take notes: 1. Pour the chilled gin into a martini glass. 2. Drink it. NOTE: The Martini MUST contain 3 olives - because the olives represent the basic elements a good story, containing three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end! Enjoy!
My last name is Meehan too, I like it with vodka and filthy,. My dog was Martini , and a deity from Latvia/ Baltic was Martini, and me too before the solar worshipping started
Gin is the real martini, if you don't like the taste of gin, then a martini is probably not for you. A vodka martini is still a martini, but not traditional. Either way, gin or vodka, and vermouth. Too much more than that and it ceases to be a martini and becomes something else. A cocktail is defined by the ingredients, not the glass it is served it. As for gin or vodka and no vermouth? Not a martini, just a shot of booze in a martini glass. That's like pouring tequila into a glass, adding nothing else, and then calling it a margarita.are only a few types of martinis.
Talks about temperature, dumps the ice from the martini glass, by the time his speaks and stirs in the drink the glass is room temperature again. Just saying. ! :)
