A drink for the classy and a popular choice for many people throughout recent history. The dry gin martini is the first of many martini recipes you will come across on our website, so here is the ins and outs of making this classic drink.
There are so many different variations of martinis that it would take an eternity to discuss them all in one article. To give you the short story on this cocktail that seems like it’s always been around, one theory suggests it evolved from a cocktail called the “Martinez” served in the early 1860’s at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco. Alternatively, some resistance in the town “Martinez” California suggest the drink was named by a Bartender in their town after the town itself. The drink itself was first described in Jerry Thomas’ 1887 edition of his bartenders guide “How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks”.
Of course, since then the original recipe has changed a lot into what we know today as the dry gin martini. The first dry martini has been linked to a bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City in 1911 or 1912. It was first described as the “ Marguerite Cocktail”” in 1904 and could be considered the earliest form of the modern recipe as it contained a 2:1 mix of Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth with a dash of orange bitters.
A lot of other drinks with similar names have since stemmed from the original dry martini, (appletini ,espresso martini , peach martini) many of which have no relation to the original recipe but are named so because they are served in a martini glass.
So, the dry martini has a long-storied history and of course we will be covering its many other forms (including the one made famous by James Bond) in future posts. But for now, here is how to make the original classic.
Ingredients
1/2 oz. (15ml) Dry Vermouth
2 1/2 - 3 oz. (75 - 90ml) Gin (of your preference)
Garnish: Lemon twist or Olives
Preparation
Chill a martini or Coupe glass with ice or in a fridge till cold
Fill a mixing glass or half a shaker with ice
Add your Vermouth and Gin
Stir in the glass for 30-40 second
Double strain your mixture into a Martini or Coupe glass
Garnish with your lemon twist or olives
Further Information
You can either garnish this drink with a lemon twist or a skewer of olives, this is completely your choice, and both are technically right for the drink. If you are the sort of person that like a citrus taste in your gin, then the lemon twist may be more favourable for you. If you prefer a more intense taste and like to get the most out of the aromatics in your gin, then olives would be the way to go. If you want to go one step further than that you can add a bit of olive brine to your martini making it a dirty martini.
Choice of gin can also have a huge influence on how this drink tastes. In the example above I used just a basic Gordons London Dry Gin, but if you want something more exciting feel free to explore different brands and flavours. Opihr Oriental Dry Gin would be a great choice if you like a bit of extra spice in your drinks or maybe an Elderflower gin for a more pleasant flavour.
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