The Martini Thread

[Szeph el raton]

I just came back from a bar. After having a look at the card I ordered a martini with the Bombay Sapphire. Got me a confused look by the waiter. My friend already made jokes about disaster waiting to happen and he was so right. What I received was Bombay Sapphire and Martini Bianco, mixed appr. 1:5. I guess that was the moment I heared god striking the bartender down with a lightning.

After some conversation I got the next one like I wanted, Bombay Sapphire and Martini Extra Dry, 4:1, with a a lemon twist.

My favorite is Bombay Sapphire in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio to the vermouth. Prefere it with 3 olives. As a appetizer before dinner a dirty martini is nice, too. Vodkatini is not really my thing, I prefere it the old way.

I'm looking forward to try some different vermouth than 'Martini Extra Dry'.

 

[jkw]

Something happened to me on saturday night...
Went to a bar that my friends and I always pass on pub/shisha/general excess nights. It was a very nice place which doesnt seem to belong in that area. It is a whisky bar, and was almost empty when I went.

We sat down, and my 2 (guy) friends spent their usual eternity browsing the menu only to settle for a watermelon martini and a kiwi cooler or something

I decide to have a martini, as of late I've been drinking a lot of manhattans, old fashioneds and generally starting to enjoy the brown spirits. Nothing like that viscous, velvety texture of a well made martini. I notice there's nothing resembling a standard martini on the menu, but assume they're used to more classic cocktails (especially manhattans etc)

So the young waiter comes over, and I order a beefeater martini, rather dry, made with noilly prat and garnished with 2 olives... he makes me repeat several times, while using visual stimulus and pointing at the menu. I hate when cocktail bar waiters don't know anything about cocktails further than the bars list of "inis"

I see my friends' drinks being made, and what looks like a glass of water next to them. I think huh, a good bar, just like my favourite, who give you a glass of water with your bone dry martini.

The drinks arrive - mine is a glass of gin and noilly prat with some ice cubes. I've never liked the 50/50 martini to say the least. It was horrible...

Now I can understand an idiot waiter (or maybe new), but when a bartender gets and order like that, wouldn't he, shouldn't he think that maybe this guy is asking for a martini? I should have just written my order down...

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by jkw

I see my friends' drinks being made, and what looks like a glass of water next to them. I think huh, a good bar, just like my favourite, who give you a glass of water with your bone dry martini.
Indeed. I love that too.

 

[metkirk]

I could never drink 4:1. Usually I go for Bombay and NP 3:2. A martini made with a drop of vermouth is not really a martini IMO, it's very douchy thing to do.

 

[gregaz]

What an inspirational thread! Another gin fan here. Known of Hendricks for a couple of years, and discovered Junipero just two weeks ago. My experience actually started with Sapphire, but have progressed toward Tang and other more junipery gins. I find that modern "smooth" gins are merely neutered versions of the true spirit. Meaning, not as much flavor, not as much scent, and the masses think them to be "smooth," not like your grandpa's gin.

Through the years I have vacillated on the bruising issue, as well as the vermouth issue. I knew of people that would keep gin and vermouth and the glass in the freezer, and their form of "making" a martini was to pour it all into a glass and put in olives. Personally, I think something magic happens when you shake (or vigorously stir), with water mixing in that actually enhances the flavor. Kind of like scotch lovers use water to "open up" the flavor. (And I've taken scotch classes from one of eight Whisky Masters in the world, and he uses water to open up the flavors, so I know it's OK.)

Hope this isn't blasphemous in this thread, but I also love me a gin and tonic. But then again, I am kind of paranoid about scurvy ...

Cheers!

 

[samus]

Originally Posted by gregaz

What an inspirational thread! Another gin fan here. Known of Hendricks for a couple of years, and discovered Junipero just two weeks ago. My experience actually started with Sapphire, but have progressed toward Tang and other more junipery gins. I find that modern "smooth" gins are merely neutered versions of the true spirit. Meaning, not as much flavor, not as much scent, and the masses think them to be "smooth," not like your grandpa's gin.

Through the years I have vacillated on the bruising issue, as well as the vermouth issue. I knew of people that would keep gin and vermouth and the glass in the freezer, and their form of "making" a martini was to pour it all into a glass and put in olives. Personally, I think something magic happens when you shake (or vigorously stir), with water mixing in that actually enhances the flavor. Kind of like scotch lovers use water to "open up" the flavor. (And I've taken scotch classes from one of eight Whisky Masters in the world, and he uses water to open up the flavors, so I know it's OK.)

Hope this isn't blasphemous in this thread, but I also love me a gin and tonic. But then again, I am kind of paranoid about scurvy ...

Cheers!

I'm enjoying a pink gin as we speak. Sapphire; as soon as the 1.75 I have is used up it's on to Hendricks (which I know and love) or Junipero (which is on the "must try" list, if I can find it).

 

[Szeph el raton]

Originally Posted by metkirk

I could never drink 4:1. Usually I go for Bombay and NP 3:2. A martini made with a drop of vermouth is not really a martini IMO, it's very douchy thing to do.
I think 4:1 is fine, but agree that it's the minimum of how much vermouth there should be. Those stuff like a "Dry Martini" with no vermouth is just gin on the rocks, but per definition not a cocktail. There's no point in making a Martini when you don't want/like the taste of vermouth in it and it doesn't make one more of a man.

 

[borderline]

Glass: 10 oz max.

Vermouth: Noilly Prat. Get the small bottle (375 ml) cause the big one will go bad. I use one of those wine suction cork thingies to store it.

Ice: clear distilled-water ice.

Gin: (in Preference order)

209 (http://www.209gin.com/index2.html)
Plymouth
Junipero
Tanqueray 10
Bombay Sapphire
Tanqueray

Ratio: 4-1

Garnish: I alternate between the lemon twist and the 2 olives (santa barbara olive co. pimento stuffed martini olives)

Shaken or stirred, either is fine.

I don't keep the gin in the freezer.

I usually make enough for two drinks, and keep the shaker in the freezer while I'm drinking the first one.

Goes great with these: http://www.kettlefoods.com/our-all-n...products/chips

 

[audiophilia]

French Martini

1.5 ounces Voddy
1.5 ounces Chambord
1 ounce pineapple juice

Shake vigorously over ice. Strain.

Pop in a couple of raspberries.

A really lovely drink.

 

[audiophilia]

Some guys mentioned to me that the quality of Vodka doesn't matter in a martini. The vodka taste is masked somewhat by the mix. True?

So, Smirnoff or Ketel One?

Cheers, a

 

[Huntsman]

NOT TRUE.

Besides, what kind of mix are you using? There should only be (good) dry vermouth. The drink is about subtlety, so the subtle nots in the vodka should be apparent. I don't know Ketel, and I dont really drink 'standard' vodka martinis, so I can't authoritatively recommend any particular brand.

I use Chopin or Smirnoff in my White Martini.

~ H

 

[audiophilia]

Hunts, I'm a martini newb.

My brother's house drink is a Lemon Drop martini, and damn tasty it is. I had a French martini at Le Select Bistro here in Toronto and loved the taste (Vod, Chambord, Pineapple juice -- don't hate me

I bow to your knowledge. I'll buy a good bottle next time and see if my ingenue palatte can tell the diff.

Cheers, a

 

[IUtoSLU]

I had a "first" last night.

I went to a small bar last night. It is located in a somewhat historic inn in the city that I live. I ordered a "Tanqueray martini, up." What I received was, roughly, 10:1 tanqueray to M&R dry vermouth. The kicker: the rim of the cocktail glass was salted. You read correctly. I was subjected to salty gin. I took my lumps and drank it. The moral: Do not order a martini in a beer bar.

Disgusting.

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by audiophilia

Hunts, I'm a martini newb. My brother's house drink is a Lemon Drop martini, and damn tasty it is. I had a French martini at Le Select Bistro here in Toronto and loved the taste (Vod, Chambord, Pineapple juice -- don't hate me

I bow to your knowledge. I'll buy a good bottle next time and see if my ingenue palatte can tell the diff. Cheers, a
Ah, now I understand. But here's the deal. The word Martini is really not a generic word for cocktail. If you or anybody else says martini the drink should involve gin or vodka and vermouth of some sort, and precious little else (many would say nothing else, but I've never been absolutist). I'm even comfortable with 'Martini' being used to describe something vaguely similar in some way to an actual martini. But neither a Lemon Drop Martini nor a French Martini is even vaguely similar to an actual martini. But if you wish to stick with the appellation, I won't argue because I know the misuse of the term is not going away, but at least preface it with the name of the actual drink so we have a clue. There is a bar near me that proudly serves over 400 Martinis (writing that just killed me a little), so saying you're having a martini when you don't mean the original means nothing. Now reanswering your original question -- now I highly doubt if the choice of vodka matters at all. I'd use Smirnoff Red, which is my well vodka for something like that. I'd also highly recommend that you try the Savoy Corpse Reviver #2. It is similar to a lemon drop except that it's really very good. I'll post a link to my recipe here in an edit if I can find it. If I sound snarky I apologize, I don't mean to. It's just the weariness of losing a battle of attrition. ~ H

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by IUtoSLU

I had a "first" last night.

I went to a small bar last night. It is located in a somewhat historic inn in the city that I live. I ordered a "Tanqueray martini, up." What I received was, roughly, 10:1 tanqueray to M&R dry vermouth. The kicker: the rim of the cocktail glass was salted. You read correctly. I was subjected to salty gin. I took my lumps and drank it. The moral: Do not order a martini in a beer bar.

Disgusting.

I am also a martini newbie who is having trouble finding anywhere that knows how to make one. A couple of weeks ago I also ordered a Tanqueray martini in a bar. First the bar-woman asked me if I wanted ice in it...then after I said no she grabbed a normal straight-sided glass. I felt a bit silly interrupting her to request a proper cocktail glass, but once she had the right glass she then proceeded to pour in one measure of gin...and two measures of vermouth...

At this point I couldn't even be bothered to argue so I just paid and took what I had...

Oh and a few weeks earlier in this same bar from a different bar-person I had tried to order an Old Fashioned. I had no idea at the time exactly how an old fashioned was made, I just wanted to try one, so the bar-tender said he would give it a go. The result was some sickly-sweet combination of a Mojito and god-knows-what, containing mint leaves, gin and lemonade, and not sharing a single ingredient with how an Old Fashioned is supposed to be made