So sophisticated and luxurious, so much that they used to scare me - badly. If someone wants a Martini they expect perfection. You can't just add a bit more sugar syrup or lime juice if it isn't well balanced and simply fix the problem. It has to be perfect - from the very beginning to the last sip. So there is a big chance it might disappoint your guest. But fear not; follow these simple steps and you will be safe.
The first and most difficult one is understanding - What does that person on the other side of the bar actually want? It is so difficult because most of them don't really know what they like. I can't express with words how very much I love people ordering in this manner :
"Dry, kettle one Gibson, one drop of onion brine" - Stephen Fry, DSTH
or
" 3 measures of gin, one of vodka, half Kina Lilet, shake it up with ice, finish of with lemon" - James Bond, Casino Royale
but let's be honest you will have these guests who know their cocktails once in a blue moon. You are more likely to hear :
"Can I please get a Martini (full stop)."
Here we come with the Martini questions to help you out
Gin or vodka ?
Dry or wet ?
Olives or twist ?
First one is a simple matter of preference, obviously some choices are better than the others but as long as they know what they want it's a pretty clear thing.
Dry - it seems like the most popular word that I hear from my guests lately. Glass of dry white, dry sherry, dry gin, dry beer, dry Martinis. What is it that makes people want 'dry' stuff so much. Name ? non-sweet character ? or the moreish feeling after having a sip? Probably all of these together. Your dry Martini should have all these characteristics. Vermouth you put in should always be dry and not exceed 1:14 ratio. meaning 5 ml vermouth gives you 70 ml of spirit. Dilution is also a very important aspect. Having your ice melt too much into a drink will create a watery taste, not enough dilution will end up with too sharp, boozy feeling on the palate. So try, try, try it as you go.
Wet - loses in 95% of cases a battle with dry. Wet doesn't really sound that good, it doesn't sell very well, but it could be a great Martini. Vermouth can contribute big to your drink. It gives it a little more subtle character, makes it more civilized and also brings whole lot more flavours. Vermouth is a flavoured wine, so makin
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| Vermouth |
g a wet vodka Martini can actually turn out to be a flavoursome cocktail. It's definitely worth recommending to vodka Martini drinkers. Vermouth is a rather specified type of aromatized wine, but look further there is more in that category. Aperitif wines, quinquinas, tonic wines are also a good product for a wet Martini. So give an underdog a chance, try some of them; you won't be disappointed.
Dirty - if you ask me for a gin dirty Martini I seriously want to shout F**K OFF !!! Gin is a delicate, delicious, aromatic, light, sensitive, beautiful spirit that you don't put shit into !!! I am really waiting for the day that someone would get me a good dirty gin Martni, until that day comes my opinion stays as stated above. Vodka dirty Martini is a different story, I undrestand that you want something a little savoury, a bit salty and you like olives, great. Olive brine is seriously important in here. Having a good one is a key to make that drink. You could make it yourself but that is a lot to ask for a drink that isn't really a best seller. You will probably have to buy it at the end of the day. I'm not giving you names and brands you have to find them yourself. Ratio : 65ml of vodka to 15ml of brine seems like a fair specs with the one I am using. You might need to adjust yours a bit if the brine you find turns out to be too salty.
Gibson - my favourite one. You need a spirit that can let your cocktail shine, vodka is a great base, it lets you bring up flavours to the top. Pickled onions in Gibson give so much to the drink that it actually becomes a whole different experience. They are bringing that unique taste of spring onions which I absolutely adore. At the same time drink is still dry and neat. I always considered it as a great food drink. Cured meats with Gibson Martini - paradise on the bar
The mighty Gibson
Vesper essentially is a wet gin Martini with a little edge of bitterness added by Kina Lillet. It is important that you note Kina Lillet and Lillet Blanc are not the same product. Yes Lillet Blanc is a successor of Kina Lillet, however it does not have this high quinine content, what takes away the bitter edge. The closest tonic wine to Kina Lillet that I've ever came across is Italian a Cocchi Americano. It has this quinine bitterness which is not present in Lilet Blanc. And in the same time has rather similar orangy notes. Next we have our spirit or rather spirits, gin and vodka sound like a very good idea to me, not that it makes any significant difference to the taste of a cocktail, but it's a great marketing, in 007's cool style. Plenty of people will be tempted to try that a little different Martini. To finish it off just express the lemon peel oils over it and place the twist inside - "Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.
Garnishes
Choice between olive and a twist is a very personal thing. Some would definitely go for an olive some say it has to be twist, but many of your guests will be open for a suggestion. Certainly some gins would work better with citrus twist than an olive. Some might be better with grapefruit rather than lemon. Choosing accurate garnishes should be based on the botanicals infused into the spirit. For instance classic Tanqueray London dry gin with it's rather strong junipery character, hints of coriander and liquorice would go well with an olive where as Tanquaray no.10's, lighter more fruity gin rather calls for a grapefruit twist that matches the fruit used to infuse it. Hendrix Gin so famous for it's cucumber fragrance is also very floral so if you've got any roses around you I'm pretty sure that ladies would love an idea of finishing their Martini with a rose petal. The sky is the limit.
Temperature
It has to be cold. I don't want to be boring and write the same things in each of my posts but you have to make sure you do everything possible to make your Martini get to the lowest temperatures possible without shaking it. Shaking a martini would give it this cloudy look, that takes away from the visual presentation of this luxurious drink, so you're stirring it. Unless there's a 007 on your bar you're stirring it.
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