SHAKEN
vs STIRRED?
Again, there is no one definitive answer. While James Bond may prefer
his martinis "Shaken , not Stirred" not everyone does.
Some
famous martini drinkers....
Humphry
Bogart
Winston Churchill
William Faulkner
J.F.K.
Ernest Hemingway
Dorothy Parker
Franklin Roosevelt
Billy Wilder
Jackie Gleason
Gerald Ford
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The shaking method in theory
frees up flavor by aerating the liquids, but it can also
end up leaving a cloudy looking Martini.
Stirring a martini avoids
the cloudiness sometimes associated with shaking a martini.
Sounds simple, but how many times do you stir the drink?
By theory the more you stir the more you mix the ingredients,
and "free" the flavor. To that end some Martini
purists would argue that you need to stir a real martini
up to 100 times. For every bartender that would agree with
that you could find a bartender that believes stirring
a martini more than a few times will " bruise" the
gin or vodka.
Simple answer: Try
both methods! See if you notice a difference! If you do,
note your choice, and ask that your martini be prepared
the 'right' way next time you order one.
GIN
or VODKA.?
Gin comes from the Netherlands, where it was called 'genievre' (meaning
juniper). It is a clear liquor, distilled from grain and flavored with
juniper berries. Myth has it that it was created as a blood cleanser.
Gin was extremely popular during Prohibition as it requires no aging.
Therefore you could distill it anywhere.
Many purists consider the vodka martin
a 'knockoff' to the real gin martini. However, we must
consider vodka as an essential ingredient in this new
generation of the martini.
While one can use almost any quality
vodka to make a good vodka martini, the quality, taste
and smoothness of different gins can make or break a gin
martini.
VERMOUTH is
the next key ingredient in the classic martinis. It is
a fortified wine that has been flavored with various
herbs and spices. A dry martini will use very little
vermouth. White dry vermouth, also known as French vermouth,
can be drank as a cocktail but it should not be confused
with Bianco, the Italian version that is much sweeter..
GARNISHES: Like
the flavors, there is no definitive list of appropriate
garnishes. Just a lot of suggestions: Olives (the quintessential
garnish), lemon, lime, orange, peppers, and peppermint
are just a few.
The most common type
of olive used is the Spanish olive. It is a small green
olive sometimes stuffed with pimento. There are hundreds
of different olives that will flavor your martini, none
of them are wrong!
Go ahead mix
it up and make your own MARTINI!
Need more ideas? Check
out our most recent Drink spotlight.
