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

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.

The Martini is a classic in the Spirits and Bartending world because its very nature encourages experimentation and trial.  Bottom line - experiment and enjoy!

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!

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Need more ideas? Check out our most recent Drink spotlight.

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