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Thread: The perfect martini?

  1. #1
    Grand Master SimonK's Avatar
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    The perfect martini?

    How do you make yours?

    I go with Bombay Saphire and Noilly Prat. Glasses in the freezer, and three olives. I'm still experimenting with proportions but currently going with 6 parts gin to 1 part vermouth.

  2. #2
    That sounds like a big Martini - does that make you fall over afterwards Simon?

    I usually go with 2oz (60ml) of gin or vodka (current faves for Martini are Sipsmith vodka or Gordons Export), 10ml of Noilly and either a couple of olives or a twist. Stirred if gin, shaken if vodka. Glasses are chilled with ice cubes and water.

    I keep meaning to try a bottle of Lillet Blanc.

  3. #3
    Grand Master Carlton-Browne's Avatar
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    The perfect Martini

    This is my recipe for the perfect Martini

    Ingredients

    A shameful amount of cash
    A taxi

    Instructions

    Take the taxi to Dukes Hotel in St James' and get them to make it for you. I don't know whether it is the theatre of their preparation or the secret twist of the rind that puts a miniscule film of lemon zest over the surface of the cocktail but a martini has never tasted the same since an ex-girlfriend first brought me here. On second thoughts the vast quantities of gin involved may have something to do with it. Sadly it has become a victim of its' own success and was a lot more enjoyable when it was a little bit of an inside tip. Don't forget that martinis are exactly the same as breasts; three is too many and one is not enough.

    I have this book which is an excellent read:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Martini-Stra.../dp/0801873118

    Footnote. 6:1 with vermouth sounds a little excessive - I think it was Noel Coward who said it should be sufficient to wave the glass of gin in the direction of Italy and perhaps the horological equivalent would be to wear an IWC Portofino.

  4. #4
    I too prefer Bombay Sapphire, Noilly Prat and glasses in the freezer.

    However my approach is to put 2 measures of gin in the glass, and then allow light to pass from a north facing window through the unopened bottle of vermouth into the glass.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Gyp View Post

    However my approach is to put 2 measures of gin in the glass, and then allow light to pass from a north facing window through the unopened bottle of vermouth into the glass.
    I wish there was a like button as that actually made me laugh out loud.

  6. #6
    I can't remember when the drier-than-dry Martini took off, but I was a pretty strict advocate of the "skip the vermouth, just give me the gin" approach for years.

    Then I started making my own drinks to actually drink, started reading more widely, branched out into other gins, vermouths, bitters and (historical and modern) recipes.

    I now find that I'll mix anything from a ten:one (rinse the ice / mixing glass in vermouth), to a three:one (if I'm in a summery mood). There are some very good vermouths on the market, and they needn't spoil a good Martini. The English Vermouth Revival starts here.

    Of course, the Martini is no more than a jumped up Martinez. Probably.

  7. #7
    Master DB9yeti's Avatar
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    I'm a big fan of the vermouth - Noilly Prat, which is so old its aged to a golden brown colour - perfect.

    2 measures of chase potato vodka, 2 measures of Foxdenton or Sipsmith gin, 1 measure of the aged vermouth. Shake long and very well until sufficient iced water has been taken into the mixture that it stays cold for longer than 10 minutes. 3 olives, a splash of brine for my tastes, helps as it warms.

    The Vesper in Dukes is a marvel of theatre to behold; but the American bar in the Stafford has very convivial surroundings and they are happier to follow instructions and make what you want.

  8. #8
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    This thread reminds me of a wonderful black martini I enjoyed in an art Deco bar in NYC. One part Chambord, four or five parts good chilled vodka to taste.

  9. #9
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    If you feel like bored with the straight up, try mix with cold espresso and/or Illy espresso liqueur.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by DB9yeti View Post
    I'm a big fan of the vermouth - Noilly Prat, which is so old its aged to a golden brown colour - perfect.

    2 measures of chase potato vodka, 2 measures of Foxdenton or Sipsmith gin, 1 measure of the aged vermouth. Shake long and very well until sufficient iced water has been taken into the mixture that it stays cold for longer than 10 minutes. 3 olives, a splash of brine for my tastes, helps as it warms.

    The Vesper in Dukes is a marvel of theatre to behold; but the American bar in the Stafford has very convivial surroundings and they are happier to follow instructions and make what you want.
    That's unusual. Once open, I tend to drink my (white or French) vermouth (usually Dolin) as quickly as possible. The red (sweet or Italian) seems to fare better out of the fridge.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by DB9yeti View Post
    I'm a big fan of the vermouth - Noilly Prat, which is so old its aged to a golden brown colour - perfect.

    2 measures of chase potato vodka, 2 measures of Foxdenton or Sipsmith gin, 1 measure of the aged vermouth. Shake long and very well until sufficient iced water has been taken into the mixture that it stays cold for longer than 10 minutes. 3 olives, a splash of brine for my tastes, helps as it warms.

    The Vesper in Dukes is a marvel of theatre to behold; but the American bar in the Stafford has very convivial surroundings and they are happier to follow instructions and make what you want.
    Haha this is similar to what I do at present, same ingredients (different brands) I have been using Lillet Blanc recently with whatever gin (tnaquery 10) and vodka I have at that time :-) A twist on the 'dirty martini'

    Great thread, I am still experimenting so not sure what is best, will be trying some of the recommendations here

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by maccer View Post
    Haha this is similar to what I do at present, same ingredients (different brands) I have been using Lillet Blanc recently with whatever gin (tnaquery 10) and vodka I have at that time :-) A twist on the 'dirty martini'

    Great thread, I am still experimenting so not sure what is best, will be trying some of the recommendations here
    Surely it's just a vodka and vermouth-heavy dirty Vesper?

    It's certainly not a Martini.

  13. #13
    "To provoke, or sustain, a reverie in a bar, you have to drink English gin, especially in the form of the dry martini. To be frank, given the primordial role in my life played by the dry martini, I think I really ought to give it at least a page. Like all cocktails, the martini, composed essentially of gin and a few drops of Noilly Prat, seems to have been an American invention. Connoisseurs who like their martinis very dry suggest simply allowing a ray of sunlight to shine through a bottle of Noilly Prat before it hits the bottle of gin. At a certain period in America it was said that the making of a dry martini should resemble the Immaculate Conception, for, as Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted, the generative power of the Holy Ghost pierced the Virgin's hymen "like a ray of sunlight through a window-leaving it unbroken."

    "Another crucial recommendation is that the ice be so cold and hard that it won't melt, since nothing's worse than a watery martini. For those who are still with me, let me give you my personal recipe, the fruit of long experimentation and guaranteed to produce perfect results. The day before your guests arrive, put all the ingredients-glasses, gin, and shaker-in the refrigerator. Use a thermometer to make sure the ice is about twenty degrees below zero (centigrade). Don't take anything out until your friends arrive; then pour a few drops of Noilly Prat and half a demitasse spoon of Angostura bitters over the ice. Stir it, then pour it out, keeping only the ice, which retains a faint taste of both. Then pour straight gin over the ice, stir it again, and serve.

    "(During the 1940s, the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York taught me a curious variation. Instead of Angostura, he used a dash of Pernod. Frankly, it seemed heretical to me, but apparently it was only a fad.) "

    Excerpt from 'My Last Sigh' by the great Luis Buñuel

  14. #14
    The amazing thing about the Martini is its blurry history. For such a deceptively simple drink, it's amazing that there are so many variants and an almost total absence of definitive recipe; it morphed from the Manhattan, to the Marguerite via the Martinez, by way of the Gin Cocktail, the Dry Martini (not dry) and possibly even the Turf Club Cocktail. And all that by the turn of the 19th Century (a good fifty years before Fleming was prepared a Vesper in Duke's).
    Last edited by Broussard; 7th April 2015 at 14:00.

  15. #15
    Coincidentally a lot of my history is blurry because if Martinis...

  16. #16
    Master lysanderxiii's Avatar
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    The only way to make a martini was with ice-cold gin, and a wave the glass in the direction of France.

  17. #17
    Grand Master Passenger's Avatar
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    There used to be a Martini bar in the "Old city/ Queens village" part of Philadelphia, they did a great dirty martini and one memorable evening the bar maids hair went up in flames!

  18. #18
    Grand Master VDG's Avatar
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    What Carlton-Browne said (then again Ritz choix ain't shabby either)

  19. #19
    Craftsman
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    This thread has made me make Martini's tonight;

    for 2

    4 parts Gin - Gordons
    1 Part Vodka
    1/2 Part Lillet Blanc
    Splash Brine
    Olives to Garnish

  20. #20
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    Anyone tried a Vesper ala Casino Royale?


    "A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet.""Oui, monsieur.""Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?""Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea."Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, "Rouge et Noir'

  21. #21
    I'm sorry, but there has *never* been a recipe for a Martini that calls for vodka and gin. It *may* be a Vesper, but it's not a Martini - perfect or otherwise.

  22. #22
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzler View Post
    Anyone tried a Vesper ala Casino Royale?


    "A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet.""Oui, monsieur.""Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?""Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea."Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, "Rouge et Noir'
    Its is by coincidence that my measurement of alcohol are the same, I never normally measure and just try different combinations


    Quote Originally Posted by Broussard View Post
    I'm sorry, but there has *never* been a recipe for a Martini that calls for vodka and gin. It *may* be a Vesper, but it's not a Martini - perfect or otherwise.
    Maybe you are correct

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