AAVR Magazine

How To Order a Martini

I’ve deduced from recent conversations with people a tad younger than I that an older gentleman of means like myself is expected to have opinions about things like cocktails. Thankfully for my readers — and for this article — it just so happens that I have many. I’ll probably date myself with this statement, but I don’t care for the “captain and coke” or other spirits mixed with soda. My taste in libation tends to lean more toward a more traditional classic cocktail glass filled with ingredients that stand on their own in flavor and potency.

I feel that a man’s (or a woman’s) order at the bar dictates a lot about their character, background, and personality. Think about the air of class that surrounds someone who can confidently approach a barkeep and order their drink properly. I tend to oscillate a bit between enjoying a Manhattan — that delicious mixture of whiskey, cherry juice and sweet vermouth — and the martini — that stately and potent favorite of Mr. Bond’s.

While at one point in the United States whiskey cocktails, like the aforementioned Manhattan, were the most popular choice, whiskey cocktails have somewhat fallen out of fashion, and martinis have become the more popular choice. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to assume that both gin- and vodka-based martinis deserve the name “Martini” though some would argue that the latter should carry its own classification.

The History
The history of the martini is subject to debate: an oft-referred to story suggests that it was invented for a passing miner in the town of Martinez, California. The bartender mixed up some mysterious potion, dropped in an olive, and named it after the man’s town. Later books would include recipes for this “martinez” featuring bitters, cherry juice, sweet vermouth and gin — a far cry from the simple elegance of the modern martini. I decided to only feature this account for the sake of simplicity, but there are plenty of others available to inquiring minds on the internet.

The Ingredients
The standard martini consists of a mixture gin or vodka and dry vermouth. These ingredients are chilled with ice and poured into a cocktail glass, and finished with a garnish. But there is more to each of these ingredients, and differing preferences among them makes for some of the complication in ordering a martini.

Liquor
The traditional martini, as I mentioned, is made with gin. But modern experimentation has resulted in a decline in the use of gin in these drinks, and its subsequent replacement with vodka. Either can be used in the modern martini, complicating the order by requiring the gin or vodka modifier. You might also hear a vodka martini called a Kangaroo

Vodka is at once the simplest and most refined of spirits. Made from grains, potatoes, and sometimes even molasses, it is distilled, diluted with water, and filtered to create a liquid that is nearly devoid of outside flavor influences. Flavored vodka is available, but these flavorings are added after the distillation process, and after the flavor has been established. Vodka quality is typically associated with purity, and most vodka manufacturers will tout the number of times that their vodka is filtered. There has been a new cold war of sorts with these super- and super-duper- premium vodkas, claiming to achieve new levels of purity. Personally, if you are enjoying a vodka martini, I recommend not to go with an inexpensive brand to save a few dollars, certainly nothing that falls on the shelf below Absolut or Stolichnaya . Experiment with a friendly bartender and find a brand that suits you in cost and smoothness — while some super duper premium brands sustain their position with little more than marketing fluff, there is a definite and discernible difference between well vodkas and more premium varieties.

Gin is a distilled beverage that is made from grain. Gin starts its life as grain alcohol, like the Everclear that ambitious college students use to strengthen sweet punches for social gatherings. From this inglorious origin, the brew is then steamed through a mixture of what are called botanicals. Botanicals are akin to the Colonel’s blend of herbs and spices, delightful dried ingredients like juniper berries and lemon peels that infuse the gin with a range of flavors. Gin was created as a patent medicine, but soon spread in popularity, becoming at one point the most consumed spirit in England. At the peak of gin’s popularity, there were a variety of gins available, including a number of sweet gins, but those are more difficult to find now, and the gin used in martinis is London Dry Gin. Gin is my own preference in martinis, the orchestra of flavors I find to be so much more inviting and enjoyable than the plain-faced cousin vodka. I am often asked “what is the best kind of gin?” since I enjoy it so much. This may come as a shock, but I am actually less picky in my gin preferences than my vodka preferences, since each well-made gin offers a unique flavor experience. That said, when given my choice, I prefer the Plymouth Gin, a gin that stands alone in its unique flavor profile. A slightly less expensive option for any of my budget minded friends is Bombay Sapphire, which also has some remarkable depth in flavor.

Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine, or a wine that has had liquor added to it to increase the proof or improve the flavor. Like gin, vermouth is made whole with a mixture of botanicals and flavors. Also similar to its partner, it started life as a tonic for health. Sweet vermouth, used in cocktails such as the Manhattan are made from red wines and originated in Italy. Dry vermouth, a French creation, is less sweet. Martinis almost exclusively feature dry vermouth, though there are some rebels who prefer the sweet variety in their martinis. Vermouth has been de-emphasized as an ingredient, and many ask for a martini without any at all. More on this later.

Garnish
The traditional garnish for a martini is the olive, usually of the green sort, though a lemon peel is also common with a vodka martini. The lemon peel is twisted above the glass to allow the oils to gently spray the surface of the beverage, imparting a subtle flavor. Also popular are cocktail onions, limes, capers and olives stuffed with cheese, pepper or anchovy. The latter is typically a special of a particular establishment, and not something you should intend to order at any run-of-the-mill gin mill. Personally, that is as far as I am willing to go, I find that garnishes beyond these change the drink into something different, and go outside of the spirit of the classic martini.

Ice
Part of the charm of a martini is the intense iciness of the beverage, but this can also be a point of contention. A traditional martini is stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail glass and garnished, but it can also be shaken. Some people will tell you that a shaken martini “bruises” the vodka, but most of those same people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test. There is a difference though. A shaken martini typically contains more water, and has a more balanced taste throughout.

Recently, a friend has pointed me in the direction of a silly study that claims that shaken drinks are higher in antioxidants, that there are additional health benefits to this preparation. Personally, I like to keep health out of my cocktail glass, to try and discern help benefits from my drinks would make me no better than a patent medicine consumer. Martinis can also be served with ice in a standard glass. This is known as “on the rocks” while strained is also known as “up”.

Time to Make Your Order
So, here we are. You know the difference between gin and vodka, sweet and dry vermouth, and “up” and “on the rocks”.

So, now it is time to order your first martini. The first part of your order is your vermouth preference. If you do not specify, the bartender will add what they think to be an appropriate amount of vermouth, (likely about a 1/2 oz for every 2 1/2 oz of liquor). If you say a dry, the bartender will add less, usually depending on how creative you are in your description.

Many modern martini drinkers like less vermouth than the classic recipe, and think of creative and literary ways to banish the vermouth for a more straight-up flavor, such as “kick the vermouth in the side with a pair of steel-toed boots” or “wave the bottle of vermouth over the cocktail” or “glance in the direction of France” or “write the word vermouth in an email and BCC the martini.”

This is also a good time to mention if you want your martini “dirty”. This involves actually putting olive juice into the mixture, good if you don’t mind a somewhat briny flavor.

Next, specify your liquor preference. You can do this by brand name or by spirit. So you could say “Vodka Martini”, “Gin Martini”, “Ketel One Martini”, “Plymouth Gin Martini”, or whichever your spirit of choice is.

Finally, tell the bartender your ice and garnish preferences. If your martini isn’t on the rocks, it is called “up”

So, your order would start out I’d like a (dirty/dry/etc) (brand) (vodka/gin) martini. Next, specify how you would like it chilled (on the rocks/up/shaken/stirred). Finally, your garnish (olive/twist/onion)