2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Martini is a very popular cocktail that consists of several parts gin and one part vermouth. It can be rightly said that this is the most famous classic cocktail the world knows.
Its name comes from the eponymous Italian brand of vermouth, produced by a company founded in 1863 by Turin's Alessandro Martini, Luigi Rossi and Teofilo Sola. Today, this company offers over 100 different spirits and wines worldwide.
History of martinis
The history of this legendary drink dates back to the late 80s of the 19th century. The drink that gives rise to this legend is Martinez, which is a sweet cocktail made from 2 parts sweet vermouth, 1 part sweetened gin Old Tom, 1 drop of bitters and 2-3 drops of maraschino liqueur - all broken into a shaker.
Martinez's father was Jeffrey Thomas, a legendary bartender who worked at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco. He prepared the cocktail to warm up his regular customer, who traveled by ferry every morning to the city of Martinez, then the capital of the state of California. Thus, the final destination of the trip gives the name of today's cult drink.
Nevertheless, the martini goes a very long way to getting its modern look and taste. In 1906, Louis Mackenstrom published his recipe Dry Martini Cocktail, whose ingredients are orange bitters, curacao, and gin and vermouth are already dry. The company that produces Martini started a very serious advertising campaign with which they present the new Dry Martini.
Naturally, the recipe has undergone some changes over the years - curacao is no longer used, and bitters remain until the 40s of the 20th century. After the Second World War, the participation of vermouth as a proportion in martinis fell sharply and reached our acquaintances and accepted as a standard 7 to 1 in favor of gin.
According to some claims, the true story of the creation of the martini cocktail is shrouded in mystery. Most of those who claim to be creators use different recipes and names.
Another version of the creation of the cocktail is the story of the head bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York from 1911. Bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia mixed Noilly Prat vermouth and London Dry Gin in a 1: 1 ratio, adding a few drops of bitter orange liqueur. He chilled the drink well on ice and served in a well-chilled glass. It is believed that the olive was added by his client to diversify the cocktail, but there is no certainty on this issue.
As many different stories about the creation of martini yes, it is an indisputable fact that this is one of the most recognizable cocktails in the world.
Making a martini
The preparation of martini is very discussed and contested. Its ingredients must be of the highest quality and be very cold. They must be mixed with ice in a suitable stirring cup or shaken on ice in a shaker and then the great drink is poured into the drinking cup, the ice always remaining in the strainer of the shaker. It is not necessary to pre-cool martini glasses, but it is recommended.
The taste and aroma of martinis are definitely directly related to the cold. If the drink is not chilled enough, it may have a less pleasant bland taste. Ice and the duration of shaking / stirring play an important role. As a rule, green olives are used to finish the martini, which are dipped in brine, not oil.
We offer you a universal recipe for dry martini. The required products are 70 ml of dry gin and 15 ml of dry vermouth. You can possibly add 4 drops of orange bitters. Green olives are needed for decoration.
Preparation: Pour vermouth and gin into a cylindrical or wide jug, add 4 or 5 ice cubes and stir gently for 10 seconds. The drink is then strained into a pre-chilled martini glass and served with olives. The cup for martini is specific and gives an additional feeling of sophistication to the drink.
Another very popular cocktail derived from the original Gin Martini cocktail is the Vodka Martini. The only difference between the two is that vodka is used as the main product, not gin. What vodka will be used in making the cocktail is a matter of personal preference, but of course, the better quality vodka is chosen, the better the cocktail will be.
We present you a sample recipe for Vodka Martini, the necessary products for which are: 60 ml of vodka, 10 ml of dry vermouth, 2-3 cocktail olives or a strip of lemon peel.
Preparation: fill the shaker with enough ice, pour vodka and vermouth. Shake well and pour into a martini cocktail glass. Garnish with olives or lemon zest. If desired, you can rub the rim of the glass with the lemon strip and then put it in the cocktail.
As a finale, it is important to note that martini it is not a cocktail that is drunk in a beer glass, but in a special glass that is an integral part of it. The ideal amount of a martini is about 90 ml. The martini is drunk slowly and with pleasure.
