“Do you make a good Martini?”
In my decade working behind bars before I started writing full-time, I heard that question at least 6,000 times.
To which I eventually began to answer: “Absolutely. But probably not as good as the one you make.”
Why? Because every Martini is a deeply personal matter of taste. Not to mention that it’s more of a semantic exercise than it is a single recipe you can actually point to or follow.
But still, I want to share a few Martini recipes with you. Inspired by a recent re-watch of a classic Bond film, I’ve dusted off three of my favorite Martini variations to impress, delight, or deeply offend your sensibilities. Certainly one of them will be just the thing to help you ease into your weekend.
The Vesper Martini
Before Sean Connery ever spoke the words on-screen in 1964’s Goldfinger, James Bond was already very particular about how he wanted his Martinis made. So particular, in fact, that there’s a whole passage in the 1953 novel Casino Royale explaining it:
‘A dry martini,’ he 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 think of a good name.’
Today, that cocktail is better known as a Vesper—after Vesper Lynd, Bond’s first fictional love interest and eventual double agent. And while Kina Lillet has sadly passed on to the great recipe book in the sky, Cocchi Americano is a modern vermouth that substitutes almost perfectly.
Here’s a recipe for the Vesper based on Bond’s exacting specifications:
- 3 ounces Gordon’s Gin
- 1 ounce Ketel One Vodka
- .5 ounces Cocchi Americano
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with plenty of ice, and shake like Bond’s approval depends on it. Some bartenders add a lemon twist as the final element of the cocktail, but Fleming and Bond are strangely silent on the issue.
The 50/50 Martini
Even before Bond started asking his bartenders to pour one heck of a heavy-handed Martini, the Rat Pack was responsible for moving the drink away from its original basis: Half gin and half dry vermouth, with a couple of dashes of bitters.
It started by reducing the amount of vermouth, since it wasn’t quite high enough proof to really get a buzz on. Then when Frank and Dean’s Martinis were essentially just cold glasses of gin that they could really get sauced on, they had another brilliant idea: Let’s use vodka instead of gin, so no one will be able to smell the booze on us (wink, wink). But it turned out that giant, freezing cold glasses of vodka for breakfast, lunch, and dinner could leave a man pretty hungry, so enterprising bartenders started adding an olive or seven to their mixed drinks, thereby staving off starvation for their many patrons.
At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how it went. Either way, I don’t really like Martinis the way they’re so often made today. Here’s a totally different take on the matter, striking closer to the cocktail’s historic core:
- 1.5 ounces The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
- 1.5 ounces Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Stir this one instead of shaking, and have a chilled coupe ready to pour it into. Garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy the delicate balance of flavors between the gin, vermouth, and citrus components.
The Tuxedo Martini
Created in 1886 in an obscure country club outside of Jersey City, the Tuxedo is a relatively unknown Martini variation that’s a favorite amongst craft cocktail bartenders.
Rather than using vermouth, the Tuxedo leverages the uniquely fruity and savory flavors of fino sherry—a Spanish fortified wine—to provide its signature twist.
Fino sherry is a brilliant addition here, as it keeps with the tradition of a very dry Martini while showing off a different side of any gin you mix it with.
The basic recipe goes something like this:
- 2 ounces Plymouth Gin
- 1 ounce Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Stir all these together over ice, and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
We Have All the Time in the World
There you have it: Three vastly different Martinis, both different from each other and different from the usual fare.
Are they all going to be perfect fits for your tastes? Not likely. But will they be fun to make, and an interesting conversation piece with your friends and family over dinner? Absolutely.
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