The Dry Martini
The king of cocktails. Gin, dry vermouth, stirred not shaken, served ice cold with a twist or an olive. Getting this right is a life skill that elevates any evening from 'nice' to 'occasion.' Three ingredients, zero margin for error, infinite sophistication.
Clean, focused, no waffle. Covers ratios, stirring technique, and garnish.
Stir, don't shake. Shaking bruises the gin and makes it cloudy. Stir with ice for 30 seconds — this chills and dilutes to exactly the right point.
The ratio is personal but 5:1 (gin to vermouth) is the classic starting point. More vermouth = softer and more aromatic. Less = drier and more spirit-forward.
Keep your gin in the freezer. Cold gin + cold glass + cold stirring = a martini so cold it's almost viscous. Temperature is everything.
Vermouth is wine — it goes off once opened. Keep it in the fridge and replace every month or two. Stale vermouth ruins martinis.
Chill your martini glass: fill with ice and cold water while you prep, or put it in the freezer 15 minutes before
Fill a mixing glass (or large tumbler) with ice cubes
Pour 60ml gin (London Dry — Tanqueray, Beefeater, or Plymouth are all excellent)
Add 10-15ml dry vermouth (Noilly Prat or Dolin Dry)
Stir gently with a bar spoon for 30 seconds. The ice should clink, not crash
Empty the ice water from your chilled glass
Strain the martini into the chilled glass using a julep strainer or the built-in strainer on a mixing glass
Garnish: a twist of lemon peel (expressed over the surface and dropped in) OR a quality green olive
Serve immediately. Drink promptly. A warm martini is a sad martini
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