Shaken, Not Stirred
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Please Drink Responsibly
October 30, 2008 - 11:00pmThough ordering a martini may have once signified a gin cocktail with a hint of vermouth, vodka is now generally the more common main ingredient in a martini.
Martinis are most commonly made in the U.S. with two and a half ounces of vodka or gin and half an ounce of vermouth. The two are usually mixed in a cocktail shaker with ice and then drained into a cone-shaped cocktail glass with a long stem.
Vermouth, in case you haven’t been spending your days researching drinks online, is a fortified wine with an alcohol content generally between 15 and 19 percent (with sweeter vermouths having less alcohol content).
Olives can be used simply as garnish, though some people actually add olive juice to the martini.
A dirty martini is made by adding olive juice or even substituting it for vermouth.
Lemon or even just the rind of the lemon are also common garnishes.
Another possibility is the pickled onion, which makes a drink generally called a Gibson.
Halloween-ize your martini
Last year I had quite a few failed attempts at finding and creating Halloween-themed drinks. Hint: do not buy syrupy pumpkin liquors, unless you plan on using them to dye your pumpkin costume. A recent trip to the vodka section of Triphammer Wine and Spirits led to a better discovery, however: Vampyre Vodka. Though the company makes the vodka in its traditional clear form, you will probably be more interested to know that they also make an unflavored red vodka that looks almost like you’re drinking blood — and certainly turns your teeth, lips and skin red. The vodka itself isn’t bad and certainly adds a twist to your blood-sucking costume.
Super dry your martini
There’s wide variation in how much vermouth should be used in a martini. Generally martinis with less vermouth are referred to as dry martinis (although this can also be used to signify that the drink was made with dry, not sweet vermouth). Here’s a really dry martini to impress your friends with.
Necessary ingredients: vermouth, vodka or gin, ice, shaker (can substitute two plastic cups via method below), martini glass (while a proper martini glass is not necessary, a cone-shaped glass is required for the vermouth trick)
Optional ingredients: olive or lemon for garnish
Chill your martini glass either by keeping them in a freezer or by filling with ice water just before using.
Put ice cubes in shaker, then add vodka. Cover shaker and mix until cold. If you do not have a shaker, put the ice and vodka into one plastic cup and use another cup to cover the top entirely so that the openings are facing each other. Holding the cups together, shake hard. Make sure the alcohol is really cold.
If you have ice water in the glass, dump it out and dry the glass with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Pour a small amount of vermouth in the glass and turn the glass slowly until the edges are coated with vermouth. Dump any remaining liquid out of the glass.
Add more ice to the shaker and shake briefly. Pour vodka from shaker into the martini glass; the little ice particles are from the second ice infusion. Enjoy.