The Martini Guide

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Hemingway said that he favored the “15 parts gin to 1 part vermouth” Dry Martini ratio, calling that the “Montgomery” – supposedly, that was the drink Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery favored before going into battle. As for you, what is your Dry Martini recipe? Follow the Gentleman’s Gazette in this excursion to the history of the most famous cocktail.

007 preparing his own version of the Dry Martini
007 preparing his own version of the Dry Martini

Martinis are undeniably associated with James Bond. Any Bond fan will have his or her own impression of Sean Connery, the best 007 ever (disagree if you must, but don’t tell me), with his unmistakable Scottish intonation, saying “shaken, not stirred”.

The ingredients for a Vesper cocktail
The ingredients for a Vesper cocktail

What few James Bond fans know is that the original drink recipe described by Ian Fleming in his famous spy character’s voice was not your regular gin-and-vermouth combination. In the first 007 novel, Casino Royale, Bond orders the drink like this: “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.” Our favorite fictional agent dubbed this cocktail The Vesper, after Vesper Lynd, played by the lovely Eva Green in the 2006 movie.

Shaken or Stirred?

However, Bond would drop the Vesper in later novels, preferring the standard vodka martini. But why shaken and not stirred? Does it make a difference? Believe it or not, the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario found that a shaken gin martini had more antioxidants than a stirred one. A point for Bond.

Bartender stirring a Dry Martini
Bartender stirring a Dry Martini

On the other hand, shaking the drink will cloud it, which is an undesirable characteristic of any proper drink. Besides, shaking will also break the ice cubes and produce shards, which melt faster and dilute the martini. A point against Bond.

Shaken (left) and stirred martinis
Shaken (left) and stirred martinis

In a test designed to check for tasting differences between a shaken and a stirred martini, the author of The Love of Alcohol blog said that “The stirred one had a much stronger taste of gin. This wasn’t completely unexpected. Shaking dilutes the drink more.”

Science apart, I like Somerset Maugham’s tongue-in-cheek quip: “A Martini should always be stirred, not shaken, so that the molecules lie sensuously on top of one another.”

The Invention of the Martini

Martini vermouth
Martini vermouth

The origins of the name (and of the drink itself) are lost in the shadows of history, but some authors have assembled a few alternatives. The most probable one is a reference to the Italian vermouth producer, Martini, dating back to 1863. Even an indifferent drinker may know this brand from its famous posters.

The Occidental Hotel, San Francisco
The Occidental Hotel, San Francisco

Some say that the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco served a cocktail called the Martinez (after the nearby city).

Knickerbocker Hotel, New York
Knickerbocker Hotel, New York

Another version of the origin story claims that the drink was invented by a bartender in the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York in 1911 or 1912.

The Martini-Henry rifle
The Martini-Henry rifle

An intriguing source states that the name comes from a rifle called Martini-Henry used in the English army during the 1870’s due to its “kick”.

However, the book Stuart’s Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them, by Stuart Thomas and published in 1904, describes a primitive form of a dry martini, “a 2:1 mix of Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth, with a dash of orange bitters.”

The Elements of a Martini

Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters

The classic dry martini is made with London dry gin, dry vermouth and a garnish (lemon peel, olives, onions, etc.) Some – like the Spanish director Luis Buñuel – add bitter Angostura for a different finish.

Juniper, the materia prima of gin
Juniper, the materia prima of gin

What is gin? It is the short form of the word genever, related to the Dutch jenever, derived from Juniperus, Latin for juniper. Besides juniper – its main ingredient – gin is a clear distilled alcohol containing herbs and floral ingredients.

When Wilhelm III, Prince of Orange invaded Britain in 1688, he allowed the production of distilled beverages, stimulating the genever from his homeland as a replacement for the brandies made by his enemies, the French. It was then that the poor Londoners began to create their own version of genever, calling it gin. In 1721, the British drank 14 million liters of gin; in 1726, there were 1,500 distilleries in London and over 6,000 stores selling it.

In the next century, the quality of the gin improved dramatically when it began to be produced in professional distilleries; Gordon’s, for instance, was founded in 1769.

The Bartender's Manual
The Bartender’s Manual

Harry Johnson’s 1888 Bartender’s Manual has the oldest Martini recipe in print, and he used Old Tom gin, somewhat sweeter than the regular gin.

Vermouth is an aromatized and fortified wine “flavored with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices)”. The grapes used to produce the base wine are French and Italian, such as Clairette Blanche, Piquepoul, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Catarratto, and Trebbiano. The fact that you have botanicals in the vermouth and in the gin make their blend in a cocktail such as the dry Martini much more sensible than the alternative, vodka.

Noilly Prat, the standard vermouth
Noilly Prat, the standard vermouth

Noilly Prat is a standard favorite vermouth among dry Martini fans, but there are some new vermouths around that may also be great partners to your gin.

Dolin Dry vermouth
Dolin Dry vermouth

Also French, the Dolin Dry Vermouth has gained a following as of late: it mixes very well with London Dry gins such as Boodles and Tanqueray.

Cocchi Americano vermouth
Cocchi Americano vermouth

Another vermouth to gain attention is the Italian Cocchi Americano, that pairs well with gins like Hendrick’s.

As to the gin, there are some subtleties that need to be taken into consideration. Juniper and its presence is the main factor, and in this sense, the old-school styled gins such as Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, or Plymouth are better for a dry martini.

Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker

If you want something slightly out of the box, try the Dorothy Parker gin, for a lighter and more tart drink. By the way, Mrs. Parker was a poet, journalist, and writer with a very good sense of humor and some attribute this poem to her:

“I like to have a martini,

Two at the very most.

After three I’m under the table,

after four I’m under my host.”

Vodka as a substitute for gin in the recipe will change the drink’s name to “Kangaroo”, with a lemon rind as garnish. But remember what Mittie Hellmich writes in the Ultimate Bar Book: a martini is “structured on the perfect botanical balance between gin’s juniper berry and dry vermouth’s herbal qualities,” and so vodka, which is a neutral spirit, brings nothing to the mix.

A Gibson
A Gibson

When you use cocktail onions instead of olives, you have a Gibson.

Martini glasses with a shaker
Martini glasses with a shaker

Oh, I almost forgot: the ideal glass is this shown above, called – sorry, it is obvious – a Martini glass.

Proportions

A ferocious discussion among bartenders, customers and dry martini lovers in general centers around proportions: the proportion or ratio between gin (which I personally prefer to vodka) and vermouth.

A Dry Martini garnished with a lemon twist
A Dry Martini garnished with a lemon twist

In Isaac Asimov’s Treasury of Humor, he tells this story (which some attribute to Ernest Hemingway):

Jones, preparing for a safari in the deepest Africa, was going over the list of supplies he had ordered, and his friend Smith, who was present, clucked disapprovingly over it.

“No good,” he said. “You’ve left out the most vital item.”

“What’s that?” demanded Jones.

“Vermouth. You’ve got to have vermouth in case you get lost.”

“What good would vermouth do in that case?”

Smith shook his head at the other’s ignorance. He said, “Listen, suppose you’re a thousand miles from any outpost of civilization. Your bearers have all deserted and you’re alone, surrounded by trackless jungle. So you sit down and start making a dry martini for yourself while you collect your wits – and that’s where the vermouth comes in. You just add a good shot of vermouth and from all over the jungle people will spring out at you shouting, ‘That’s no way to make a dry martini.’ And you’re rescued.”

In 1922, the proportion was 2 (parts of gin):1 (part of vermouth), but over the course of the 20th century, the amount of vermouth dropped visibly. Interestingly, during the 1930s it was 3:1 and in the 1940s, 4:1.

Noël Coward
Noël Coward

And you will find radical extremists advocating the abolition of the vermouth. Noël Coward, for instance, said that “a perfect Martini should be made by filling a glass with gin, then waving it in the general direction of Italy,” in deference to the Martini factory.

Churchill's recipe
Churchill’s recipe

Churchill, always the witty causeur, used to prepare his dry martini with ice-cold gin and a bow in the direction of France – a tribute to Noilly Prat, considered by some as the best vermouth for a dry martini. His compatriot Alfred Hitchcock would not go near a vermouth bottle, either.

Lyndon Johnson would prepare his “In and Out Martini” filling a glass with vermouth, throwing it out and filling it with gin.

Stalin and Roosevelt
Stalin and Roosevelt

Roosevelt was more conservative and would carry a “martini kit” around to prepare his own drink with two parts gin, one part vermouth, some olive brine, a lemon twist and an olive. After revoking the Prohibition, the first thing that he did was to prepare a dry martini! Some say that he made one for Stalin at the Livadia, in Crimea, and said to the Soviet leader that “a good martini has to have a twist of lemon”. The next morning, Stalin gave Roosevelt a lemon tree from Georgia with over 200 lemons.

A Dry Martini garnished with olives
A Dry Martini garnished with olives

To confuse the drinker, you may have a wet martini (which contains more vermouth than usual), a dry martini (with less or no vermouth at all) and a perfect (ha! they wish) martini, with equal parts of dry and sweet vermouth to the gin. If you want to keep it under control, experiment with the classic ratios: 3:1, 4:1 and 5:1. However, the International Bartenders Association (IBA) manual states a 6:1 ratio.

In the last few years, interest in cocktail crafting and artisanal distilling has reached a new fever pitch. A visit to a well-stocked liquor store, in many places, reveals many new international and locally distilled alcohol. Gin is particularly popular as the flavor profile is a bit more flexible than a neutral vodka and it’s relatively easy to distill; no aging is required.

Portobello Star Bar Ginstitute
Portobello Star Bar Ginstitute

Britain has seen a renewed interest in gin in the last few years, and this interest generated many new distilleries, some with artisanal production. Today, places such as the Portobello Star Bar Ginstitute dedicate themselves to study gin and its history. (By the way, it was listed as one of the 50 best bars in the world in 2016.)

World Martini Day

World Martini Day
World Martini Day

Yes, it exists: June 19. (Don’t ask me why this day.) Have one!

Conclusion

You may have noticed that we did not come to any definitive conclusion as to the best Dry Martini recipe. And there is a reason for that; as with so many other things in the world of gastronomy and drinks, it is a matter of personal taste. Thus, my suggestion is that you experiment with different gins and vermouths to find not only your own favorite brands but also the proportion that best suits your taste. Try garnishing your dry martini with lemon peel, olives, or cocktail onions for effect, and don’t forget to try a drop or two of Angostura. One of my style mentors, Marcelino de Carvalho, suggested a special trick for the best dry martini ever: after you prepare the cocktail, strike a match and squeeze lemon zest over the flame, letting the burnt drops give your martini a unique finish.

Cheers!

Reader Comments

  1. I am a frequent martini imbiber, and I always shake them. It chills the drink to a proper temperature much quicker. As for dilution, try drinking a martini with gin that has been stored in the freezer and made without shaking or stirring on ice. It is ghastly. A martini needs some water. As for cloudiness, mine are always crystal clear with a few tiny shards of ice floating on top. And always serve it in a glass that has been stored in the freezer. Putting a few ice cubes in the glass while making the drink is useless.

    1. Supported. I usually shake my Martinis, and they have never been cloudy. Currently I try to master the “hard-shake”, a method invented by Japanese bartender Kazuo Uyeda. Being actually gentle not hard, it moves the ice around inside the shaker, not only smashing it against its ends. And finally, as a good Martini consists of 50 % ceremony, it adds to perfection even if there is no physical difference…

  2. I prefer a shaken martini, but it must be done gently. William Powell, as Nick Charles in The Thin Man, recommended that a martini be shaken to a waltz, while other cocktails are shaken to a fox trot. I’ve found that older bartenders understand this, younger ones seem to think that all cocktails should be shaken violently. I cringe when I order one, and hear the bartender going crazy with the shaker. Nothing sadder than a bruised martini.

  3. At Dukes Hotel in London, the gin is taken straight from the freezer so there is no need to chill it. The merest stir to mix the vermouth is all that is required.

  4. I’ve returned to make one more point. I believe the crucial ingredient to all martinis is water. Just enough to smooth out the bite of alcohol. It’s not just about chilling the gin.

    1. Daniel,
      water is extremely useful, even indispensible, in morning and evening ablutions and for daily shaving.

      In my Martini, however it is not welcome.

      Here is how I make my Martini.

      The Gin comes from the freezer; the Dry Martini Vermouth from Piemonte, Italy, via my own fridge; and the glass, duly rinsed with Vermouth, has its permanent residence in the freezer, with three of its brothers.

      The only thing at room temperature I use is the green olive, so also ice (the tougher brother of water) is unnecessary, in my process.

      Now, as to proportions: through trial and error over some 40 years period I found that for me the optimal proportion is: 92% Gin and 8% Vermouth, which gives a quite dry drink (however, remember that all my Martini gasses are frosted with frozen Vermouth).

      On the other hand, I prefer my Vodka Martini with a higher proportion of Vermouth (15%) as Vodka contributes no aromas to the mix.

      This is a less complex drink, but one that, on occasions, I do enjoy.

  5. A dash or two of orange bitters, as in a lot of the earliest recipes, also add a nice touch for those looking to change things up.

  6. I’m a big fan of the Martini at Dukes in London – it is a fairly lethal drink though, being a fairly large glass of nearly neat higher-strength gin with just a couple of dashes of Vermouth (unless, of course, you request otherwise). They sensibly restrict you to a maximum of two.

    If you’re a fan of truffles I’d recommend trying their white truffle Martini in season.

    1. I have a house not far from the motherland of white truffles, Alba (Italy). I visit there three times yearly, yet I never thought of addindg a couple of thin slices of truffle to a Dry Martini cocktail.

      Next fall I will certainly try: I strongly suspect it will be a very good idea indeed!

      Thanks!

  7. I think there is most certainly a preferable difference in the definitive martini preparation with gin vs. vodka. My brief rule: gin should always be stirred and vodka always shaken. As Auntie Mame teaches, “stir never shake – it bruises the gin.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzshzHKSYfk

    I like the 5:1 ratio of London gin to French dry vermouth (specifically Sipsmith gin and Dolin dry, respectively). No bitters but I do like adding a dip of lemon peel and then promptly removing it. Adding an olive then finishes the job.

    For vodka martinis, I prefer good Russian vodkas (like Jewel of Russia) shaken vigorously over ice so hard it will make a full ice sheet once poured in the glass. Vodka is already (supposed to be) a neutral flavor, so serious dilution doesn’t hurt. If you add vermouth to vodka, all you can taste is the vermouth. Pop in a couple olives and vualya, a damn fine vodka martini.

  8. I’ve always made what I learned was a Super Martini, one part Vodka, one part Vermouth, and one part Gin. I usually make these for my wife. One of her friends, who is a bartender informed me that real Martini’s do not have Vodka as an ingredient. I also learned that a dirty Martini includes a bit of the olive juice. The wife is very fond of these. I’ve also found that the better the ingredients, the better the Martini. The high-end Gins and Vermouths do seem to make better tasting drinks. As for comments, I like Dorothy Parker’s Martini poem, although the wife thinks its vulgar.

  9. This is one of the most engaging and enlightening articles written about this timeless classic. I have done serious research on this cocktail for a good many years and I agree with the conclusion: to each his own. Vodka has never been for me in a Martini although I have friends who prefer it. Call me a purist but this is the best time to become a devotee of this fabulous drink, with so many gins and vermouths to choose from. A word of caution: not every bartender makes a good one. Some devotees prefer to make their own; so pick your terrain wisely. The University Club in New York consistently makes good ones. Thank you for this wonderful contribution to sybaritic journalism; you have done your fellow man a good deed, indeed.

  10. My Martini contains just a hint of Vermouth, whispered softly into the shaker. Actually, I prefer the “In & Out” Method. Ice is added to the shaker, Vermouth is dribbled in, about a half teaspoon, the ice is shaken then the contents dumped out, leaving the scented ice in the shaker, waiting for the Gin, Usually one of the Bombay’s; Sapphire, Sapphire East or Star of Bombay, occasionally a Potato Gin from Maine called Cold River.
    I chill the glass with ice and water, dump it off and add the contents of the shaker to the glass. The is not the typical Y-shaped glas, it allows the Martini to warm to quickly and is easily sloshed. I use my Nick & Nora glasses, made famous by Nick & Nora Charles in the classic movies “The Thin Man”. They are a rounded stemmed glass that contains the drink and prevents sloshing and the the Martini stays cooler, longer, and holds my three olive garnish. Not two, not four olives, but three, sectioning off the Martini nicely; drink a third eat an olive, saving the last one for the completion of the drink!

  11. Stirring over shaking, shaking does bruise the drink leaving a bit too smooth and almost flat. I much more prefer the bite from a short stir. At this point ratio really dosen’t matter. Also most educated bartenders say when mixing two “clears”, two base liquors, it’s best to stir, when mixing a “clear and a cloudy” base liquor and juice, shaking is best.

  12. Do not skimp on quality! As the article points out, the best martinis are made with the best ingredients. My mix is two parts gin (pref. Bombay Sapphire or Plymouth) and one part dry vermouth (Martini), plus a splash of olive juice and two or three olives. BTW I get the olive juice from my supermarket’s olive bar–they don’t even charge me and it’s way better than what you get from a jar of olives.

  13. I sit here writing as I gingerly sip on a Gimlet made with Empress Gin (only available in parts of Canada) and home made lime juice with a twist of the lime expressed into the drink and rubbed lovingly along the rim of the glass. If you don’t have Empress Gin then I might suggest a London dry gin with a bit of St. Germain. Like a martini it must be drunk as cold as winter gale in Antarctica. My main go to Martini is made with a fragrant botanical gin and instead of vermouth a splash of Rye whiskey. A nice way to end a casual work day wearing a forest green blazer, grey trousers, brown wing tips, red and brown spotted yellow tie with a silver collar bar and a burgundy pocket square. Great blog.

  14. One night in 2016 at a hotel bar in downtown Denver after the workday, I had plenty of time so I told the bartender that it’s a good time to decide which gin I will use to make my martinis from now on. I had the first with Bombay. I took my time, cleansed my palate and carefully looked at the gin selection. I chose Hendricks. It’s been Hendricks ever since. I’d never considered bitters though. And the suggestion of a splash of rye was interesting. I only drink rye Manhattans. Great article, great contributions. I can’t wait ’till the weekend to try some out. Great article!

  15. I agree, in my taste, with the gentlest stir. I’ve even heard about “stirred with the left hand” (if you are righthanded, the stirring movement is weaker).
    About the dryness, I remember the MASH quote: “I’d like a dry martini, Mr. Quoc, a very dry martini. A very dry, arrid, barren, desiccated, veritable dustbowl of a martini. I want a martini that could be declared a disaster area. Mix me just such a martini.”

    Regards, and a glass of whatever-you-like Martini with all of you.
    Ferruccio.
    PS: I write from Turin, birthplace (they say) of vermouth and 20 km from Martini factory. My great-aunt worked for Cocchi in Asti, too.

  16. I hate to be a horrible pedant, but in Ian Fleming’s novels, Bond only drank martinis to impress the ladies. On his own, he was much more likely to drink bourbon on ice or neat vodka (pre-war Wolfschmidt from Riga, please) with a few grains of black pepper to settle the oils – a trick he learned from the Russians in Moscow.

  17. An old pal of mine, truly a Renaissance man-of-the-world, has over the years developed a very strict set of specs for his ideal Martini. As a favor, I had cards printed for him to hand to a bartender in order to hasten the preparation process. I reproduce the recipe herewith to add yet another perspective to this learned discussion:

    Bespoke Martini Grande
    • 4 jiggers Tanqueray No. 10 gin
    • Double old-fashioned glass
    • Fill with cracked ice
    • Splash of dry French vermouth
    • 2 green olives with pimentos
    • Swirl only (don’t stir, don’t shake!)

  18. As a Mexican, I have a connection with tequila and mezcal, so I mix tequila martinis and mezcal martinis.
    Not bad at all, ratio for both 4:1. With olives.
    ¡Salud!

  19. According to numerous source’s, Hemingway is said to have favored a Montgomery martini, named for the general who wouldn’t attack unless he outnumbered the enemy 15 to one, in troops and equipment.
    A bit strong for me, though I’m a fan of 9/1 ratio. It’s very near Signore Noseital’s recipe above and were found out, with same method, in equal amount of years. Therefore, it must be correct! :-)

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