Martini

A martini is a cocktail featuring a chilled blend of gin or vodka and a hint of either sweet red or dry white vermouth. Original recipes for a martini called for a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, but that proved to be too unpopular with drinkers who preferred the astringent and sharp taste of gin to the sweetness or dryness of a wine-based product like Italian vermouth. Refinements to the recipe led to at least a 5:1 ratio, all the way to a 15:1 ratio for some dry martini enthusiasts.

There are several different accounts of the true origin of the gin martini. Some claim the drink was named after an earlier concoction called a Martinez. Others suggest the drink was named after a bartender named Martinez who popularized the cocktail during the late 19th century. It is also possible the martini got its name from one half of the popular Italian vermouth producers, Martini and Rossi.

A traditional gin martini is either stirred with a splash of vermouth or shaken with vermouth and ice in a special beverage shaker. The bartender strains out the ice and pours the chilled gin and vermouth into a distinctively conical martini glass. At this point, an olive or twist of lemon peel may be added for additional flavor.

Vermouth is a liquor made from wine, with a number of different herbs added for flavor. It is known as an aromatized liquor, and some people refer to it as a fortified wine – although strictly speaking, a fortified wine usually has alcohol added to it to increase its potency, while vermouth uses the alcohol for the flavor it imparts. Vermouth is probably best known for its role in the popular cocktail, the martini. Indeed, the most popular brand of vermouth is the Italian brand, Martini & Rossi.

In America and Britain, if one orders a martini, one is likely to get a gin or vodka cocktail, in other regions of the world, ordering a martini will get you a glass of Martini & Rossi’s sweet vermouth – popular as an aperitif.

Dry vermouth is approximately 18% alcohol and has under 7% residual sugar left, while sweeter vermouths are around 15% alcohol and may have as much as 15% residual sugar remaining.