The White Lady (Circa 1929, Harry’s New York Bar, Paris)

25ml Cointreau

50ml Plymouth Gin

25ml Fresh Lemon Juice

dash of sugar syrup(optional)

dash of egg white (optional)

The French 75( Circa 1925, Harry’s New York Bar, Paris)
Dash of sugar syrup

25ml Lemon juice

25ml Plymouth Gin

75ml Champagne

Spiral of Lemon peel

The Red Snapper (Circa 1930 , New York) 

1 Pinch of Salt, white pepper & celery salt

2 dashes Tabasco sauce, 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

10ml fresh lemon juice

50ml Plymouth Gin

100ml tomato juice

Splash of ruby port

The Dry Martini (popularised circa 1900, Knickerbocker Hotel, New York)

2 dashes orange bitters

15ml Dry French vermouth

75ml Plymouth Gin

Garnish: Snap of lemon peel – Olive!

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass over fresh, hard, clean ice. Pour into a 7oz Martini glass (frozen)

I hope that this little ramble about one of my favourite drinks has entertained you, and maybe even educated a few of you. For those of you out there who know your craft, you have my respect and admiration. Although not large in number, there are those of us who have read countless opinions and articles about the martini. And as these people will know, I have only scratched the surface of what can be said about this little drink.

Others of you will have read this nodding slowly, and others will be frowning deeply because I have contradicted beliefs that were long drummed into them by their trainer. To these people I will simply say, read more and keep an open mind about all that you learn in this industry. There is rarely only one way of doing anything.

To those of you not in the trade, I may not seem any more liberal in my thinking than Hitler was about Poland. So it may surprise you when I tell you that more traditional members of the industry will be reading this as no less than blasphemy for even considering that there is more than one way of making a martini.

This must be done smoothly with as little distress coming to the ice and gin as possible. And yet certain bartenders seem more intent on grinding the gin and ice together, taking as much care as a dinner lady stirring porridge.

Move the spoon around the outside of the glass, rotating the ice as one block, allowing the gin to flow and swirl around the ice. Chilling, gently diluting and releasing all the flavours and aroma of the gin, ready to be slipped into the perfectly fitting, ice cold martini glass, where at last it can rest and bask in all its glory.

How many times should you stir? Well the exact figure I was always given was 19. However, this is where you may again need to adapt. Depending on the type and size of ice you are using. I think that 19 times is a minimum time to let the gin chill. However, if you have larger cubes of ice than the ‘common garden’, you may need to stir on until that icy chill is achieved.

If in doubt, practice and see what works best for you, now there’s an original excuse to drink copious amounts of alcohol in the name of training, and quality control. Don’t say I never give you anything.

Finally we must of course garnish the martini to the liking of the customer. Well, here, as long as the bartender can get a washed olive safely into the glass, I’m home free. However, for those of you out there who prefer a twist it can still all come crashing down. ‘How?’ You ask. Well how many times have you seen a bartender carve a beautiful piece of rind and tie it in an extraordinary design all about fifteen feet away from the drink before placing it in.

There is no feasible way of making a martini without finding out these basic requirements. So the next time you are working the dispense bar, and a waitress orders a ‘dry martini’, ensure you send her back to the customer to find out exactly how the customer wishes to have it.

Let us start with the equipment used. Here I would argue that there are better methods than others. A martini is best stirred (yes, stirred) in a clean Boston glass or glass mixing jug. Wash the glass with chilled soda to ensure that there are no ‘bits’ from previous drinks stuck to the glass or strainer. These ‘bits’ have an incredible ability to stick to the best washed glass until, that is, it is time to make a martini that shows up the slightest blemish.

A ‘Boston’ glass gives the drink plenty of room to circulate around the ice and as glass is a poor conductor of heat compared to metal, it will control the rate of dilution better. I have also heard argument that the tin will react with the gin, thus affecting the flavour. Finally, there is the theatre of drinks making that should not be hidden inside a tin.

As I sit here and begin to write this article, I realise that I risk offending a large number of my readers. So many books, so many different versions. Every bartender worth his or her salt has an opinion about this delicate little drink, some opinions more valid than others, but none the less the Martini is a drink about which everyone has an opinion.

With this in mind I will write my own personal beliefs, and if you happen to disagree, then good for you. And let us know in the ‘discussions forum.

In essence, (as long as it is made correctly) the Martini cannot be made wrong as long as it is to the liking of the customer. And yet there are so many pit falls, contradictions and rituals that make this drink what it is.

Many of these rituals I would argue make no difference to the taste of the drink. However, there are certain irrefutable dos and don’ts that drag me off the fence and onto my soapbox.

I will credit my readers with the basic knowledge of a Martini, that is, a contemporary dry Martini. The history of this drink is for another day. What I mean is that the Martini is Gin aromatized with dry vermouth served straight up in a Martini glass with a choice of garnish, either an olive or a lemon twist (possibly lime for those adventurous ones of you out there).