Martini cocktail
The martini or dry martini (Dry Martini in English) is one of the best-known cocktails, made up of gin with a jet of vermouth. It is usually served in a cocktail glass, garnished with a crossed olive. There are numerous variants of the martini, although perhaps the best known is the Vodka martini, in which the gin is replaced by vodka.
Preparation
According to the IBA (International Bartenders Association), 2 the martini recipe consists of:
- 5.5 cl of gin (or vodka in the case of Vodka martini)
- 1.5 cl of dry vermouth
- The ingredients are added in a mixing glass with ice cubes, and should be stirred well. It is served without ice, in a chilled cocktail glass, squeezing the oil from the skin of a lemon or garnished with a cross olive.
Variations
In addition to the Vodka Martini, there are several variations of the recipe, such as the sweet Martini, in which the dry vermouth is replaced by red vermouth and decorated with a maraschino cherry; 3 or the Perfect Martini (perfect Martini), composed of 5.5 cl of gin, 1.0 cl of dry vermouth and 1.0 cl of red vermouth, decorated with lemon peel or a maraschino cherry. 4 Also the Gibson, a martini served with one or two pearl onions instead of the classic olive.
Another notable variation is the one known as Clarito, created by the famous Argentine bartender Santiago Policastro, in which the olive is replaced by a lemon peel garnish, which gives the drink a slightly milder flavor.
History
The Martini appears to have been created around 1910. Its name could derive from Mr. Martini, bar chief of the New York Knickerbocker Club room in the first decade of the 20th century. Another theory relates it to a Mr. Martinez, who was able to invent the cocktail in a Boston bar in the late 19th century. It can also derive from the vermouth brand Martini & Rossi, which exported their products to the United States long before the cocktail existed.
There are numerous anecdotes or legends related to the Martini. When the American Dry Act was repealed, newly elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt prepared a dry Martini at the White House to make the mandate official; 6 years later, at the 1943 Tehran Conference, Roosevelt himself prepared a Martini for Stalin. , who opined that it "cools the stomach more than anything else", a opinion denied by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, who after drinking an especially strong one said that it was "the most lethal of American weapons."
There are also several theories and legends about the exact proportions of the Martini. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is said to have been known to prefer a dry Martini to the one that was "shown," without adding vermouth. Ernest Hemingway is also said to have liked a high ratio of gin (15 to 1), rather than the classic mix (8 to 2) .
The discussion about the way the Martini is prepared is also well-known, represented in popular culture in the figure of James Bond, the character of the English novelist Ian Fleming, who in all his films, when he asks for his favorite drink, adds: «agitated, not stirred », which is strictly called a" Bradford ". W. Somerset Maugham stated on the other hand that "a Martini must always be stirred, not shaken, so that the molecules rest sensually on top of each other." The difference between mixing or shaking the cocktail is really indistinguishable, and the choice of one or the other method lies in the belief that, in some way, the drink is affected by the way of preparation.
Its popularity is such that it has given its name to the most universal cocktail glass, triangular in shape, which is called a martini or cocktail glass.
Boscoli Dirty Martini Olive Juice 12.7 ounces (Pack of 3)
