You pour a few drops of vermouth in a glass. Swirl it around then tip down the sink.
Topped with a good pour of gin and ice.
3 Likes
I think that story is ascribed to Winston Churchill. The best dry martini I have had is at Dukes Hotel in London - they spray the inside of the glass with vermouth from an atomiser and then pour in gin from a bottle kept in the freezer. That’s it!
6 Likes
So just neat gin with ice?
Ice IN the martini - sacrilege!
2 Likes
The question with these is, what vermouth?
Shouldn’t have ice in the martini. You stir the gin and vermouth with ice cubes to chill the drink and to dilute a tiny bit. Then strain into a chilled martini glass
I’ve just given an example above - Noilly Prat
1 Like
Sorry, so you did!
So, by this description a Martini is simply adding a trace of other botanicals to the normal gin botanicals. Perhaps someone will produce a gin already containing them and call it Martini…
Re ice, you could use those silicone or plastic fluid filled cubes (or other shapes!), or of course put the gin in the freezer…
1 Like
Indeed - a few more botanicals added to the gin. Some recipes also call for a few drops of bitters such as orange or gentian bitters. If you are expecting lots of guests and don’t want the faff of making individual martinis, you take a full bottle of gin and pour out 100mls of gin. You then top up with 100ml of vermouth and keep the bottle in the freezer. When guests arrive just pour out 60ml of the ready- made martini!
1 Like
Regal Rogue have a nice range… especially good ‘mulled’ for a winter warmer.
Plenty of people above have beaten me to some answers, but here’s my recommendation:
Gin: Beefeater, Plymouth or Tanqueray
Vermouth: Martini Extra Dry (there may well be other good ones, but I’ve never experimented much)
Gin:Vermouth ratio of 5:1 minimum. I quite like filling a container with ice, pouring a double shot of vermouth in, pouring off the excess, then put the required amount of gin in, stir and strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass. I quite like the vermouth atomiser and gin from th freezer idea (above) though - sounds easier!
Mark
2 Likes
I get the impression that Martini-lovers are a bit like vinyl-lovers. It isn’t the result (flavour or sound) that matters, but the processes involved in getting it.
3 Likes
Wow …that looks delicious !
1 Like
For a truly dry martini, pour the requisite amount of gin into the mixing glass, then bow in the direction of France.
1 Like
No, it’s everything, from researching different techniques to draining the last drops from the glass.
1 Like
As we say up here that looks teuch 
God bless the National Trust. Lovely Kentish 9 mile circular walk between Ightham Mote - a moated medieval manor house - and Knole Park - a Jacobean pile and former Bishops Palace. Hundreds of families with kids of all ages enjoying the fresh air. Even better cafes at both ends - NT cheese scone and a pot of Earl Grey and later spiced apple cake and americano. Hip Hip …
1 Like
