On June 19th, shake up some gin and vermouth with ice and add a lemon twist. It’s World Martini Day!
This adult beverage has grown to become one of the best-known mixed drinks. A traditional or perfect Martini is made with equal parts gin and vermouth. For anyone who has never had a Martini, we have a list of terms to help get you started.
Martini Lingo
🍸 Dirty – This Martini includes olive brine or juice from the olive jar.
🍸 Dry – The vermouth is decreased significantly in the Martini, and gin becomes the primary spirit. Extra dry tips the ratio even further.
🍸 Gibson – Instead of an olive, bartenders garnish the Martini with a pickled onion.
🍸 Shaken vs. Stirred – Most bartenders will tell you that the better Martini is stirred. Shaken Martinis tend to be inferior due to a couple of reasons – ice chips water down the drink, and shaking the Martini adds air to the cocktail. A stirred Martini results in a smoother, fuller experience.
🍸 Straight Up – This Martini may be either shaken or stirred, but it is strained and served without ice – the opposite of a Martini on the rocks.
🍸 Smoky or Burnt – Scotch whisky replaces the vermouth in this Martini. A twist of lemon garnishes the glass.
🍸 Wet – Where the dry Martini has less vermouth, this one has more.
🍸 With a Twist – The bartender adds a thin strip of citrus peel to the Martini as a garnish or in the drink.
Shaken, stirred, on the rocks, that’s what you need to know to order traditional Martinis.
James Bond, the fictional spy, sometimes asked for his vodka Martinis to be “shaken, not stirred.”
When the James Bond movies debuted in the late 1960s, the popularity of the Martini increased. In the later decades, clear spirits like vodka overtook aged spirits like bourbon in market share. However, in recent decades, a balancing act seems to be taking place.
Over the years, the traditional Martini inspired a variety of other cocktails such as the Cosmopolitan, chocolatini, or appletini.
GET INVOLVED: Order your favorite Martini or Martini-inspired cocktail. Martinis are an excellent cocktail to serve at a small gathering with hors d’oeuvres. Whether you serve a meat and cheese tray or go all out with shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and patè, make it a night to remember. (Remember always to drink responsibly and to designate a sober driver.) Hosting a cocktail class to learn how to make classic cocktails. Reading a book about the history of bartending. Visiting a local cocktail bar with authentic turn of the 20th-century details. Watching a documentary about the Martini or other famous cocktails.
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