Martini

By Robert Simonson

Martini
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(685)
Comments
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The martini is the undisputed king of cocktails, nearly a category unto itself. The frosty, austere, all-alcohol icon has bewitched palates and imaginations for more than a century, to a measure no other drink can even approach. The trend toward drier martinis, with only trace amounts of vermouth, began after World War II. (In martini vernacular, “dry” means less vermouth, “wet” means more.) That style remains popular. But, thank goodness, in recent years crusading bartenders have brought proportions back close to historical, wetter dimensions. A martini isn’t a martini without the herbal tang of vermouth; a 3 to 1 ratio of gin to vermouth should satisfy both tastes, given that the vermouth is of good quality and fresh.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • 2¼ounces London dry gin
  • ¾ounce dry vermouth
  • 1dash orange bitters
  • Lemon twist or olives, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

187 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 2 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Stir all ingredients over ice until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olives, depending on your taste.

Ratings

4 out of 5
685 user ratings
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Comments

Kathi Karr

Or Dorothy Parker: "I like to have a Martini. Two at the very most. After three I'm under the table, After four I'm under my host."

Leonor

If you like a good martini and don't know Ogden Nash's stanza on them, you should! There is something about a Martini, A tingle remarkably pleasant; A yellow, a mellow Martini; I wish that I had one at present. There is something about a Martini, Ere the dining and dancing begin, And to tell you the truth, It is not the vermouth- I think that perhaps it’s the gin.

Leo

You are confusing Martinis with Manhattans, which are indeed either sweet, dry, or perfect. No Martini has ever (knowingly) been made with sweet vermouth; the writer of the article is correct in their assertion that a dry Martini has less (or, typically, no) dry vermouth in it.

cmc

Cold, cold, cold. Store your glasses and your gin in the freezer, please!

Dave

Hendrick's all the way. Dolin vermouth. Garnish with cucumber. Refreshingly botanical delight.

CJ48

I prefer a more herbal to the London Dry gin. A dry gin martini is gin poured into the glass and the vermouth waved over the top--no where near the gin.

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