Proper Martini

THEU

THEU

2,500+ Posts
read on another post where someone mentioned a 'vodka martini' Am I the only who who believes that there is no such thing? Gin is the definitive ingredient in a martini. No gin no martini. This is has also reminded me of a Tito's Vodka commercial I heard on the radio where they suggested making a 'margarita' with Tito's. Now Tito's is a FINE beverage, but if you don't put tequila in a drink it is not a margarita. Am I wrong about this?
 
I agree...something about the botanicals of a Gin martini (esp. good gin) that just completely blows away a vodka martini.
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The original martini was made with gin. I cut my martini teeth on them, but when I switched to vodka, I never went back to gin. I also quit the olives and go with a twist....never liked them "dirty" either.

When you order a "martini" it should be assumed gin, hence the term "vodka martini". I believe you are not supposed to shake a gin martini because it "bruises" the gin. Maybe that's why I like the vodka martini....I like mine shaken not stirred. Anybody know if it's true about the bruising?

Another note on gin....I noticed that people are in a much better mood drinking vodka as compared to gin (myself included).
 
I know that the drinkologists will cringe, but basically either one is just a good excuse to drink straight gin/vodka.
 
haha

I can't count how many times I've ordered a martini, had the bartender ask me "gin or vodka" and I've given him/her a "WTF?" look. That's like ordering a steak and having the waiter ask me "beef or tofu?"
 
Shaking a martini is just a way to water down a drink. The shaking action, especially when done w/ crushed ice, puts a lot more water in to the drink, especially when compared to stirring with a few cubes.

The whole reason 007 asked for them shaken was so that he could drink weaker drinks and keep his wits about him a little better.

Read this on a 007 trivia site and finally got to use it
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there's no debate here. there could be if the question was "which is better...vodka or gin?"

but that's not really the issue. a "martini" is with gin. "vodka martini" is a modified version made with vodka.
 
See, this is what I don't get. I mean I don't mind any one enjoying their alcoholic beverage of choice. I am more a whiskey guy myself. My basic premise is still that there is no such thing as a vodka martini. ALL martinis are with gin. If a drink is made with vodka it is something other than a martini. No one has really commented about the Tito's add encouraging vodka margaritas. I just don't get it. You can't have a margarita without tequila. If there is no tequila in the drink enjoy it whatever it is, but it sure as hell isn't a margarita. I honestly believe it must be a marketing issue that ever had these various vodka drinks referred to as 'martinis' BUT they are NOT martinis. No gin = mo martini.
 
Yup, "martini" = gin.

"Vodka martini" = vodka.

Knowledgeable bartenders should use gin if someone simply orders a "martini." But, these days there are enough people out there who don't know the difference, and bertenders understand that too. Hence the common "vodka or gin" question.

As for gin being a "mean" or "depressing" drink, it's an old wive's tale. Gin is really nothing more than vodka that is flavored with juniper berries, so unless there is something specific in the chemistry of juniper berries that makes people mean or depressed (there isn't), then there's no difference between the two.

Recently, a common joke about all of the "infused" vodkas has been, "You know, if they mess with vodka long enough, they just might invent gin."
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when i bartended, as recently as 2 years ago, i refused to ask the question. if someone said "martini", then they got gin. if they didn't want gin, they'd just learned a valuable lesson.

this is like when ******* sit down and order "zinfindel" and don't understand why it's red when i bring it to them. because zin IS red *****!
 
i would once like a bartender to make me a martini when i asked for one, no questions, as scottsins suggested. but nowadays, vodka is so popular, and vodka martinis more popular than regular ones, i kind of understand them asking. it still annoys me though. i asked for a martini, look up the recipe if you have to, it says its made with gin. bring it. if i wanted vodka instead, i'd of asked for a vodka martini.

i do not agree that gin is more depressing than vodka. its all ethanol. the only alcohol that effects me differently is tequila. if i'm drunk on tequila it's it illicits the typical fight or **** mood. everything else i stay even keeled on.
 
Shaking the martini breaks down ice crystals and releases the oils within the gin's botanicals. Knew that episode of the Thirsty Traveler would come to use some day. I too prefer a twist instead of an olive.

Funny story, I was in a bar in The Hague and ordered a vodka martini, got a glass of vodka and a glass of martini & rossi. Should have known better.
 
A couple things on the Dry Martini. First, the ideal proportions for any drink are those which please your taste; pay little or no attention to those who insist on their approach. This applies to other consumables, with the exception, of course, that there should never be any beans in chili.

My favorite drink mixing book says a Dry Martini should be made on a ratio of 7 parts of gin to 1 part Lillet vermouth. I prefer Noilly Prat. Lots of mythology about the dryness of the Martini. Things like storing the gin and vermouth in the same cabinet is enough; or spraying one spritz of vermouth.

In the most recent Bond film, Bond requests a Martini made from gin, vodka, and Lillet, which he names "Vesper" after the girl. I think this combination is directly from the book, Casino Royale, which was published in 1953. I will check this trivia later.
 
After a lot of years of bartending, I concluded that bitching about "bruising" the gin is just another way for martini drinkers to act like pompous, egotistical ********.
 
Aha!!

Found it. Bond orders a dry Martini, in a champagne goblet. "Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel." So, a 8 to 1 martini with two parts vodka. Later in the book, Bond names it after the girl, "Vesper."
 
Alcohol itself is a depressant. Doesn't matter if it's in gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey, beer, or wine.

The "bruising the gin" thing is a BS myth. I've had oldtimers tell me that a metal shaker can impart flavors into the cocktail. Since just about every metal cocktail shaker I've ever seen is made from stainless steel, which is inert with respect to flavoring, I doubt it. I've heard that they used to use silver shakers, and silver is a slightly reactive metal, so maybe that's where it came from? But with stainless, I don't see it.

But the true problem with shaking a martini is that it waters down the drink more that stirring it would. Gins and other clear liquors that are flavored with delicate botanicals don't stand up as well to this dilution. The flip-side is that it gets the drink colder, but the bartender should chill the glass before-hand anyway, which goes a lot further toward keeping a drink colder, longer. Besides, I don't want or need a freezing cold martini anyway.

Since normal, non-infused vodkas don't have those delicate botanicals, they're okay to shake. But you are still diluting the drink...
 
Can anyone recommend a place where I can order a good martini? I've never had one and I don't really want to imagine what would be served to me if I asked for a martini at the bars that I frequent.
 
The bars at upscale restaurants usually make excellent, classic cocktails. So, you could try the bar at Sullivan's, or Eddie V's, or another place like that.

Also, go ahead and call the gin in your martini-- I prefer Bombay Sapphire.
 
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