Thursday, August 19, 2010

Gin Dry Martini - Recipes for Beginners, Intermediate and Ultimate Dry drinkers

Let's get this big subject out of the way from the very beginning. Dry martinis are not a great choice for first time martini drinkers. Seriously!! For amateur drinkers, Dry martinis may seem a little harsh since they have not yet accustomed their taste buds to the particular kick felt in neat liquor flavors.

Suggestions: 
- Keep a bottle of gin in the freezer for your dry martinis exclusively
- Ice/water is a key element in this drink. Always use fresh ice.
- Olives or Lemon Twist? - your choice, if you use a lemon twist, then use it, by that I mean, Twist your lemon peel over the glass, to enjoy the fragance and flavor provided by the citric oils to your libation.
- If you prefer the olives, then EAT THEM. Seriously, Eat one of your olives before drinking your Dry Martini, that will guarantee that your taste buds are covered by the natural oils of your olives and create a prefect recipient for the herbal notes fo the gin.

I am posting 3 recipes for Dry Martinis. 
  • Begginners (Occasional drinkers) - 4 to 1 ratio - Shaken and bruised
  • Intermediate (Your average weekend drinker) - 7 to 1 ratio- Stirred
  • Ultimate drinkers (You know who you are, oh, my regulars!!) - "In and out" Martini- stirred
The original recipe calls for 4 basic ingredients. Gin, Vermouth, Olives, and Ice. How you combine them and in which proportions you mix them, will be the key element to create a different drink.

Beginners Dry Martini

Option 1: 
 "Long" Dry Martini, Shaken not stirred
The original recipe calls for 1 part gin, 1 part vermouth, but Gin´s quality is much better nowadays and its proof has increased to the point that lees vermouth is required)

4 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
Olives as a garnish
Shaken (Bruise* it, Only for beginners...)

Option 2:
Dirty Martini, Shaken  
Check out my blog on Dirty Martinis coming on September

4 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 Part Olive Brine
Olives as a garnish
Shaken (Bruised*)

* Bruised means that will be over shaken, to the point that the ice will be broken in tiny shards providing more presence of water in your drink. 40 to 50 Mississippi counts will be about the right shaking time to bruise the ice. Remember this is just an exception, average drinks will take from 15 to 20 Mississippi counts to be perfectly shaken.

I prefer to serve Shaken (Bruised) martinis to beginners with a more pronounce Vermouth flavor and garnish with 3 Olives (first time martini drinkers need to soften up the presence of herbal flavors in their palates, so don´t be shy, stuff them suckers with either red peppers, anchovies or blue cheese. Don´t forget that you are enticing new Dry believers!).

Intermediate Dry Martini
 
Option 1: 
Mr. Bond Martini (or 007 Martini), Shaken or stirred, your choice 

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
Lemon Peel Twisted over the finished drink
Shaken (if you tasted less than 20 of these drinks in your lifetime)or Stirred (If you have gain the confidence and palate to enjoy the herbal notes while drinking)



Option 2: 
Gibson Martini, Shaken

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 part Onion juice
Cocktails Onions as Garnish
Shaken, definitively

Option 3: 
Gimlet Martini, Shaken

7 or 8 parts of Gin
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 part lime juice
Lemon Peel Twisted over the glass
Shaken


Ultimate Dry Martini

Option 1: 
In and out Dry Martini
3 ounces of Gin
Rinse the glass or the ice with Vermouth, eliminate the excess after rinsing.
Lemon Peel Twisted over the finished drink or Olives. Your drink, your choice
Stirred, You have earned this right.

Extra Dry Martini
3 ounces of Gin
Swirl or Spay the glass with Dry Vermouth
Lemon Peel Twisted or Olives, or both
Stirred for 20 euphoric Mississippi counts

4 comments: