It's starting to cool down enough to where I enjoy a gin martini in the evening. Sow how do you like yours? Vodka martini drinkers need not apply; I do like vodka martinis too, but that's not what I'm after here.

Which gin, and how much Ford's, 3 oz.
Which vermouth, and how much? Dolin dry vermouth, 1 oz.
Shaken or stirred? Stirred.
Garnishes? If so, what kind? An olive or lemon twist. Sometimes I like blue cheese stuffed olives.

Stirred, up, and with a twist.

Dolin Vermouth, same proportions as in OP. I'm not picky about about the gin as long as it's not bottom shelf or Hendricks.

Dry - swirl vermouth in glass and dump it out

Stirred

Up

One olive

HTownAg98 said:

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Ornlu said:

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Very dry. Just walk the glass through a room where a bottle of vermouth was once opened.

Tanquaray or Bombay saphire.

2 olives, no stuffing. Lime twist optional.

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That's just gin served up. Again, a good cocktail on its own, but it's not a martini.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I think most people don't like vermouth in their martini because they've been using the same bottle of Martini & Rossi vermouth for the past theee years. Unlike liquor, vermouth has a shelf life, and when it goes bad, it's awful in a cocktail.

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I use fresh Dolins. Still don't care for too much vermouth.

HTownAg98 said:

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Ornlu said:

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Very dry. Just walk the glass through a room where a bottle of vermouth was once opened.

Tanquaray or Bombay saphire.

2 olives, no stuffing. Lime twist optional.

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That's just gin served up. Again, a good cocktail on its own, but it's not a martini.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I think most people don't like vermouth in their martini because they've been using the same bottle of Martini & Rossi vermouth for the past theee years. Unlike liquor, vermouth has a shelf life, and when it goes bad, it's awful in a cocktail.

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I'm mostly being factious, but I didn't know that vermouth spoils. I usually coat the ice and pour out. And yes, my bottle is ~3 years old.

I'l buy new next time I have house guests. You're probably right, it'll help a bunch.

Gin (in order of preference): Monkey 47 (very strong/aromatic and $$ gin), Conniption (not in TX), Plymouth, Aviation, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire (Save the Tanqueray for tonic IMO).

Vermouth - Dolin Dry (best bought in 1/2 bottles - keep in fridge - throw out if opened over 6 mo old)

The proper gin/vermouth ratio is somewhere between a 2:1 (wet) to 5:1 (extra dry) depending on the mood. Vermouth helps the gin. If you whisper the name "vermouth" next to the glass, it's not a martini.

I have also grown accustomed to adding two dashes of orange bitters with a lemon twist. This used to be the proper way to make a martini a long time ago. Both of the last craft cocktail competitions had martini's that won with orange bitters added. I have to say, once you do that it's hard to go back. Give it a try.

No bitters if you are going to do olives.

90% Bombay Sapphire
10% Dry Vermouth
splash of olive juice

Hendricks and vermouth garnished with cucumber slices

3 year old vermouth?!? Yikes. Vermouth isn't a liquor, it's a wine. And even though it's a fortified wine it should be kept in the fridge once opened and then consumed within a few months. When I tended bar we tossed open bottles of vermouth after 2 months.

I love blue cheese olives, but not in my martini, it overpowers the drink. The olive is just as important as the gin. I use a couple of Spanish olives. Turkish olives are fine if you can find them.

Recently I have been laying off the vermouth, and I make it a little dirty.

Wish that I was a gin connoisseur but I am not. I just know that Beefeater tastes like gasoline.

Last time I used The Botanist gin and it is my favorite so far....

Bad news is that it is only 1:59 on a Friday and I have to wait a little longer for a martini.

stupid question alert....

how do you measure out 1 oz / 3 oz? Are you all just eyeballing it or actually measuring?

I went to a couple nice restaurants over the holidays and really enjoyed a few martinis (in the past i could not stand them) so now looking to maybe have one every now and then in the evenings...

Jigger

Ahh lol. Perfect. Just ordered. Thanks!

Care to share how you make yours? I like mine with a little olive juice but not too strong. Seems like so often if your order dirty it's too much olive juice.

"Martinis are like breasts - one isn't enough, and three are too many."

- Herb Caen

Gin: Depends on what I have, but usually Plymouth, Hendricks, or Old Raj Blue Label - 3 to 4.5 oz (if I'm drinking a double)
Vermouth: Dash of Martini - not a fan of Dolin for some reason.
Bitters: 1-3 drops of Reagan's Orange Bitters

Assemble in shaker, add ice, stir clockwise to a 20 count, then counterclockwise to a 20 count.
Pour into a chilled Martini glass, squeeze a lemon twist over it to get some drops of lemon oil on top, then drop the twist in.

I have a strong preference for the citrus & floral notes, as opposed to going briny with the olive and/or olive juice. Just personal preference.

"Gin, not vodka, obviously, stirred for ten seconds while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth."

No vermouth then it's not a martini. Not sure why people just don't admit to not liking a martini if they don't want any vermouth.

Bo Darville said:

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No vermouth then it's not a martini. Not sure why people just don't admit to not liking a martini if they don't want any vermouth.

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it's a movie quote.

Then I'm an idiot. But I saw a lot of people with that mindset when I was a bartender many many moons ago.

I generally like my gin martini with vodka.

There are several famous historical figures that have had that preference for a martini, most notably Churchill (supposedly) and Hitchcock.

That just means they famously liked chilled chin.

Bo Darville said:

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That just means they famously liked gin neat.

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We know. That is the joke.

Is it really a joke though if people are dumb enough to really think that way?

Bo Darville said:

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Is it really a joke though if people are dumb enough to really think that way?

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No one takes it that seriously, except you apparently.