| | Martini Termonology
Bitters
This potion is the product of hundreds of plants and herbs. Use bitters to flavour cocktail, but in moderation, please, as too much, as you can imagine, will ruin the drink.
Dirty
A dirty martini has a little touch of olive juice added to the drink, clouding it slightly.
Dry. A Dry Martini is one with a very small amount of vermouth. As more vermouth is added, the Martini becomes "wetter".
Let Stand
Just that. Pour all ingredients in to a shaker with cracked ice, let it sit. But don’t shake - just let it stand for a minute. Then strain contents.
Muddling
Using a Mortar and Pestle, usually made of wood or porcelain to crush and mix ingredients in a shaker. Not all too popular in the Martini world.
Part
This one is important, as recipes on Martiniboys refer to this “part” business. A part isn’t a fixed amount. It is in relation to the other parts (ingredients) in the drink. For example, if a recipe calls for 2-part X and 4 parts Y, then you can deduct that Y is twice the amount as X. You can make the drink as big as you want!
Rinse
Many recipes call for a glass to be "rinsed" with a particular liqueur, such as vermouth. This means that you need to place a small amount of the liqueur in your glass and swirl it around so that the inside of the glass is coated evenly. Pour out, then pour in drink ingredients.
Scoring
A score is a very long twist, of lime, lemonm or orange ideally 2 to 3 inches long, a great garnish for a gin or vodka martini. A score of citrus dangling over the lip of a glass is a nice touch
Shake
Two schools of thought on mixing the drink. Shaken or stirred. If you go the shaken route, really shake the thing, and get it out of the shaker fast.
Shaker
Stainless steel or glass container filled with liqueur and ice. This is the vessel of which you will do your shaking, usually in two pieces.
Stir
This is the other school of thought when it comes to mixing a drink. Basically, you add your ingredients into an ice filled pitcher of some sort and stir. Stir gently, or if in a cocktail shaker, rock gently.
Straight Up
A Straight Up (or just Up) drink has no ice. Really the opposite of "On the Rocks"
Strainer
A device that fits onto the top of a tumbler and allows you to pour the liquid into a glass, while keeping the ice behind. Cool concept, eh!
Twist
A twist is a garnish made from the rind of a lemon, orange or lime (usually a lemon). |
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The Basics
1. Prechill gin, shaker, and glasses in freezer, but vermouth should be chilled in the fridge.
2. Pour gin into shaker of cracked, not pulverized, ice.
3. Allow gin to become familiar with ice.
4. Pour vermouth.
5. Shake until shaker is frosted.
6. You may choose to stir rather than shake your drink, but please do not tell me about it.
7. Casually bring in an olive. Some purists prefer un-pimientoed olives.
Standard Dry Martini
2 ozs. gin
1/4 oz. vermouth
This here is the very basic yet smooth and hearty blend. I use Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth, Bombay Sapphire Gin (94 proof) and add two Spanish olives (the small kind).
Traditional
1-1/2 ozs gin
3/4 oz vermouth
Dry Martini
The proportions and opinions vary greatly, and the range can take you from somewhat wet to bone dry (just whisper "vermouth"). Here are some of the more popular proportions and their measures:
4 to 1: 2 ozs gin and 1/2 oz vermouth
5 to 1: 1-2/3 ozs gin and 1/3 oz vermouth
8 to 1: 2 ozs gin and 1/4 oz vermouth
12 to 1: 2 ozs gin and 1 teaspoon vermouth
Beyond that you should coat bottom of shaker with vermouth and throw out excess before adding gin.
Gibson
Dry martini with a cocktail onion instead of an olive. May also include a lemon peel.
Boston Bullet
Olive stuffed with an almond instead of pimiento.
Sweet Martini
2 ozs gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
Twist an orange peel above glass and add, or garnish with a cherry.
Perfect
1-1/2 ozs gin
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz sweet vermouth |
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