The Martini is the quintessential cocktail - pure, cold, dry and elegant. An American creation, Martini dates back to the nineteenth century when, according to one version, a bartender in San Francisco mixed half sweet gin, half sweet vermouth for a traveller on his way to nearby Martinez. From this sweet drink, the dry Martini was born.
By the end of World War II, the martini was a mix of two ounces dry gin, one ounce dry vermouth. From then onwards, the distance between ingredients lengthened with the ratio of gin going up and vermouth moving down to a half ounce, a drop and finally to a whiff.
Along with passion over proportions, there were the technicalities of mixing. Some devotees declared that lemon peel in a martini was heresy, while James Bond decreed that it must be "shaken, not stirred".
Purists were themselves shaken when Vodka became a fashionable substitute in the 1970s and began to nuzzle its way and substitute the Martini. It was Vodka's taste-free neutrality that made it so easily adaptable, although, as one Russian explained, "vodka is not tasteless: it merely lacks flavour".
Gyaan session is finished lets see HOW TO MAKE A MARTINI!!!
The important thing to remember is no two ways of making a martini will be identical. Each person adds a different twist to the drink. It's all a question of personal taste.But the way to make an acceptable martini is fairly straightforward. And of course, a variation could always be introduced.
You will need:
Gin, Dry Vermouth, big ice cubes, a cocktail shaker, strainer, and martini glasses. Either lemon peel, a slice of lemon, an olive or even a pickled onion will be needed to garnish the drink.
Method:
1. The martini glasses, cocktail shaker, and the gin need to be pre-chilled. The dry vermouth shouldn't be cooled.
2. Put 4 or 5 cubes of ice into a cocktail shaker. Add 3 parts of gin and 1 part of dry vermouth to it.
3. Shake well for 15 seconds. Rather than shaking it up and down, use a back and forth action.
4. Pour the liquid into the chilled martini glasses, using a cocktail.
5.Garnish with a strip of lemon peel or a slice of lime or an olive. Some people prefer a pickled onion.
Martini glasses are long stemmed, wide mouthed glasses.
Sometimes crushed ice is used instead of cubes, but some believe this dilutes the drink too much.
Martinis should be served very cold, almost on the point of freezing. Remove the glasses from the refrigerator just before you pour the drink into them.
If you prefer a dry martini, use less vermouth.
