Martinis Are Always a Good Idea

Martinis Are Always a Good Idea

The Classics.... what cocktails come to mind? If I asked you to name five classic cocktails I guarantee 99% would include the Martini in that list.

Where is it from? Some claim San Fransisco, New York, even Syria! Some attribute the birth of the Martini from a lesser-known classic, the Martinez. There are plenty of stories out there (seriously just google "the history of the Martini"), but one thing is for sure: the exact origin of the Martini is unknown.

And to make things even cloudier, there are so many Martini recipes and variations out there it's crazy! Simple and basic: the Martini has dwindled its ratio of vermouth over the years. I remember when I worked at Jimmy's on Broadway, and the bar manager had made some vodka Martinis for a couple of ladies at the bar. They raved about their drinks [and ordered another round later on]. He laughs as he walks toward me, the excitement of the ladies behind him. He said over the years he's realized that the less vermouth he uses the "better" his vodka Martinis taste to the customers. He said IF he adds vermouth, he will just wash the glass, but he chills the vodka 100% before serving it. He claims his ice cold vodka with olives is always a hit, and it baffled both of us.

Going off my story at Jimmy's, over the years I realized that a reason vermouth isn't a big component of the Martini these days may be because bars aren't taking care of their vermouths. (If you see their vermouths stored anywhere else but a fridge: RUN!) Vermouth is a fortified wine, key word 'wine,' and we all know wine goes bad/oxidizes fast. When it comes to vermouth, as long as you store them in the fridge they will last one month for sure, and during its second month of life it'll start to go (meaning the taste will go flat), and by the third month please dump it. Now, how many bars actually follow this process? None that I've worked at! And I've worked at a lot of bars!!!! Here at The Bottled Mixologist, we store all vermouths in the fridge, labeled with the date they were opened, and we also use wine pumps to take the oxygen out of the bottles to slow the oxidation process that causes the vermouths to turn. (Note: when vermouths are mixed with liquor the high alcohol percentage will extend its life.)

Another reason people may have started to stray from having vermouth in their Martinis is because a lot of bars use, how should I put this... not-so-bueno-cheap vermouths that will literally- and figuratively- leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Going out I myself am hesitant to order drinks that are made with vermouth, unless it's a legit Martini bar. If bar or restaurant's specialty is strictly Martinis then I am confident they are using vermouth frequently and are going through bottles well before they go bad. (I also am hesitant to order wine, too. If anything, I order the house wine, or Happy Hour wine, because odds are those are poured the most and therefore most likely have not oxidized. - Of course if the bar or restaurant specializes in wine then I would trust any pour. A lot of places will sell higher price-point wines by the bottle, not by the glass, because there's no guarantee that anyone else will order a glass of that same wine before it turns.)

(Honestly when I go out I tend to order Jameson neat or a beer because there's no way a bartender can mess up THAT order. Of course I can talk about beer lines in another post.)

.......and now that I've veered off the topic of Martinis, let's end today's episode with some fun facts about this classic cocktail!:

 

Fun Facts:

  • June 19 is National Martini Day (there will definitely be a Bottled Mixologist special on Martinis this day lol).
  • Two olives are considered bad luck. If you order a Martini with olives it should come with either one or three.
  • Today, 50% of all cocktails are served in a Martini glass. Some of the most famous (historical and fictional) martini lovers include: John D. Rockefeller, Humphrey Bogart, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Clark Gable, Ernest Hemingway, and James Bond.
  • The Martini cocktail preceded the modern Martini glass by around four decades or so. (Originally the Martini was served in a coupe glass.)

 

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