Primarily a whisky drinker, I had for years mostly reserved gin for the classic gin and tonic in the summer. Beefeater at home, and primarily Tanqueray or Hendricks at the club (that’s what they stock).
However, when I started experimenting with martinis, @begreen cued me in to Bombay Sapphire. Since then, my go-to recipe has become:
2 large crisp pitted green olives
2.5 oz. Bombay Sapphire
0.5 oz. Martini & Rossi dry vermouth
However, wanting something different the other day, I was reading up on more traditional (i.e. pre-prohibition) martinis. Back then, you would be more likely to get something closer to equal parts vermouth and gin, than the atomized mist of vermouth that has become vogue today. Also, orange bitters were a standard part of the recipe, which completely fell off the charts when orange bitters became almost extinct a few decades back.
This weekend, I’ve experimented with what has been named as a more “traditional” recipe, from the pre-prohibition era:
2 large crisp olives
2 oz. gin, both Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire
1 oz. Martini & Rossi vermouth
2 - 3 shakes Angostura Orange Bitters
My impressions:
1. Bombay makes a better “modern” martini, high on gin and low on vermouth, but Beefeater makes a far better “traditional” martini.
2. I need to experiment with more vermouth varieties, if it is going to be such a big part of the martini. When it was 20% or less of the total, it didn’t matter quite as much.
3. Orange bitters: Angostura is the standard in traditional bitters, but there are a lot of new options coming up in orange bitters. If you haven’t tried it in a martini, then you’re missing out on the original recipe. They’re worth keeping in the cupboard.
4. Olives: buy the best that can be had. Like cheap tonic in a gin and tonic, poor olives ruin the drink. That crisp green olive at the bottom of the glass is your reward, at the end of it.
What’s your preference? Such a simple drink, so many varieties.
However, when I started experimenting with martinis, @begreen cued me in to Bombay Sapphire. Since then, my go-to recipe has become:
2 large crisp pitted green olives
2.5 oz. Bombay Sapphire
0.5 oz. Martini & Rossi dry vermouth
However, wanting something different the other day, I was reading up on more traditional (i.e. pre-prohibition) martinis. Back then, you would be more likely to get something closer to equal parts vermouth and gin, than the atomized mist of vermouth that has become vogue today. Also, orange bitters were a standard part of the recipe, which completely fell off the charts when orange bitters became almost extinct a few decades back.
This weekend, I’ve experimented with what has been named as a more “traditional” recipe, from the pre-prohibition era:
2 large crisp olives
2 oz. gin, both Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire
1 oz. Martini & Rossi vermouth
2 - 3 shakes Angostura Orange Bitters
My impressions:
1. Bombay makes a better “modern” martini, high on gin and low on vermouth, but Beefeater makes a far better “traditional” martini.
2. I need to experiment with more vermouth varieties, if it is going to be such a big part of the martini. When it was 20% or less of the total, it didn’t matter quite as much.
3. Orange bitters: Angostura is the standard in traditional bitters, but there are a lot of new options coming up in orange bitters. If you haven’t tried it in a martini, then you’re missing out on the original recipe. They’re worth keeping in the cupboard.
4. Olives: buy the best that can be had. Like cheap tonic in a gin and tonic, poor olives ruin the drink. That crisp green olive at the bottom of the glass is your reward, at the end of it.
What’s your preference? Such a simple drink, so many varieties.
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