Dry Martini - how do you make yours?

Richard Ward

Richard Ward

Location
West Yorkshire
I love a Dry Martini - and after about 3 years trial and error, I think I've got a consistent formula that suits my preference.

Gin - Sipsmith or Bulldog are my 2 favourites, but anything with sweeter rather than spicy botanicals will do. Not Tanquerey, it's too strong.

Vermouth - forget the fancier, more complex ones, good old Martini Extra Dry

Ratio - 7:1

Preparation - 007 has it right, shaken is better than stirred. I just don't think it gets cold enough when stirred (I like it bordering on ice crystals forming), also a little ice melts and dilutes it, bringing out the flavour of the botanicals.

Garnish - a twist of lemon peel is infinitely better than an olive IMO

Glass - a vintage Babycham coupe is the perfect size

Accompaniment - salted peanuts or Bombay mix

Anyone got a different take on this?? Interested to hear other formulas/preferences...
 
3 or 4 to one, usually Tanq, Berrys,No3 or even Beefeater with Noilly Prat..I stir in a cocktail shaker with a mountain of ice, if I remember I put the glass in the freezer beforehand. I like them with olives, sometimes a little bit "dirty," with more olives on the side. So, totally different!
 
I’m afraid I am totally improper here. Vodka not Gin for me. 10:1 or more ratio. Stirred fast enough you can get super cold whilst keeping smooth texture. Oily olives not lemon. Salty fatty snacks on the side.

To state the obvious: it’s a dangerous prospect.
 
While the point about coldness is well made a shaken Martini is an entirely different cocktail, known as the Bradford. I find the loss of visual and textural clarity(in particular) and dilution rather upsetting and suggest stirring for a good long time instead, keeping the gin in the freezer if necessary. The definitive Dukes Hotel Martini is made thus at tableside, using the relatively low strength Plymouth, an atomiser for the vermouth which coats a frozen glass and a sliver from an Amalfi lemon. It is a magnificent drink which also offers remarkable value on those occasions when one really needs to feel that one has had a serious libation.
At home, though, ideally I use full strength Gordon's yellow label, of which my supply has irritatingly dried up. Tanqueray is a good substitute, and Beefeater. Plymouth is terrific-navy strength needs much longer stirring to increase dilution. I have an increasing intolerance of fancy expensive modern gins which taste of things of which gin was never intended to taste. I use the cocktail glass as the measure, pour it onto plentiful ice in the mixing glass, add a dash of Noilly-Prat that preferably has been open for years and is noticeably oxidised, stir fast 100 times in each direction and strain into the glass. I used to add a squeezed lemon rind twist but increasingly find it distracting.
A few olives go nicely but anything more substantial vitiates the intended effect, and the drink must be finished while it is still ice-cold.
It has been a while, though. It is a drink deliberately designed as a jolt to the system and it really does kill the palate stone dead, which can sometimes be an advantage.
You have rather put me in the mood for one which in the circumstances would be catastrophic.
 
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This cocktail remains at least as popular as all the others put together. There is a good reason-it is by far the best, and almost the only one that is genuinely bone dry.
 
I find vermouths in general to be too sweet, so have almost given up on them. Thus, on the rare occasion that I do buy gin (these days: Bareksten Botanical), I tend to make G&T or drink it neat (or on the rocks). Would have used 6:1 or 7:1. No garnish
 
For me about 5:1
I quite like using cocchi americano as the vermouth.
Dash of orange bitters

Stirred. Iced coupe glass from the freezer.
Lemon twist


For me the ideal though is when someone good makes it for me. My wife and I always go for cocktails at the Dukes Hotel on our anniversary for that purpose. They don’t use ice but instead have the spirits and vermouth super chilled to near frozen. You can only order 2 per person

How Duke’s makes it
 
I vary between 8, and 10 to one depending on mood.

Almost always tanqueray (proper export strength 47.3% as opposed to 43.1% domestic “export strength” if possible, but not worth more than cursory extra effort).

Generally gin kept in the freezer and served a la Duke’s. If not, or if further dilution required, stirred on ice (100 one way, 10 the other). Never, ever shaken (a particular bug bear of mine).

Nolly Pratt never gets to oxidise much round here - it is kept in the fridge and used in most recipes that call for white wine.

Almost always a lemon twist, very occasionally olives. Although recently I did one with Gin Mare and kalamata olives which was very nice, if a different drink entirely…

The general theme is it needs to be very cold and very strong, and drank pretty quickly. I tend to use 135ml of gin, a quirk of a spirit measure I have. One is delicious, two unwise, three verging on disastrous.

I rather fancy one now as a restorative after a morning of garden work, and it is approaching midday… however parental responsibilities mean otherwise.

I very much like a martini preprandial at Duke’s Hotel, although ensure you trust your guests drinking capacity if you are taking your full allocation. I was rather embarrassed at dinner afterwards by a companions drunkenness.
 
Chris Davies said:
I think it was Churchill (the PM not the dog) who said a ray of sunlight should pass through the vermouth bottle to the gin filled glass and that was enough vermouth for his martini.
Click to expand...
That’s a new one to me, I understood that he saw a quick bow towards France as enough respect to the vermouth…

I am sure there are many versions but I rather like yours.
 
Peta Radford said:
For me about 5:1
I quite like using cocchi americano as the vermouth.
Dash of orange bitters

Stirred. Iced coupe glass from the freezer.
Lemon twist


For me the ideal though is when someone good makes it for me. My wife and I always go for cocktails at the Dukes Hotel on our anniversary for that purpose. They don’t use ice but instead have the spirits and vermouth super chilled to near frozen. You can only order 2 per person

How Duke’s makes it
Click to expand...
Yes, Dukes makes a wonderful martini but they are a bit precious about it. My in-laws stayed there once and my father in law wanted to order a pre-dinner martini at the table before getting dinner underway. He was refused service because 'We only serve martini's in the bar'. They were completely unbending in this, which left my father in law most disappointed.
 
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