Ice
The one thing you’ll need above everything else is ICE. If you can’t properly chill your Martini, you need to rethink what you’re drinking. Seriously - no ice, no dice.
Spirit
Gin or vodka? It’s entirely up to you. You’ll get more flavour from using a gin, but vodka will lend a streamlined clarity - just choose whichever floats your boat. Our top Martini choices right now? Glacially cool Reyka Vodka or a taste of Cornwall from Holly's Gin.
Vermouth
A chance to add in some nuance - vermouth is a fortified wine flavoured with herbs and spices. A classic Martini uses white vermouth, so grab your favourite bottle. We love the intriguing Belsazar Dry Vermouth from southern Germany.
Recipe
A traditional Dry Martini is made with 5 parts gin or vodka to 1 part vermouth. Some people like it ‘wetter’ to get more out of the vermouth, others want it bone dry, with just a drop of vermouth to let the main spirit shine through. One easy pro-tip for a drier drink is to use a small amount of vermouth to rinse the glass you‘re going to use, then just top up with well-chilled spirit.
Garnish
Again, the traditional approach keeps it super simple. Two green olives on a cocktail stick (and a few drops of the brine if you want to make it ‘dirty’...) or a good piece of lemon peel, twisted close to the surface of the drink so you’ll get the most from the fragrant citrus oils as you drink.
Glass
A Martini glass is the traditional choice (and can keep the drink colder), but small tumblers can be a nice informal alternative - particularly if you’ve got room to chill them briefly in the freezer first.
Method
- Take a jug (your most elegant crystal affair, or a plastic measuring jug - both do the job)
- Fill it with ice
- Pour in your gin and vermouth in your chosen ratio
- Stir, stir, stir! (yes, we will trot out the hackneyed observation that Bond’s ‘shaken, not stirred’ preference is not, in fact, the best way to make a good Martini)
- Keep stirring until everything is almost painfully chilled, or until your arm begins to ache, whichever happens sooner
- Pour into glasses
- Garnish as preferred
- Drink