JerryM

Few things are more relaxing after a tough day at work, than leisurely sipping a very dry, icy cold martini. Made with top quality gin and just a touch of good vermouth, stirred with fresh cracked ice (shaking waters it down IMO), and served in a chilled glass. An olive, lemon twist, or pickled onion (which makes it a Gibson) are the only acceptable garnishes. But that's it. Anything chocolate or mango flavored, or with cranberry juice is an abomination. And the secret of a great martini is great gin. My gold standard has always been Tanqueray, which must rank up there with Magna Carta, Shakespeare, and penicillin as one of Britain's greatest gifts to civilization. But I recently saw this new variety, Tanqueray No. 10, which is $30+ for 750ml around here. I just was wondering if there are any gin or martini drinkers out there who have tried this. Is it worth the premium price?

scarmig

Back when I was young I was the martini guy in our circles. Of course, I made them Churchill style, which involves two ounces of vodka and a glance at the vermouth bottle (in cases where vermouth was not available, a simple nod towards France would suffice).

Hedwig

I have my own martini set. I do like to enjoy a nice vodka martini on Friday evenings before I head out to the night clubs.

Dr Rick

Vodka martinis are the only true martinis; repent or burn, gin-swilling infidels!

I love mine straight-up, Grey Goose or Absolute, poured into a glass that has had the vermouth swirled and then poured-off, with two large olives.

rick

Bree

Amen, Dr Rick - I can't stand gin martinis. If I wanted to suck on a pinecone, I'd suck on a pinecone. I do, however, truly enjoy my Cosmopolitans, and that has nothing to do with Sex and the City .

RevDahlia

I like both vodka (Grey Goose) and gin (Bombay Sapphire) martinis, always stirred, very dry and with a twist.

There's this dank and sketchy bar near where I grew up... the rickety Swedish barkeep made an outstanding martini, which I have attempted to duplicate and never succeeded. He would ask one to hold a lit match above the empty glass, while he squeezed the lemon twist over the flame. The lemon oil ignited briefly and dispersed all over the sides of the glass. In the martini would go. It was just lovely.

We call them "Martians" around here, like Jack Torrance does in the book version of "The Shining.".

Drinks that contain schnapps, flavored liqueur, and/or whimsical garnish and still parade around calling themselves martinis are the three-dollar hookers of the beverage world. They might be fun for a second, but you will be very, very sorry.

I'd sooner swill MD2020 out of the bottle than go near an appletini, myself. Ew.

christ-on-a-stick

Dr. Rick sez: Preach it!!!

Dirty Martini.... vodka (Grey Goose or Belvedere preferred) - extra dirty extra olives. Bleu cheese stuffed olives... heavenly.



I throw a martini party at my house a couple times a year, usually before Xmas and in the summer. Serve about 6 types in keeping with the "theme" of the season...

www.martinis-online.com has about a bazillion recipes, I pick 'em from there and give 'em my own silly names and descriptions and make up little menus for everybody, then I play bartender

Great fun except for cleanup the next day

mac_philo

I prefer vodka martinis but I must disagree. 'Martini' refers to a drink made with gin. If it has vodka, it is a 'Vodka Martini' or the obsolete 'Vodkatini.'

As for the person wondering if the primo gin is worth it, I doubt it. I don't particularly care for gin. There was a gin tasting in the NY Times this month done by their typical wine panel. Beefeater was #1, Gordons #2. Then came the expensive brands. Of course taste is subjective. (So subjective that I won't point out that *I* don't see the point of drinking a dirty martini with good vodka, since briny vodka tastes like briny vodka.)

I keep my shaker, vodka, and glass in the freezer. I shake. I usually use Luksusawa vodka, but sometimes I have Gordons or Ketel One. I used to go in for olives but now I find it too overpowering, so I prefer a lemon twist.

christ-on-a-stick

While it's true that the quality-level of the vodka is *less* "noticeable" when the martini is extra-dirty, it makes a big difference for me in how it affects me hangover-wise. I have found that a better quality vodka, even if the taste difference is negligible due to mixers, still leaves me less (or not at all) hungover.

mac_philo

That makes sense. That's a large consideration.

When I was in college it didn't matter what I drank. Now it makes a huge difference. I rarely have more than a couple of beers. Wine is much kinder, vodka even moreso. I like scotch and bourbon but those can be a bit rough, even the high quality stuff.