Dry Martini
Gin, vermouth, pure clarity.
Gin and a small measure of dry vermouth, stirred long over ice and served ice-cold. Lemon peel oils, or a green olive, complete the most essential and iconic cocktail of all.
- IBA · The Unforgettables
- Aperitif
- Stirred
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Stirred
- Strength
- Very strong
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
60 ml
-
Dry vermouth
10 ml
Garnish
- Lemon twist
- Green olive (optional)
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a martini glass.
- Fill a mixing glass with ice.
- Pour the gin.
- Pour the dry vermouth.
- Stir well.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Express lemon peel oils over the drink, or add a green olive on request.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The Martini descends from nineteenth-century drinks of gin and sweet vermouth, such as the Martinez, printed by O.H. Byron in 1884. The first recipe called 'Martini' appears in Harry Johnson's 1888 manual, with old tom gin and sweet vermouth. The dry turn came later: in 1898 the Marguerite paired gin and French vermouth in equal parts, and in 1904 Frank P. Newman, a bartender in Paris, published the first recipe titled 'Dry Martini Cocktail'. Many legends surround its birth: Ligurian bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, the Californian town of Martinez, or the Martini & Rossi vermouth brand. None is proven, and the Martini has grown ever drier since.
Taste profile
- Strong
- 5 out of 5
- Dry
- 5 out of 5
- Herbal
- 3 out of 5
- Citrus
- 1 out of 5