The Vermouth Martini’s long and illustrious history

Vermouth Martini drink is commonly recognized as venerable. It is probably the most well-known cocktail, and indeed the one with the most legends, stories, and lore around it. It’s also the only cocktail with a cult following and a distinct sense of snobbery. You don’t often hear two folks squabbling over such a Planters Punch.

The classic martini recipe is as straightforward as it gets. A Martini is traditionally mixed with gin and dry white vermouth, although the Vodka Martini has recently gained popularity. Although few bartenders today would follow that formula, the traditional, modern martini is five parts gin or vodka to one part Vermouth Rosso. Here are basics about this drink you might find interesting:

Vermouth ingredients

The ingredients are mixed or swirled with ice, then filtered and served in a cold cocktail glass “straight up” without ice and garnished with an olive. Martini purists are displeased that vodka is now the preferred spirit when ordering a martini. They insist on calling it a ‘Vodka Martini,’ or a ‘Bradford,’ if they’re fussy.

The quantity of vermouth to use is also a point of contention. The Martini will be drier if there is less vermouth in it. Today, the most typical method of combining vermouth is to cover the ice cubes in it and then discard the excess. Vermouth spritzers are increasingly being used to cover the ice at some trendy.

Is it better to be shaken or roused?

Because vermouth mixes readily and uniformly with its solvent, a martini should always be made in a stirring glass. According to purists, shaking “bruises” the gin and chips the ice, diluting down the Martini. The Martini is now more typically shaken, thanks to novelist and film spy James Bond, who orders his Martinis “Shaken, not stirred.”

Shaken connoisseurs claim that, like scotch, a splash of water brings out a full flavor. They also argue that shaking the drink increases air, softens the taste, and uniformly distributes the vermouth.

History of Vermouth Martini

The Martini is thought to have originated in San Francisco around 1862. The Occidental Hotel served a cocktail named after the adjacent town of Martinez. Before catching the nightly ferry across the bay to Martinez, people drank at the hotel. Two ounces of Italian “Martini and Rosso” sweet vermouth, one ounce Old Tom sweet gin, two dashes of maraschino cherry juice, and one dash bitters were mixed and served with a twist of lemon in the original drink.

Conclusion

The Vermouth Rosso had evolved into a simpler version by the end of the nineteenth century. Two oranges dashes bitters, half a jigger of dry French vermouth, and half a jigger of dry English gin were blended and offered with an olive.