The Classic Dry Martini

This, the most requested cocktail in history, is the simplest to make, yet the most difficult to get right. Although the origins of the modern, dry martini are vague at best, it is clear that we can say that there is probably no cocktail that has more devotees committed to making/ordering/enjoying a "perfect" one! The cocktail we refer to as the "dry martini" really came about after Prohibition, an era when dry vermouth replaced the sweeter vermouth used before that, and when extra dry gin replaced the sweeter "Old Tom" gin from pre-prohibition days. Before I say anything more, let me make it clear that the Classic Dry Martini is a gin drink. The vodka martini came along much later . . .

The Classic Dry Martini

2 oz Gin

Dash Extra Dry Vermouth

2 Drops Fee's Orange Bitters (Optional)

Add the ingredients to a stirring glass filled 3/4 of the way up, with ice. Stir gently for a minute or so, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of FRESH lemon peel OR a simple pimento-stuffed olive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My preferences:

Gin: Plymouth or Original Bombay

Vermouth: Cinzano Extra Dry

Olives: Keep it simple - avoid olives stuffed with cheese, garlic, jalapeños, etc.

Bitters: Fee's Orange Bitters give a subtle citrus hint, without changing the appearance. If you can find Fee's, try it, by all means, but this is OPTIONAL.

Stirring: Shaking will get you a colder martini, but the shards of ice and the myriad bubbles take away from this simple cocktail's clarity.

Glass: What most people call a "martini glass" is actually a "cocktail glass," to bartenders.

Size: Keep your martini small. Martinis were meant to be enjoyed cold. The only way to guarantee this, is to keep them to the size they were intended to be, back in the 1930's: about 3 oz.

Use Ice: The Classic Dry Martini includes the water from the ice used to chill it. PLEASE don't chill the gin and vermouth. Without the water from the ice, you'll end up with firewater.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cinema Recommendations:

The T

hin Man (1934). William Powell, Myrna Loy. Directed by WS Van Dyke. This comedy/mystery focuses on the character Nick Charles, a private detective who is both crime solver and tippler . . . and in one of the most memorable scenes, he explains to a group of bartenders how a martini is properly shaken.

Humoresque (1946). Joan Crawford and John Garfield. Directed by Jean Negulesco. This melodrama about a poor violin virtuoso and his rich patron prominently features her favorite (and virtually only) cocktail: The Martini.

Dodsworth (1936). Walter Huston. Directed by William Wyler. This story about the fear of growing old is based on the Sinclair Lewis novel. The dry martini features prominently in one notable scene. Also, note the small size of the glasses. THAT is the correct size of a cocktail glass, not the virtual soup bowls that martinis are served in, today. A good martini is good because of how it's made, NOT because of its size.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945). Dennis Morgan, Barbara

Stanwyck. Directed by Peter Godfrey. A real Holiday classic, this film features a wonderful scene with Robert Shayne and Reginald Gardiner, sitting at the bar of a favorite restaurant, and commiserating over dry martinis, as they wait for Barbara Stanwyck. NOTE the size of the 1945 mart

ini, which is the same as that in Humoresque and The Thin Man. These were the intended size of this potent libation, not the huge, bowl-sized martinis now served in so many watering holes.

The Killer Shrews (1959). James Best, Ingrid Goud, Ken Curtis. Directed by Ray Kellogg. This 50's sci-fi film bordering on Awful actually has the nerve to have its characters (embattled by mutant shrews - but looking like dogs with sweaters) enjoying martinis, before dinner. Beware of those tiny, remote research islands. They may harbor the best made cocktails in the world. There is no indication, if they were garnished with lemon twists or olives. . . Never let it be said, that scientists are unprepared. Look at that shaker and ice bucket! After all, first things, first.