Some Background
Ah, the Dry Martini. One of my favorites, if not THE favorite of all time. As long as it is made well. Gin AND Vermouth with a dash of bitters. None of this vermouth rinse or waving the vermouth bottle over the glass. If you don’t add the Vermouth, it’s not a Dry Martini. It’s a glass of cold Gin.
Which leads me to my other pet peeves. When someone asks for a “Vodka Martini”, there is no such drink. The proper name to use is Kangaroo. Also, a Martini is served in a cocktail glass. Just because another drink is served in a cocktail glass, it doesn’t mean it’s a Martini. All of these crazy alco-pop drinks with “tini” pinned to their name are cocktails. Not Martinis.
[su_pullquote]my wife cringes when I order drinks out[/su_pullquote]One last thing, cocktails that do not have a juice or cream mixer should always be stirred, never shaken. I know, shaking is a faster method to chill a drink. Probably 95% of the bars I’ve been in, shake their drinks. It’s OK, I prefer to wait the extra 2 minutes.
Now that you all have a pretty good idea about how badly my wife cringes when I order drinks out, lets get on to making a Dry Martini
Recipe
- 3 oz Gin
- 1 oz Dry Vermouth
- dash of bitters
As you can see, the above recipe uses a 3:1 ratio of gin to bitters. This was the original ratio I used when I started mixing this classic cocktail.
I have since modified the ratio to 5:1 (2 1/2 oz Gin, 1/2 oz Vermouth) and I try to use orange bitters when possible. Regan’s Orange Bitters No.6 or Angostura Orange bitters are my preference.