Whether shaken or stirred

Few drinks have the mystique of the one we celebrate today; it’s martini day. Well, in some circles, every day is martini day. But, this is a day to recognize the drink for what it is: a classic. Whether shaken or stirred, a martini has a lasting intrigue. It stands as a symbol of the erudite thanks mainly to popular culture. Thanks to James Bond and the rat pack, the martini represents a touch of class when drinking to excess. While a classic martini is gin and vermouth, the modern interpretation of the word takes a few liberties by adding the suffix “tini” to anything in a fancy glass. While we can celebrate those too, today is primarily focused on the traditional drink.

Although, in defense of those inventing things like espresso martinis and appletinis, what we know as a classic martini isn’t the original drink either. While the true origin is disputed, the earliest use of the word martini for a drink dates back to the 1860’s. In the Occidental Hotel in San Fransisco, they served a “Martinez” cocktail, supposedly named after the nearby town of the same name where the drink supposedly arose when a bartender made a drink for gold miners. In 1888, a recipe for a martini cocktail appeared in Harry Johnson’s bartender’s manual.

The recipes:

The Martinez recipe read like this:

• Take 1 dash of Boker’s Bitters
• 2 dashes of Maraschino
• 1 pony [1 fl oz] of Old Tom gin
• 1 wine-glass [2 fl oz] of [sweet/Italian] vermouth
• 2 small lumps of ice
• Shake up thoroughly, and strain into a large cocktail glass.
• Put a quarter of a slice of lemon in the glass, and serve. If the guest prefers it very sweet, add two dashes of gum syrup.

While the Martini cocktail said this:

• Fill the glass up with ice
• 2 or 3 dashes of gum syrup
• 2 or 3 dashes of bitters; (Boker’s genuine only)
• 1 dash of Curaçao
• 1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of Old Tom gin
• 1⁄2 wine glassful [1 fl oz] of [sweet/Italian] vermouth
• Stir up well with a spoon, strain it into a fancy cocktail glass, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top, and serve.

After the turn of the 20th century, recipes simplified a bit to become gin, vermouth, and bitters. But, the combination of gin (or vodka) and vermouth we know today doesn’t show up in writing until the Nickerbocker hotel around 1911 or 12. With the Nicks recent basketball championship, that makes this the perfect time to enjoy a true martini.

Whether shaken or stirred, there’s more to the history.

The martinis of that era were different than what most people want these days. A perfect martini is equal parts gin and vermouth. But, martinis changed a bit in the wake of Prohibition and its repeal. Since “bathtub” gin was a popular underground source of liquor, martinis were in great favor. And, a desire to get drunker quicker, led to the popularity of dry martinis. Instead of equal parts, 2 to 1and 5 to 1 ratios of gin to vodka became the norm. Some people would skip the vermouth all together. People would say just wave the bottle of vermouth over the glass, or even go as far to say just glance at the bottle. Winston Churchill supposedly said to just glance in the direction of France.

In short, the martini was shorthand for a glass of straight booze. Somewhere along the way, the vodka martini arose. Instead of the sometimes harsh botanical flavors of gin, vodka offered a smoother flavor. Of course, a desire by the Schmirnoff company to sell more vodka didn’t hurt in promoting this. And, the James Bond movies highlighted Bond always ordering Vodka martinis. So, whether shaken or stirred, vodka is here to stay. Of course, if you’re drinking straight vodka or lightly tinged with vermouth, the drink is just an excuse for drinking lots of hard liquor.

Putting the record straight

And, just for the record, Bond’s shaken not stirred is an affront to the bar-tending tradition. The reason martinis are stirred is because shaking “bruises” the liquor. This makes the drink cloudy, watered down and often with ice shards floating in it. The reason Bond says that is more for the pun than the actual drink itself. As a man of class, he would know this. So, it’s more of a metaphor for how he lives his life than a preference for an imperfect martini.

Also, if you watched the montage of Bond martini references above, you’ll notice they hardly ever serve it in the right glass. True drinking connoisseurs know the importance of glassware. For instance: drinking champagne from a flute is better than from a coup because the flute holds in the carbonation. The martini glass, similarly was designed specifically for the drink for the following reasons: The wide opening allows the botanicals to breath and intensify the aroma. The long stem allows you to hold he glass without warming the chilled drink. And, the sloped shape prevents the ingredients from separating.

Despite the simple recipe, there’s actually a science to the martini. Whether shaken or stirred, there are reasons for every aspect of the martini.

Newer martinis are just mixed drinks whether shaken or stirred

Martinis went out of favor in the 70’s and 80’s because they were “old fashioned”. The post Vietnam era ushered in a sense of rebellion against the conservative censorship and lifestyle needed a major adjustment. The martini was a symbol of the old ways. So, it fell out of favor. But, the 90’s saw a resurgence in the popularity of martinis. A desire for nostalgia brought “retro” to the forefront. But, it needed a new feel and flavor. So, old fashioned glassware found new life and some alteration. The martinis of the Rat pack were still old fashioned. But, take that glass and fill it with fruity or chocolatey flavors and you were onto something.

Thanks to shows like Sex and the city drinks like the cosmopolitan and other old fashioned cocktails saw a revival, flourishing to this day. Of course, now we have to have some kind of twist like garnishing with gummy bears or adding unique flavors like lychee or jack fruit. Even traditional martinis usually need a little twist like a dirty martini where you mix in olive brine or hot and dirty with jalapeno or other hot pepper brine. The traditional garnish for a martini is an olive or lemon twist (or both). Substituting a pickled onion makes it a Gibson. So, playing around with garnishes is nothing new. But, these days it has to be something unexpected. So, don’t be surprised to find an avocado or kumquat in your martini.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that

Purists will poo poo any variation on the theme. That’s why we have classifications like a “perfect”, dry, extra dry, or bone dry martini. But, experimentation breeds new drinks. Remember, the original recipes from the 19th century are a lot different than today. Now we have countless options for things called martinis or tinis in general. having a wide variety of choices is wonderful. But, it’s also daunting. As Devo Sang: “freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.” When you have thousands of options, you can’t logically and methodically differentiate between them. So, often, we revert to “safe choices”. That’s why, despite thousands of ice cream flavors, vanilla is still the most popular.

But, the key isn’t to stop the proliferation of new flavors. It’s to limit your offerings at any given time. Baskin Robbins offers thirty one ‘derful flavors. Guess what the most popular ones are in the USA: Vanilla and cookies and cream (vanilla with oreos). So, if you gravitate toward a traditional martini, you’re not alone. And, if you want something different, you’re not alone either. So, don’t be afraid to experiment. Grab a bottle of gin or vodka, and mix it with whatever you want.

To get you started, here are a few ideas for slightly different martinis:

• Lemon Drop Martini: Vodka, Limoncello, simple Syrup, and Lemon zest garnish
• Passion’tini: 1 part Gin, 1 part passion fruit juice, a dash of lime and a dash of honey
• Chocolate tini: 1 part vodka, 2 part chocolate liqueur, 1 part milk or cream. Drizzle the glass with chocolate syrup and pour in drink, garnish with a cocoa powder.
• Mexican ‘tini: Instead of vodka or gin, substitute tequila, add grand Marnier, a dash of lime juice and toasted cumin. Rim the glass with tajin spice and garnish with a lime or lime twist

So, enjoy life the way Dean martin preaches:

• When youre drinkin
• The show looks good to you
• When youre drinkin
• You get stinkin
• It helps your point of view
• But when youre sober
• the skies all seem grey
• When youre sober life’s a pain
• So keep drinkin
• That’s what I’m thinkin
• Cause it’s what I love to do