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What is a Dry Martini to you?

Poll Results: What is a Dry Martini? Is it:

 
  • 65% (19)
    Gin, Vermouth, Lemon Twist, Olives?
  • 24% (7)
    Gin, Lemon Twist, Olives?
  • 3% (1)
    Vodka, Vermouth, Lemon Twist, Olives?
  • 6% (2)
    Vodka, Lemon Twist, Olives?
29 Total Votes  
post #1 of 24
11/8/07 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 
I'm going to take a quick poll. Pick whichever one you think is right, but please, don't post an expose (in your reply) about what a Dry Martini actually is. I know what it is, I just want to see who else does. I'll respectfully ask that you don't provide a written reply until November the 10th (This Saturday). I would love for you to vote in the poll though, and for truly unbiased results, vote before you look at the results. Thanks!
- Rich
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post #2 of 24
11/9/07 at 8:59am
um... what if it's none of the options listed in your poll?


edit: well, it's november 10th over here! in my experience, a dry martini by traditional definition is gin, a little dry vermouth and either a twist of lemon (obtained by twisting a little lemon peel over the drink to get the oil out of the skin) or an olive. that's the basic set-up, but there are a lot of variations. the more dry the martini, the less vermouth.


i got through university slinging drinks, and one of my favorite drinks is an almost-martini, martin millers served up with a twist of lemon. basically a martini without the vermouth.
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post #3 of 24
11/9/07 at 9:03am
Removed.......

I'll vote though.
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post #4 of 24
11/10/07 at 8:17am
It's the best gin you can afford drunk very dry. A white dry vermouth bottle (if some nut ever uses sweet vermouth throw me a noose) is shown to the glass or possibly opened and passed over the top of the glass never spilling a drop. 3 olives and for God's sake keep the lemons at the other end of the bar.

secret: the best Manhattan is made with the worst rye whiskey.
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post #5 of 24
11/10/07 at 8:54am
  • kbe
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Gin, olive (sans lemon twist), and as for the vermouth?..simply opening the bottle for a scant 5 seconds and quickly resealing it when in the same room as the already poured gin-in-a-glass counts as 'adding' vermouth, for a verrrrry dry martini indeed IMO.
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post #6 of 24
11/10/07 at 8:50pm
if it's got no vermouth it's just a gin up, not a martini
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post #7 of 24
11/10/07 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chad278 View Post

if it's got no vermouth it's just a gin up, not a martini

dry vermouth is added. what we're getting at is 'use a dropper, not a splash' oh and olives not olives and lemon.

gin straight up with olives is no longer by definition a gin straight up.
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post #8 of 24
11/10/07 at 10:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredricktoo View Post

It's the best gin you can afford drunk very dry. A white dry vermouth bottle (if some nut ever uses sweet vermouth throw me a noose) is shown to the glass or possibly opened and passed over the top of the glass never spilling a drop.
.

i must have misread this, because it seems you're saying not to use vermouth at all

when i say a gin up, i don't mean a gin straight up. a gin up is simply chilled gin served up (ie in a cocktail glass). a martini without vermouth would simply be a gin up with in olive or twist of lemon.

in my experience, the best way to get a nice, tiny bit of vermouth without breaking out the dropper is to pour a dash onto ice in the glass half of your shaker, stir it around, dump the ice and start over, meaning you get just a touch of vermouth coating the inside of the glass.

gin-wise, both tanqueray and tanqueray ten are a nice, dry drop for a martini. plymouth too. martin millers is still my preference, but it doesn't produce what i'll call a classic dry martini.
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post #9 of 24
11/11/07 at 12:43am
It's technically Sunday, and I just got home from work.... making martinis all night. I guess it's OK to chime in.

I'm a traditionalist and I'm really stubborn and borderline superstitious when I make Martinis. It's my profession. I take the martini very seriously.

For starters, I have to resist the temptation to roll my eyes when someone asks for a vodka martini... but hey, they're the boss.

Also unless somebody asks for a "bone dry" martini, I always find a way to slip a little vermouth into the damn thing-- even if I have to wait until the customer isn't looking-- provided it's a gin martini. If it's a vodkatini, I just don't care because it's already a bastard drink at that point anyway.

Also, I feel a bit stupid waving the closed vermouth bottle over a drink for effect... It just feels dumb and it comes off much more clever as a wry anecdote than as something done in practice. So that's no good.

I mean Christ, when there are only two ingredients-- GIN (yes gin and gin only) and Vermouth, there MUST BY DEFINITION be some vermouth in the damn thing-- even if it's one drop.

And olives,always.
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post #10 of 24
11/11/07 at 6:51am
the true Dry Martini, is make with Nolly Prat and Plymouth Gin,not olive.
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post #11 of 24
11/11/07 at 7:26am
Chad says it best: "In my experience, the best way to get a nice, tiny bit of vermouth without breaking out the dropper is to pour a dash onto ice in the glass half of your shaker, stir it around, dump the ice and start over, meaning you get just a touch of vermouth coating the inside of the glass."

Still, I love Winston Churchill's classic recipe -- namely, pouring straight gin into a glass and then bowing in the direction of France.
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post #12 of 24
11/11/07 at 8:22am
I agree with Indie and Chad278, chiefly that while the raffish sort sniff at adding vermouth to gin, at least some is required for the drink to be a martini, and, quite frankly, the vermouth improves the drink. Otherwise, it's not a martini, just cold gin.
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post #13 of 24
11/11/07 at 8:55am
I guess I like a wet martini if I'm going to have one. I like the vermouth. If I'm at someone's house and they're shaking up a batch for everyone, and they're making them dry, I like the martini dirty, with more than one olive and a touch of the olive brine.

I hate martini glasses. They're functional design failures. Tip the drink out easily, too wide a lip to sip from, and they make your mouth look silly as you try to get that sip. They look cool though, and I like it that the image of a tipped martini glass has become the worldwide symbol of having a good time.
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post #14 of 24
11/11/07 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indie_Guy View Post

It's technically Sunday, and I just got home from work.... making martinis all night. I guess it's OK to chime in.

I'm a traditionalist and I'm really stubborn and borderline superstitious when I make Martinis. It's my profession. I take the martini very seriously.

For starters, I have to resist the temptation to roll my eyes when someone asks for a vodka martini... but hey, they're the boss.

Also unless somebody asks for a "bone dry" martini, I always find a way to slip a little vermouth into the damn thing-- even if I have to wait until the customer isn't looking-- provided it's a gin martini. If it's a vodkatini, I just don't care because it's already a bastard drink at that point anyway.

Also, I feel a bit stupid waving the closed vermouth bottle over a drink for effect... It just feels dumb and it comes off much more clever as a wry anecdote than as something done in practice. So that's no good.

I mean Christ, when there are only two ingredients-- GIN (yes gin and gin only) and Vermouth, there MUST BY DEFINITION be some vermouth in the damn thing-- even if it's one drop.

And olives,always.


Bless you!
Western Civilization is still safe. I don't know if I could resist the temptation of asking the patrons if they wanted any .380 bullets for their Walther PPK if they ordered vodka--

--and Dry_Martini, it saddens me to say that over the past year, at the supposedly best establishments in LA, wherein I have squandered my earnings, not a single bartender has even heard of Nolly Prat vermouth.

Criminal.

Ah well, at least we've got good wine in CA and a couple of great sushi joints.

Cheers,

Mario
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post #15 of 24
11/11/07 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indie_Guy View Post

It's technically Sunday, and I just got home from work.... making martinis all night. I guess it's OK to chime in.

I'm a traditionalist and I'm really stubborn and borderline superstitious when I make Martinis. It's my profession. I take the martini very seriously.

For starters, I have to resist the temptation to roll my eyes when someone asks for a vodka martini... but hey, they're the boss.

Also unless somebody asks for a "bone dry" martini, I always find a way to slip a little vermouth into the damn thing-- even if I have to wait until the customer isn't looking-- provided it's a gin martini. If it's a vodkatini, I just don't care because it's already a bastard drink at that point anyway.

Also, I feel a bit stupid waving the closed vermouth bottle over a drink for effect... It just feels dumb and it comes off much more clever as a wry anecdote than as something done in practice. So that's no good.

I mean Christ, when there are only two ingredients-- GIN (yes gin and gin only) and Vermouth, there MUST BY DEFINITION be some vermouth in the damn thing-- even if it's one drop.

And olives,always.

Nailed!!

Quite well

should be the definition on wikipedia if it isn't already.

Lemons?!@!???
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post #16 of 24
11/11/07 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mario Justiniani View Post


--and Dry_Martini, it saddens me to say that over the past year, at the supposedly best establishments in LA, wherein I have squandered my earnings, not a single bartender has even heard of Nolly Prat vermouth.




Mario


Oh my God,is possible............it`s a shame
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post #17 of 24
11/16/07 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chad278 View Post

if it's got no vermouth it's just a gin up, not a martini

Yes. Thank you.

By what stretch of the imagination does opening a bottle of vermouth near a glass of gin make it a martini!? Is it just tradition/looking cool, or is some flavor actually added?

As a side note...I know it isn't traditional and all, but I like my lemon twist. I think the taste of lemon rind compliments the green/herbal/spicy taste of gin. But give me a gin and tonic before all of the above.

I like gin.
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post #18 of 24
11/17/07 at 12:25am
Put ice and water in the desired number of martini glasses.

In the pitcher/shaker, lots of ice and the appropriate amount of gin; stir or shake, your preference, I'm not superstitious.

Quickly dump ice water out of glasses. Pour a splash of vermouth into each glass, swirl, dump it out. I said move it! The ice is melting!

(optional: twist a lemon peel to bring the oil to the surface, and rub that outside surface swiftly around the rim of the glass.)

Strain the gin into the glasses; one, maybe two olives. Preferably on a wooden toothpick.

Now you're kicking it old school, baby.

Vodka martini? Yawn. Across the street. With the chicken Caesar salad.
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post #19 of 24
11/17/07 at 11:42am
Even if you don't add vermouth, it's still a martini if you go through the remaining steps - i.e., add gin to mixing glass with ice, stir, strain into chilled up glass. Part of making a martini is properly chilling and diluting the gin with ice. Of course if you don't include olives or a twist, at least "on-the-side", then you're starting to seriously adulterate the drink.

BTW, the "perfect" martini must also include the use of the right size and temperature ice and the number of stirs.

And zatarain, I prefer Old Bay by far
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post #20 of 24
11/17/07 at 3:10pm
"With the chicken Caesar salad."

Fantastic post, zat. And fantastic handle, as well.

cheers,

c.1905

Quote:
Originally Posted by zatarain View Post

Put ice and water in the desired number of martini glasses.

In the pitcher/shaker, lots of ice and the appropriate amount of gin; stir or shake, your preference, I'm not superstitious.

Quickly dump ice water out of glasses. Pour a splash of vermouth into each glass, swirl, dump it out. I said move it! The ice is melting!

(optional: twist a lemon peel to bring the oil to the surface, and rub that outside surface swiftly around the rim of the glass.)

Strain the gin into the glasses; one, maybe two olives. Preferably on a wooden toothpick.

Now you're kicking it old school, baby.

Vodka martini? Yawn. Across the street. With the chicken Caesar salad.
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post #21 of 24
11/17/07 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadScientist View Post

Even if you don't add vermouth, it's still a martini if you go through the remaining steps - i.e., add gin to mixing glass with ice, stir, strain into chilled up glass.

And zatarain, I prefer Old Bay by far

actually, the name for this is a gin up, not a martini.
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post #22 of 24
11/17/07 at 9:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chad278 View Post

actually, the name for this is a gin up, not a martini.

Yes, the way you quoted me, I would agree with you, but my description included the fruit. As a bartender, I've had plenty of orders for a "martini-hold-the-vermouth" or "martini-with-a-twist-no-vermouth" but never a "gin-up-with-olives" or "gin-straight-up-with-a-twist" that I can recall. Here I'd have to agree with my customers, that the concoction being requested is closer to a martini than a gin straight up. It's just semantics though....I mostly agree with Indie's post.
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post #23 of 24
11/17/07 at 10:11pm
i'm not comparing anything to a gin straight up, because that in itself is not a cocktail at all. a gin up, on the other hand, is gin chilled and strained in a manner indenitical to that of a martini and similarly served in a cocktail glass. i've had similar requests for a martini without vermouth, and while i fulfilled them they are not martinis.
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post #24 of 24
11/17/07 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadScientist View Post

...

And zatarain, I prefer Old Bay by far

I love Old Bay as well, and would never turn down an offer of crabs Old Bay style, whether they are Chesapeake Bay crabs or not.

I'm from Zatarain country, though, just representin' the hood here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Circa1905 View Post

"With the chicken Caesar salad."

Fantastic post, zat. And fantastic handle, as well.

cheers,

c.1905

Cheers, c.1905!
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