THE MARTINI - KING OF THE COCKTAILS

Greytown Distilling Co. kicks off its gin cocktail series with the granddaddy of them all - the martini. Classic, timeless, and just a little bit dangerous. Naturally, you can snag your gin online right here, and for proper drinking credentials, we recommend our Tweed Martini Connoisseur Premium Gin - available in 375ml and 750ml flasks, because size does matter.

The martini is a simple beast; gin and vermouth, stirred over ice until it’s colder than a Wellington southerly, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive if you’re feeling salty, or a lemon twist if you’re feeling sharp. Optional orange or aromatic bitters if you want to show off.

Ratios? Well, that’s where the fun begins. From the old school less-than-the-1920’s-standard 2:1 (known as an extra dry martini) to the “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” 15:1, all the way to the purists who say vermouth should barely touch the glass. Some even swirl it in, toss it out, and let the ghost of vermouth haunt the drink. 

As for origins, some say it’s derived from the Italian Martini vermouth brand, others swear it was born as the Martinez at the Occidental Hotel (near the town of Martinez, California) in San Francisco back in the 1860s. Martinez residents claim a bartender in their town created the cocktail, while other sources say it was named after the town itself. Either way, it’s been stirring up arguments ever since.

The Martinez Cocktail itself was first written up in Jerry Thomas' 1887 edition of Bartender's Guide: How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks and looked something like this:

• 1 pony (28ml, although measures vary) Old Tom gin
• 1 wine glass (150ml) (sweet/Italian) vermouth
• 1 dash (0.625ml) Boker's bitters
• 2 dashes (0.92ml - 1.25ml) Maraschino
• 2 small, well-behaved lumps of ice (for now)

1. Toss in the ice, give it a good shake like you’re waking it up from a long nap, then strain it smooth and finish with a sharp twist of lemon.
2. Try 2 dashes (0.92ml - 1.25ml) to sweeten the mix.

Possibly the earliest recipe for a “dry martini" resembling the cocktail in its contemporary form was scribbled down in San Francisco mixologist William Boothby’s 1907 bartenders' guide The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them. Simple, sharp, and unapologetic. The dry martini cocktail, à la Los Angeles’ Charlie Shaw, consists of: 

• Half a jigger (22.5ml) no-nonsense dry English gin
• Half a jigger (22.5ml) suave French vermouth
• 2 dashes (0.92ml - 1.25ml) orange bitters - just enough to make things interesting
• A handful of cracked ice, because you’re not here to play warm-drink roulette

1. Casually combine everything in a chilled mixing glass and give it a slow, knowing stir - the kind that says, “I’ve done this before”.
2. Strain into your waiting cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a ribbon of lemon peel and bold little olive

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail)  

And here’s how we do it at Greytown Distilling Co; watch how we create our own preferred Classic Dry Gin Martini recipe here and read on for the recipe: 

• 30ml Tweed gin
• 15ml dry vermouth
• 1 dramatic dash orange bitters

1. Slide everything into a chilled mixing glass packed with ice and stir for 10–20 seconds.
2. Strain into a frosty Nick and Nora cocktail glass (you can buy these elegant glasses here).
3. Take a lemon twist, give it a confident squeeze over the surface to mist it with citrus magic, then perch it on the rim like it owns the place. 

Crisp, confident and just a little cheeky - exactly how we like it.