Monday, April 5, 2010

What Is A Martini?

Whenever questions about 'what is bourbon?' arise, it's helpful that bourbon whiskey is defined by Federal law. There might be disagreements about application and interpretation, but at least there's a reference point.

The martini gets no such help. Consequently, people feel free to call anything served in the iconic martini glass a martini, regardless of the ingredients.

I would like to propose the following rules.

A martini is a drink containing gin or vodka, and dry vermouth. I think I'm being very liberal in allowing vodka, but it stops there.

I know people today want to be creative with their cocktails and like to invent variations on their favorite cocktail recipes. Although the martini has only two ingredients, it permits a wide range of variation. The permissible variations are:
  • You may use any gin or any vodka, including flavored vodka.
  • You may use both gin and vodka.
  • You may use any dry vermouth.
  • You may use any ratio of gin/vodka to vermouth. 
  • You may garnish with olives or onions, stuffed or not, or no garnish.
  • You may add a small amount of olive brine.
I'm also a bit of a rebel in not requiring that the ingredients be stirred with ice and strained into a glass. Not only do I permit shaking, I prefer it, though I know I'm in the minority on that one.

You are welcome to make and enjoy any drink you like, you may even serve it in a martini glass, you may even (and I'm being hugely generous on this one) call it a something-tini, just not a martini.

Thank you for your cooperation.

9 comments:

  1. Since Chuck & I both agree on the definition of a Martini, it is now US law.

    Next, let's tackle the margarita. A margarita must consist only of Tequila (preferable 100% agave), some type of Orange liquor, real citrus juice of limes and possible orange/lemon, and if needed simple syrup. If it has mangos or any other different fruit, it is not a margarita.

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  2. Where is the orange bitters and lemon twist option?

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  3. The lemon twist is harmless enough but I'm not entirely comfortable with the orange bitters, which I like well enough in many other drinks.

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  4. We are in total agreement with one slight exemption: a true martini must contain gin. any martini containing vodka as the principal spirit must be called a "vodka martini."

    Your liberal bent is accepted at its core, but needs to be somewhat constrained by my interpretation...at least on my turf!

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  5. I will point out that the glass is a cocktail glass, not a martini glass. Using the wrong name for the glassware has I think encouraged the misuse of the drink name.

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  6. You are correct and I perpetuated the mistake because I don't believe most people know that.

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  7. Certainly the martini as a cocktail has evolved quite a bit from its origins.

    I don't claim to me an expert in this matter, but some web sleuthing show these sites with some history of the drink:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail)
    http://www.martiniart.com/historyofthemartini.aspx

    Here Ted Haigh, Dr Cocktail, a well know historian of cocktails discusses the origin. And it's quite interesting.

    http://cocktailconfidential.latimesmagazine.com/2010/02/qa-with-dr-cocktail-origin-of-the-martini.html

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