The Ultimate Guide To Martinis – Part 2

Sometimes when you start a series, it is a bit hard to see it through. At the same time, even if you are concentrating on one drink, the versions are endless. However, let us get back on track with our little series on Martinis.

While the most famous Martini surely is the dry one, there is also some magic to the “perfect” version. This of course means a split between dry and sweet vermouth. Although, David Embury mentions that whoever called the “Medium Martini” “perfect” was a poor judge of what is perfect. Usually, I would use a rather citrus forward gin in a Martini. However, for the Perfect Martini I prefer a more subtler and more balanced one like the Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength.

Enhanced with smoke

The Smoky Martini apparently is referenced in the 1991 book “Harlot’s Ghost”. However, the King of Cocktails Dale DeGroff argues that he was mixing Smoky Martinis as early as the 1970s. Whoever had the idea first, I prefer to add just a bit of smoky Scotch to a regular Dry Martini instead of completely replacing the vermouth with it. In my opinion, when it comes to the vermouth, the very dry Noilly Prat works perfect with the salinity of the Laphroaig.

Herbal notes

The Ford cocktail popped onto my radar some while ago. When I finally got to mixing it, I was quite surprised as how good it turned out. The original recipe first appeared in George J. Kappeler’s 1895 “Modern American Drinks”. For the “Ford Cocktail” I chose the excellent barrel aged Old Tom Gin from Citadelle. Its complex flavours perfectly blend in with the Benedictine.