Tay's Perfect Martini

I'm fond of gin martinis. It's an elite drink, I know, but half the pleasure is learning to make it just right. Here's my Recipe...

4 green olives stuffed with pimentos*
4 ice cubes
1 teaspoon dry vermouth
4 ounces of gin (slightly less than 3 jiggers)

Timing is critical, so follow this order exactly. First, put the olives in the martini glass. You may add a little brine if that pleases you. Second, put the ice in a cocktail shaker (or a cocktail mixing glass if you have a bar strainer). Add the vermouth and the gin. Immediately** cover and shake*** for as long as it takes to say the Lord's Prayer. Then, IMMEDIATELY pour into the martini glass through a strainer. Enjoy.

*Do not use the kind soaked in vermouth, it will throw off the gin/vermouth balance of the drink
**Do not let the gin sit on the ice longer than directed here, the ice will add too much water to the drink
***Shake with a motion faithful to your spiritual temperament: some like a very solemn and deliberate motion, others dynamic and loose. Also, it's important to think the right thoughts. Think of someone like Steve McQueen or Marilyn Adams--cool....

The most common mistakes in making martinis (IMHO) are the following (in order of frequency)

1. Letting the gin and vermouth sit in the ice too long
2. Too much vermouth
3. Not enough olives
4. Sloshing the precious nectar over the side on the martini glass
5. Failure to have recent copies of the New Yorker on which to place martinis in progress

A word about gin. These days, after some experimentation, I use Bombay Sapphire. I'm always happy to see Queen Victoria looking approvingly (or, as approving as she ever looked) on my alchemy. Here's a review of Bombay Sapphire I found on the web:

Spicy, with pronounced juniper palate, this super-premium version of regular Bombay (originally distilled in India) is the brainchild of marketing genius Michel Roux of Carillon Importer. Only introduced in 1988, it has become a major hit among gin connoisseurs. Sapphire offers a combination of no less than ten natural botanicals--more than any other gin--including grains of paradise, almonds, lemon peel, licorice, juniper berries, cubeb berries, orris, coriander, angelica and cassia bark. Makes a martini of unprecedented smoothness. (source)

But if you have the wallet, you should really try Hendrick's. It's almost twice as expensive as "normal" gins, but it is very flavorful and goes well with summer.

Cheers!

-t