The Martini: Civilization in a Glass
I don't profess to make the perfect martini. The concept of a perfect martini is like that of a perfect cigar; due to the subjective nature of each, perfection is a distinctly individual concept. But I do make a damn good martini, and its good to know what sort of martini The Prophet likes should you ever be required to make one for him. It's also a good basic recipe if you're new to the drink. Though I consider a lot of the trendy nouvelle variations on what Noel Coward called "civilization in a glass" to border on heresy, I won't go so far as to condemn them categorically. I will offer a couple of martini observations:
1) Martinis should be made with gin. The concept of a vodka martini isn't completely illegitimate, but unless it is specifically requested it should be made with juniper juice of a high quality.
2) The idea is to get the martini as cold as possible. Chill the glass beforehand, keep the cocktail shaker in the freezer, and keep your martini fixin's at as low a temperature as you can safely store it. Vodka won't freeze, but I'm not sure about gin and vermouth. I keep mine in the fridge.
To make the Prophet martini pour approximately two ounces of gin into your ice cold shaker, filled three quarters full with ice. I think Bombay Sapphire is the best gin made, but if you're on a budget you can use Gordon's. Gordon's is pretty good and roughly a third of the cost of the good stuff. Add one or two capfuls of vermouth, depending on how dry you want the drink to be. I use one capful, but don't be afraid to add another if you want. Use Nolly Pratt or Martini and Rossi vermouth. Shake the hell out of the mixture, then strain into your chilled martini glass. The concoction should resemble an Alaska stream, icy and pure. Then skewer four Spanish olives on two toothpicks (Frank Sinatra is the inspiration for this, he frequently shared one of his olives as a rite of male bonding), toss them in, and add a dash of olive brine for good measure.
Churchill's Martini
3 oz. Gin
olive
Put gin into shaker with ice. Shake vigorously.
Bow in the direction of France before pouring into
cocktail glass.
Garnish with an olive.
There you have it.
Enjoy!
"Happiness is finding an extra olive in your martini when you're hungry" --Johnny Carson
"Dean Martin was the victim of a crime in Beverly Hills...he stuck out his hand to signal a turn and someone drove by and stole the olive out of his martini"-- paraphrasing Joey Bishop.
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