How to Mix Fab Martinis

Melissa Vene

Ah, the martini. . . the martini can arguably be called the snooty cocktail of choice for at least two people living in Bemidji, Minnesota. However, it is also the fab cocktail. The martini is elegant. The martini is potent. The martini can even be fruity! This site intends to instruct could-be mixologists on how to make the classic gin or vodka martini, as well as to share a few other fun cocktail recipes that have impressed the masses during quaint gatherings in a few shoe-box sized apartments in northern Minnesota.This site follows closely the "Melissa" doctrines of martini-mixing, but you are encouraged to revamp these instructions based on your personal tastes. Even if it takes two, three, maybe eight tries, don't give up! You can tweak your martini and impress your friends by possessing the very knowledge of simply mixing a fab martini.

Round One: The Classic Martini

Equipment/Ingredients:

• Booze! (vodka or gin)
• Dry vermouth
• Ice cubes
• Stainless-steel drink shaker, James Bond style
• Alcohol unit measuring device
• Glasses with fab stems
• Various garnishes (some like olives, some like onions -- you choose)

Step One:

The very first and quite possibly the most important step is to choose your booze wisely. I recommend Grey Goose vodka or Bombay Sapphire gin depending upon your preference. While I realize there may be better alcohol at your disposal, these two brands will work nicely. And, frankly, I can't afford anything "better" than these. I'm a student, for crying out loud! However, consider yourself warned: don't ever use icky booze such as Philip's or Silver Fox when making a martini. This will ruin the drink (as well as your liver). A good thing to keep in mind: if the bottle's less than $25-$30, you're better off mixing it with old stand-bys such as orange juice or sour mix rather than allowing it anywhere near your martini set-ups.

Step Two:

Now that you have a good bottle of booze handy, grab your martini glass and fill it with ice and then water. This will chill the glass nicely while you continue the mixing process. Glass size will vary. Adjust the recipe accordingly, or once you've played around with it a bit.

Step Three:

Fill your shaker about half-way with ice and add approximately two ounces of booze over the ice. If you don't have a measuring device, two or so solid glugs from the bottle ought to suffice. If you want to get really fancy, purchase some bottle pourers and, while you pour the booze over the ice, say to yourself, leisurely, "lions and tigers and bears oh my! oh my!" and then stop. This is a good method for the basic two-ounce martini pour.

Fun Fact: most alcoholic beverages that require mixing of some sort call for the standard 1 1/2 ounce shot. To make these, say to yourself "lions and tigers and bears oh my" while you pour the liquor and shazam! you have your 1 1/2 ounces ready to go. For a martini, I simply add an extra "oh my" to my insane little head chant and consider that good.

Step Four:

Depending upon how dry you like your martinis (I'm a little to no vermouth kind of girl myself), add the dry vermouth gingerly. Most standard recipes for martinis call for 3/4 oz. of vermouth. Seasoned martini drinkers usually like them "very dry", meaning that just the smallest splash of vermouth is ideal. Try a little trickle of vermouth to begin with, and add more or use less as you prefer.

Step Five:

Top the shaker and give it some good, solid shakes in an up and down motion, whilst holding the top of the shaker securely. The outside of the shaker should get nice and frosty; a good sign that your cocktail is almost ready to be quaffed.

Step Six:

Dump the ice water out of your chilled glass, carefully remove the top part (or lid) of the martini shaker, and strain into the glass. You may have to swirl the ice around a bit more to get all of the liquid out.

Step Seven:

Finally, add the garnish of your choice. The most traditional garnish is a simple green olive complete with a nice red pimiento.

Now your only concern is to drink responsibly and don't drive home if you can't see once your little martini experiment has ended.

Cosmo, anyone?

Think you're a pro?
Not until you've mastered the COSMOPOLITAN!

The Cosmopolitan Martini is another fab cocktail. It is fruity, a little bit sour, and it is a little more "friendly" than the classic gin or vidka martini. It is also the drink of choice for those sassy broads on HBO's "Sex and the City," which is the best show on television.

Let's make cosmos!

Ingredients:

• good vodka
  
• fresh lime wedges
• cranberry juice
  
• grand marnier
• (orange liqueur)
  
• lemon twisties for
• garnish

Shake it up

Once you become skilled at mixing the traditional martini, these instructions should be a breeze.

In your shaker, over ice, add a "lions and tigers and bears oh my!" pour of vodka. Splash some cranberry juice over that and squeeze the juice out of two good-sized lime wedges into the mix (toss the wedges in the shaker as well). Top the mixture with about 3/4 oz. grand marnier.

Then, shake the hell out of it so that the ice breaks up the lime wedge particles. Strain mixture into chilled glass (you did remember to chill it, didn't you?) and you're almost done!

Totally pretentious garnishing ritual to follow. . .

When I make cosmos, I take a lemon twist and lightly rub it around the entire rim of the glass. The rind gives off a nice vapor and whatnot. Then, I drop the twist into the drink it's ready!

Drink responsibly.

For more information:

Bombay Sapphire

Grey Goose

Webtender

Copyright © 2001 Melissa Vene | Questions and comments to Melissa Vene
Last Modified: October 2001