6. The Martini: The Balance

Online School of Cocktailory

For drinking #alonetogether

Section 102: The Martini

The balance for a martini is “aromatized” or “aperitif” (nice-smelling, flavored) wine. Classically dry vermouth like Dolin, but it could be any number of other things. Unlike the Old Fashioned, the proportions of aromatized wine to liquor used to balance a Martini are completely up to you when ordering. The base recipe goes 2 oz. gin to 1 oz. vermouth, or 2-1/2oz. vodka to 1/2 oz. vermouth. They differ because gin is a stronger flavor than vodka, so in order to taste the vermouth, you’ll need a little more. If you ask for a Dry Martini, they’ll cut the vermouth in half and add more liquor. If you ask for Wet, you’re getting an extra 1/2 oz. of vermouth and less liquor (on average. all recipes differ a little) If you’re mixing at home, you do what you want yo.

Vermouth itself is a fairly neutral white wine that’s flavored with herbs and whatnot and fortified with a little extra liquor bumping it up to about 18%, and it comes in 3 main styles. Sweet red or Italian vermouth is thought to be the original. It’s the sweetest of the 3 and smells like cherries and vanilla, but will overpower gin or vodka in a martini by itself. Dry or French vermouth was made next and has more of a bitter alpine herb smell which goes great with either gin or vodka. Blanc (French) or Bianco (Italian) vermouth is clear like a dry vermouth, but not as herby, and also not quite as sweet as the reds. It’s a nice style in the middle that can be mixed with any base spirit.

There are also tons of other aromatized wines that taste great, just remember once they’re open to treat these and vermouth like any other open wine and refrigerate. If it’s been in the fridge for more than a month it’s not getting better.

The assignment this week is actually straight outta the book, and if you have a quarantine buddy you can share these 3 drinks. If not then you could split the recipes in half to try instead, or do the same game like in week 2 where you slowly add more of your balance beverage till you find your favorite version.

Ok step 1, chill 3 glasses so they’re cute and frosty. Step 2, make these 3 cocktails:

“Very Dry Gin Martini”

Stir on ice: 2 1/2 oz. of a London Dry style gin with 1/4 oz. of dry or blanc vermouth. Strain into a small chilled glass. There’s no bitters or garnish for this experiment so the focus is on the balance between spirit & wine.

“Gin Martini Straight Up”

Stir on ice: 2 oz. of the same gin with 1 oz. of the same vermouth. Strain into a small chilled glass.

“Gin Martini, Wet”

Stir on ice: 1 1/2 oz. of your gin with 1 1/2 oz. of your vermouth. Strain into the last chilled glass.

Step 3, try all 3 cocktails and pick your fave. There’s no right answer here, and it’s ok to like all 3 depending on what you’re in the mood for. And you can repeat this experiment with vodka next time, or different aromatized wines.

* Virgin cocktail bonus round: this is a drink my parents would let me play with on airplanes before there was any other in-flight entertainment. You’ll need a can of ginger ale or 7up, a small bottle of orange juice, some ice, and lots of cups. Measure out different blends of soda vs. OJ in each cup, and decide if you prefer your NA screwdrivers with more or less juice (ie: wet or dry) Then try ordering it the next time you feel like venturing out to an IRL restaurant and tell me what happens. We should totally bring back virgin cocktails by popular demand.

See you next week for garnish round!

Cheers!