Concocting a Martini

Welcome to the Academy of Professional Bartending Schools Westchester County‘s ongoing series of bartending. We are  devoted to   guarantee that every student receives an education that enables them to attain the highest levels of achievement possible. You will discover a bartending facility that has created the most stimulating learning environment , a relevant and challenging curriculum and an active dynamic partnership with the hospitality communities. Our training facility really is a place to build a great foundation as a bartender. We supply real hands-on training behind fully functional bars on state-of-the-art equipment. We train and help you develop the crucial speed and knowledge of all the popular drinks. Our New York Bartending School encourage that with attention on classic as well as creating new and exotic cocktails.

This permits our students to work in ANY environment that serves alcohol with confidence.

Please enjoy these ongoing series on correct cocktail mixing . Loaded with interesting tidbits, facts and histories . For more drink recipes <—-click here.

Today’s article is:

How to Properly Serve the Classic Martini

The Martini’s Start

Who first invented the martini? The answer is unknown , but there seems to be two stories with some legitimacy . One story is that the martini is a variation of the Martinez cocktail (considered by many to be “the great grandfather of the Martini cocktail”) created in Martinez, California and was prominent during the late 1800′s. Another denotes it was Jerry Thomas (his signature drink The Blue Blazer) because of his pioneering work in popularizing cocktails across the country; he is considered “the father of American mixology. In either case there is no drink that has gained status or popularity quite like the martini.

Gin

Gin is a distilled spirit whose primary flavor is obtained from juniper berries. Gin is widely into two basic legal categories. Distilled gin is crafted in the common traditional manner, by re-distilling neutral alcohol of agricultural origin with juniper berries and other botanicals. Compound gin is made by simply infusing neutral spirit with essences and/or other ‘natural flavorings’ without re-distillation, and is not as highly  esteemed .

The martini gained massive popularity during the Prohibition Era . As speakeasies surfaced almost overnight, so did the demand for alcohol. Whiskies took too long to age to keep up with the requests. On the other side of the coin , Gin could be manufactured quickly and inexpensively, and so became the drink of choice. Bathtub gin refers to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions. The term first appeared in 1930, during the prohibition era, in reference to the cheap -quality alcohol that was being processed .

As gin was the dominating drink in the mid 20′s , many variations were created by mixing cheap grain alcohol with water and flavorings and other agents, such as juniper berry juice and glycerin. Contrary to popular belief, the spirit was not made in a bathtub. Rather, because the preferred sort of bottle was too tall to be topped off with water from a sink, they were filled from a bathtub tap.

Many other cocktails owe their life to bathtub gin, as they were also invented in order to mask the awful taste.

With prohibition over, the government imposed standards on alcohol production. As different types of gin became more uniform, the recipe for a classic martini became standard as well.

Vermouth

There are three general types of vermouth, in order from driest to sweetest: extra dry, bianco/white, and sweet/red. Sweet red vermouth is drunk as an apéritif, often straight up, as well as in mixed drinks like the Manhattan. Dry white vermouth, along with gin, is a key ingredient in the mixing of martinis. Red vermouths are sometimes referred to as Italian vermouths and white vermouths as French vermouths, although not all Italian vermouths are red and not all French vermouths are white.

Stirred Never Shaken

A true martini connoisseur states that a martini must always be stirred, never shaken. A martini should be served cold, clear and crisp. By shaking the drink, it becomes cloudy due to air bubbles, causes the ice to release too much water, and “bruises” the flavor of the gin. By stirring gently for 30 seconds, you chill the drink properly and release only the required amount of water. 

Steps in creating the Best Martini

1. MARTINI

A. Glass: Chilled Cocktail / Rx

B. ½ oz. Dry Vermouth

C. 3 oz. Gin

D. Stir gently and strain

E. 3 Olive garnish

1. Half fill a pint glass with ice.

2. Next, remove the dry vermouth from the fridge. It needs to be refrigerated, 1) because it’s a perishable item and 2) it makes the drink colder, therefore better tasting. Pour ½ oz. over the ice

3. Swirl the ice gently so as to coat the ice equally with the vermouth as well as the bottom of the glass .

4. Remove the gin from the freezer. Pour 2 ½ – 3 oz over the coated ice

5. Begin to gently stir the mixture for 30 seconds. so as not to bruise the gin. Gin needs to be gently introduced to the vermouth, and there MUST be some ice melt dilution.

6. Garnish with 3 olives threw a skewer and place skewer over the cocktail glass, not in it!.

7. Strain the cocktail over the olive skewer into a martini glass.

8. Enjoy