by The Intoxicologist

Created on: September 16, 2007   Last Updated: December 09, 2010

The vodka or gin martini, depending on your liquor preference, is a seemingly easy drink to make, yet at the same time is delivered incorrectly frequently. Martini drinkers have come to have the reputation of being pernickety. This isn't necessarily so. What is true is there are many variations to a martini; dry, extra dry, dirty, with olives, with a twist, and some call for more than mere dashes of vermouth, but rather measure it in half ounces. When you order a martini, you are at risk of getting whatever martini the bartender on duty has read in a book or learned from someone else behind the bar unless you as the consumer are specific when ordering.

The recipe is not the only determining factor to your martini. Let's face it. Not all vodkas are made the same. Vodka has the reputation of being colorless, tasteless and odorless, but this is not an entirely true statement. The more times vodka is distilled, the more pure it becomes. This makes for a cleaner taste as there are fewer impurities in the alcohol. While vodkas are indeed clear, some may taste and smell like antiseptic due to one step distillation. Look for vodkas that have been at least triple distilled, ideally more.

Vodkas can take on different textures and bodies depending upon what they are made from as well. Chopin is Polish vodka made from potatoes and distilled four times. When chilled, Chopin fills the mouth with a full bodied creaminess. This makes for the perfect martini vodka. While a martini should always be served ice cold, some would argue that a martini is only good as long as it remains ice cold. This is normally true. With Chopin, even when it cools slightly as it sits it remains an exquisite vodka.

Garnish is also a personal choice in a martini as it becomes part of the flavor of the drink. I prefer a lemon twist as it gives a crisp clean taste to the martini allowing the vodka to still shine through. Olives tend to dull the vodka giving it a more cloudy appearance as well as a bit of salty flavor to the martini. Olives however lend themselves to a tremendous amount of variations since they are being stuffed with things such as jalapeno, bleu cheese, asparagus, almonds, garlic, even lemon citrus. The possibilities are limited only by your own imagination as you could even stuff your own olives if you wish.

Perfect Martini

Noilly Pratt Vermouth
2 oz Vodka, Chopin, Pravda, or Tall Blonde, (all top of the line - choose one)
Lemon Twist

Place ice in a cocktail glass. Swirl approximately

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