I'll skip the olives altogether and just have the gin. Or even vodka.
Vodka ?! Well, if you like the flavor of rubbing alcohol, what can a person say.
But despair not...I shall reveal unto you the recipe for the Perfect Martini. And by Martini I mean a
real Martini as opposed to those fruity abominations served in fawshionable bistros.
First of all gin. You can do the London dry gins, if you want to get beat up by the unfavorable currency rates, but I like Seagram's Gin. It is inexpensive, a decent gin, and is even aged a bit to take way a bit of the bite. Secondly the vermouth should be French and dry. For most purposes this means Noilly Prat white.
The mix is 7 parts of gin, 1 part of vermouth. This is a
dry martini after all. Pour the ingredients over a pitcher or shaker copiously full of ice, the more ice the better. Some folks chill the gin in advance. This is acceptable. Some folks use liquid nitrogen -- this is overly showy.
STIR gently. God knows why anyone would shake a martini -- dissolved smog just makes a cloudy drink. One of the joys of a Martini is contemplating its crystalline, moist clarity. Only a bloody Auld Reekie refugee who uses vodka would shake a martini.
Pour into a chilled glass. Add a twist of lemon or a
small Spanish olive (Star is a decent brand.) If you do not like the idea of a drink staring back at you, remove the pimento before adding the olive. Other stuffings? I suppose almonds are harmless. However, garlic or blue cheese!? A Martini is a drink, not a salad.
Sink back into your chair, lift your glass and sip. There, now isn't that nice.
