The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages.
H. L. Mencken called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet"and E. B. White called it "the elixir of quietude."
By 1922 the Martini reached its most recognizable form in which London dry gin and dry vermouth are combined at a ratio of 2:1, stirred in a mixing glass with ice cubes, with the optional addition of orange or aromatic bitters, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Over time the generally expected garnish became the drinker's choice of a green olive or a twist of lemon peel.
A dry Martini is made with dry, white vermouth. By the Roaring Twenties, it became common to ask for them. Over the course of the century, the amount of vermouth steadily dropped. During the 1930s the ratio was 3:1 (gin to vermouth), and during the 1940s the ratio was 4:1. During the latter part of the 20th century, 6:1, 8:1, 12:1, 15:1 (the "Montgomery", after British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's supposed penchant for attacking only when in possession of great numerical superiority), or even 50:1 or 100:1 Martinis became considered the norm.
A dirty Martini contains a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is typically garnished with an olive.
A perfect Martini uses equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth.
According to northjersey's website, this is what a Martini is NOT:
If it's sweet, it's not a martini.
If it's got more than a thimble's worth of vermouth in it, it's not a martini.
If it's any of the following colors — green, pink, blue, orange, red, chartreuse — it's not a martini.
If it's called any of the following things — blueberry martini, vanilla martini, cosmopolitan, metropolitan, appletini — it's not a martini.
So there you have it. In the end, it's totally up to you how you enjoy your martini so Happy National Martini Day!
Source(s): wikipedia | northjersey
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