How To Make a Classic Martini

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The days of the three-martini lunch may be over, but this sophisticated drink will never go out of style.
Added December 3, 2007

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You Will Need

2 1/2 oz. gin (or vodka)
Ice
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
Small, chilled olives with no pimento
A mixing glass
A cocktail strainer
A clean napkin or cloth
A martini glass
A long spoon
And a toothpick

Step 1.
Chill glass

Chill the martini glass by filling it with ice and water and set it aside.
Martinis should be very cold—storing your martini and mixing glass in the freezer will keep your finished drink even cooler, longer.
Step 2.
Fill with ice

Fill the mixing glass with ice.
Step 3.
Add gin

Add the gin.
A traditional martini is made with gin, but a vodka martini simply replaces one liquor with the other.
Step 4.
Add dry vermouth

Add the dry vermouth.
A dry martini has less vermouth—for a very, very dry martini, just coat the ice cubes with vermouth, then dump out the actual liquor.
Step 5.
Stir

Stir with the spoon about 50 times, making sure your liquids are well mixed and chilled by the ice. Save the “shaken, not stirred” shtick for a James Bond martini.
Step 6.
Empty & wipe

Empty the ice water from the now-chilled martini glass and quickly wipe the inside to remove any trace of moisture.
Step 7.
Strain into glass

Strain the gin and vermouth mixture into the martini glass.
Step 8.
Garnish

Garnish your martini with one or three olives – tradition holds that only an odd number of olives should be used in a martini – and serve.
Winston Churchill liked his martinis so dry that he reportedly made them with straight gin, looked at a bottle of vermouth across the room, and drank.

Comments View all (1)...

I do believe that shaking the martini give the drink a different taste, I prefer shaken. Also the better bartenders don't put the Vermouth in the actual drink. Coat the inside of the glass and then throw out the excess, should only be a hint of vermouth in the drink.

Reply about 1 year ago by jeffrey

View all comments (1)...