Making of a Great Martini

Recipes for a classic martini vary based on how dry the drinker prefers it. Some martinis are so dry they have just a hint of vermouth or, in the case of Winston Churchill, straight chilled gin. For a wetter martini, you can add more vermouth. This recipe makes one classic martini cocktail.

Ingredients

• 2½ ounces of London dry gin
• 1 barspoon of dry vermouth
• Ice
• Spanish olive(s) for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass.
2. In a mixing glass, combine the gin and vermouth.
3. Add the ice and stir until chilled, about 30 to 60 seconds.
4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.
5. Garnish with the Spanish olive.

Adjusting Your Martini for Dryness

You can adjust the proportions of gin and vermouth for a wetter or drier martini.

Make a Wet Martini

The wettest martini is a 1:1 ratio of dry gin to dry vermouth. So in this recipe, it would be 1¼ ounce each of gin and vermouth. Stir in a mixing glass with the ice and strain into your chilled martini glass.

Spritz Method for a Dry Martini

For a very dry martini, put the vermouth in a spray bottle and spritz the glass lightly. Then, stir 2 ounces of gin with the ice in a mixing glass to chill it and strain it into the prepared martini glass.

Vermouth Scented Dry Martini

You can also scent the martini with vermouth while still keeping it dry by stirring ½ ounce of vermouth with ice in a mixing glass for 30 seconds. Pour the vermouth through a strainer and discard it while keeping the ice. Add 2½ ounces of gin to the vermouth-scented ice and stir to chill for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Glass Rinsing Method for Making a Dry Martini

Glass rinsing is another way to scent the martini with vermouth while keeping it bone dry. To do this, after your glass is chilled, add 1 tablespoon of dry vermouth and swish it around the martini glass to coat it. Dump out the vermouth. In a mixing glass, stir 2½ ounces of gin with the ice to chill, and then strain it into the prepared glass.