Equipment for Martinis
A shaker or stirring glass
Bar spoon (or teaspoon)
Strainer
Cocktail glass
Cocktail Sticks
Ingredients
2 parts Grey Goose vodka
½ part chilled Noilly Prat
Cubed ice
1 lemon
Olives
The Martini is all about confidence, everything from ordering it to making it yourself screams sophistication and you have to have a certain je ne sais quoi to pull it off effectively, without appearing a little try-hard. Perhaps it’s because it’s the suave James Bond drink of choice or that it’s served in the most divine glasses. Much like these beauties from Eva Solo, If these don’t say sophistication I don’t know what does. They are distinctive and elegant glasses for serving Martinis because the glass is both thick and delicate, whilst the design of the glass is cleverly shaped to enable drinking from all sides. Volume: 0.6L RRP: £25 per glass.
To start with hold a large ice cube in the centre of your palm. Use the back of a spoon to crack it into smaller jagged pieces. Transfer the ice to a mixing glass and repeat until you’ve got enough cracked ice to fill it.
Then it’s time to chill your cocktail glass, I’ve found that the easiest way is to fill it with cracked ice.
Just like in cooking, you should taste your ingredients separately and always try to pair them thoughtfully.
Next Step
Your next step is to add ice and Noilly Prat to your cocktail shaker or stirring glass and stir to make sure that the ice is coated, then use your strainer to pour away any excess.
Then add the Grey Goose to the stirring glass or strainer
Did you know that shaking breaks up the ice, which leads to overdiluted martinis? So instead, I recommend rapidly stirring it 50 times— literally count to 50; the outside of the glass should be super chilled.
Using a strainer, which should fit snugly over the top of a mixing glass, or a slotted spoon, strain the martini into your chilled Eva Solo glass. Strain any remaining mixture into a ‘sidecar’ if you’re feeling swish, or a mini-carafe if not!
Now for the all-important lemon twist, it’s the ultimate way to add citrus notes to martinis:
1. Use a small knife to remove a 1″ piece of peel, including some of the white pith.
2. From a distance of 4 or 5 inches, squeeze the peel over the martini to express oils. The heavier, more bitter oils will fall to the counter, while the lighter, sweeter oils will hit the drink.
3. Rub the outside of the peel around the rim of the glass, then gently float it on top of the cocktail, yellow side up of course!
Want to Make it Dirty?
A Dirty Martini is a classic vodka or gin martini that is made with a splash of olive juice. Simple and yet surprisingly good, try it for yourself to see what all of the fuss is about.
