Martini
Stirred, not shaken
The Martini is a cocktail classic that is usually made with gin and dry, French vermouth. There are numerous theories about the origins of the Martini. In 1997, Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown compiled a list of the top ten supposed inventors in their book entitled "Shaken Not Stirred". Although the history of the Martini dates back to the 19th century, it wasn't until 1880 that vermouth was added to the popular gin cocktail. A true classic among Martinis is the Montgomery, and whether the mix owes its name to the Monkey 47 inventor Montgomery Collins or the American writer Ernest Hemingway is a hotly debated topic.
Over the decades, the Martinis became "drier" as the proportion of gin increased and vermouth decreased. Just as Winston Churchill famously liked his dry Martini served by pouring a glass of good gin while merely glancing at the vermouth bottle, a dry Martini is perfected by stirring 6 cl Dry Gin and 1 cl vermouth on ice, straining into a chilled glass and garnishing with an olive. Cheers!
