I just know some of the simpler cocktails from a past job. I don’t know the origin of this one.
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Time for a cocktail! (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter mattduck
- Start date
I think I’ll make one tonight at home. I need more reasons to use the Luxardo.
GreekRedEye
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It first appeared in print in 1887. Two cities claim credit for the cocktail. Residents of Martinez, CA (near SF) say it was invented there. Some say it was invented in a New York bar when a regular came by for one last round, announcing he was leaving NY to head out west to a small town in California called Martinez. The bartender decided the occasion deserved a special drink. But one thing everyone can agree on is that this was the predecessor to the family of Martini drinks. With time, the Luxardo was dropped and so was the "ez". Then the vermouth was made with a split base of sweet and dry vermouth. Then just dry vermouth. London Dry entered the picture at some point. Then the amount of vermouth was reduced. Basically, the drive was to make it drier and drier. Why, I don't know. I think the Martinez is a damn near perfect drink.
If you do not have Old Tom...well go get some! But, you can still make a passable version with London Dry if you put in a bar spoon of sugar syrup.
Post a picture, please!
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Orange bitters in the photo, but not the recipe?
GreekRedEye
Flush
I forgot to list it in the recipe. Thanks for catching. Edited to add. You will find lots of different recipes for this drink. Some call for orange bitters, none, or ango. Some use orange curacao instead of luxardo maraschino. Some call for Old Tom some others for London Dry and still some for Genever. As there is no consensus on how it should be built, so you should experiment to find what you like. Below are some of my references I go to when making a drink new to me.
From Liquor.com:
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange twist
From IBA:
45 ml London Dry Gin
45 ml Sweet Red Vermouth
1 Bar Spoon Maraschino Liqueur
2 Dashes Orange Bitters
From Difford's Guide:
2 oz Genever
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Orange Curacao
1 Dash of Angostura bitters
Death and Co.'s Book
1 1⁄2 oz Old Tom Gin, Hayman's
1⁄2 oz Old Tom Gin, Ransom
1⁄2 oz Sweet vermouth, Dolin
1⁄2 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Punt e Mes
1⁄2 t Maraschino Liqueur, Luxardo
1⁄2 t Kirschwasser, Massenez Kirschwasser Vieux
1 ds Orange bitters
1 twst Lemon peel (as garnish)
As involved as Death and Co.'s recipe looks, it is the most similar to mine if you get collapse it down:
2 oz Old Tom (mix Hayman and Ransom)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (mix Dolin and Punt e Mes)
1 tsp of clear Cherry Liqueur (mix Luxardo and Kirschwasser)
1 dash of orange bitters
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Fantastic! Glad you liked it. I think of it as an Italian spin on an Old Fashioned. Got the recipe from a bartender at El Five in Denver, Colorado.
Tonight, Negroni.
Ragsy
Sitting Out
BATANGA
Tequila Reposado 45ml (1.5 oz)
Lime (a decent squeeze or two)
Coca Cola
Ice
Sorry no photos.
I don't know if it's my taste buds that are playing funny buggers on me, but every time I have this, I swear it tastes like bourbon and coke....I use it when I'm low on bourbon (albeit rare)
Tequila Reposado 45ml (1.5 oz)
Lime (a decent squeeze or two)
Coca Cola
Ice
Sorry no photos.
I don't know if it's my taste buds that are playing funny buggers on me, but every time I have this, I swear it tastes like bourbon and coke....I use it when I'm low on bourbon (albeit rare)
GreekRedEye
Flush
What vermouth, what gin? Don't leave us hanging!
Bombay Blue Sapphire and Noilly Prat.
For me, just good old Martini & Rossi red and Gordon's. If it's good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for me.
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
I used to agree with that... until the Heineken tie-in.
Yeah, but he was pretending to be dead.
GreekRedEye
Flush
But the man also asked for his Martini to be shaken. Not sure he's the best authority.
GreekRedEye
Flush
Bookmark!
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
I've done tests of both shaken and stirred.
I prefer shaken, and here's why...
- Shaken gets the drink colder, faster.
- Shaken makes the drink cloudy, but I keep my martini glass in the freezer. As such, the outside of the glass gets a touch frosted. In a frosted glass cloudy or clear look the same.
- I usually make my martinis with vodka. Hate on it if you are a traditionalist, but that is what Bond usually orders. Quite frankly, I like the clean refreshing flavor of vodka. I currently have 13 different vodkas in my bar, and only 3 different gins - and one of the gins is a botanical. Any of the 13 vodkas > Botanical > regular gin. Vodka does not hold the cloudiness as long as the gin, so the stirring non-factor is even less of a factor.
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GreekRedEye
Flush
Although I hold you in high esteem, I must respectfully disagree. I would never, for myself, shake a Martini nor build it with vodka - just as I would never shake a Negroni nor build it with vodka. (And yes, I have done tests too).
When to Shake, when to Stir
General rule: shake if ingredients include citrus juice, cream, or egg; stir if the ingredients are all spirits (or spirits and sugar and bitters). Shaking introduces air bubbles, which change the texture and deaden flavor. For citrus, this is a good thing as it takes the edge off the acid. Shaking emulsifies egg and cream and produces a nice froth/texture. But for a drink made only of spirits, shaking diminishes flavor and kills the beautiful clarity and "oily" texture that comes with good, high-proof spirits.
Chilling and Diluting
10 seconds of shaking versus 30 seconds of stirring is not a difference that matters to me. Good on you for chilling your glasses! If you forget (like I always seem to), you can place a handful of ice in the glass while preparing the drink then dump the ice right before you pour into the glass.
Why does Bond ask for his Martini to be shaken?
I believe Bond first orders a shaken Martini in Casino Royale. It is an odd and conspicuous request. Fleming must have known this. Bond must have known this. So why order it this way?
- The internet is full of claims that Bond prefers shaking in order to keep his wits about him. This is a basic misunderstanding. First of all, a good bartender will not over dilute the drink no matter the build. Regardless, an over-diluted drink still has the same ABV and intoxicating effect.
- My personal theory is that this peculiar order was not about the drink, but about playing poker (of course!). Bond incorrectly specs the drink to build an image as a less sophisticated player and to tilt the others. He's getting in their heads and looking for reactions/tells. This is also why he orders "The Vesper" - a strange drink he invents on the spot. Again, he's watching for the other players' reactions - while also flirting with Vesper. After that, it became a quirk of Bond's character and something both James and Ian ran with.
Not really. The best way to make your drinks is the way you like them. @Poker Zombie, if we ever have the pleasure to play at the same table, I'll happily make you a shaken Martini with vodka, and I'm sure you'd be willing to stir a gin one for me. By the way, I have a good recipe for "The Vesper," which is the only vodka drink I like. Happy to make you that too...but I do stir it.
I thought Bond ordered his vodka martinis shaken because he's used to drinking 'poorer quality' spirits in the far flung parts of the world where alcohol is made from potatoes or other miscellaneous starches compared to the more refined wheat vodkas.
GreekRedEye
Flush
I hadn't heard that theory. So he's trying to deaden the flavor because the flavor is bad? I like it.
Merry Christmas, PCF!
(Cranberry Gin and Tonic)
(Cranberry Gin and Tonic)
That’s a good idea!
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
We agree that you prepare the drink the way the patron likes it. My sister in law is a true martini drinker, and she is the reason I have experimented with so many gins. While each vodka is similar but different (like 2 different violinists playing the same piece of music), Gin varies wildly - like 2 singers singing the same song). Mind you, I do not dislike gin. I just prefer vodka. I still have respect those that prefer gin. The only time I cringe on a drink order is when someone "prefers" Bud Light.Although I hold you in high esteem, I must respectfully disagree. I would never, for myself, shake a Martini nor build it with vodka - just as I would never shake a Negroni nor build it with vodka. (And yes, I have done tests too).
When to Shake, when to Stir
General rule: shake if ingredients include citrus juice, cream, or egg; stir if the ingredients are all spirits (or spirits and sugar and bitters). Shaking introduces air bubbles, which change the texture and deaden flavor. For citrus, this is a good thing as it takes the edge off the acid. Shaking emulsifies egg and cream and produces a nice froth/texture. But for a drink made only of spirits, shaking diminishes flavor and kills the beautiful clarity and "oily" texture that comes with good, high-proof spirits.
Chilling and Diluting
10 seconds of shaking versus 30 seconds of stirring is not a difference that matters to me. Good on you for chilling your glasses! If you forget (like I always seem to), you can place a handful of ice in the glass while preparing the drink then dump the ice right before you pour into the glass.
Why does Bond ask for his Martini to be shaken?
I believe Bond first orders a shaken Martini in Casino Royale. It is an odd and conspicuous request. Fleming must have known this. Bond must have known this. So why order it this way?
Does This Really Matter?
- The internet is full of claims that Bond prefers shaking in order to keep his wits about him. This is a basic misunderstanding. First of all, a good bartender will not over dilute the drink no matter the build. Regardless, an over-diluted drink still has the same ABV and intoxicating effect.
- My personal theory is that this peculiar order was not about the drink, but about playing poker (of course!). Bond incorrectly specs the drink to build an image as a less sophisticated player and to tilt the others. He's getting in their heads and looking for reactions/tells. This is also why he orders "The Vesper" - a strange drink he invents on the spot. Again, he's watching for the other players' reactions - while also flirting with Vesper. After that, it became a quirk of Bond's character and something both James and Ian ran with.
Not really. The best way to make your drinks is the way you like them. @Poker Zombie, if we ever have the pleasure to play at the same table, I'll happily make you a shaken Martini with vodka, and I'm sure you'd be willing to stir a gin one for me. By the way, I have a good recipe for "The Vesper," which is the only vodka drink I like. Happy to make you that too...but I do stir it.
So making each drink to the patron's liking is fine - no judgement here (I do frequently have to defend the vodka martini by purists). The same is supposed to be true for steaks, but I just can't bring myself to cooking a steak well-done.
That said...
Air bubbles float to the top and dissipate rather quickly, especially in a wide-mouth glass (like a martini glass). So I do not believe this to be true of a low-viscosity beverage like vodka.
While I like many different vodkas, all are in the 40% ABV range and not high-proof. I think this line pertains more to spirits that are aged in a cask, where they draw in some oils from the wood (and higher proof draws in more). Not applicable to the vodka martini.
I am familiar with this method, but now that we have a dedicated box in the freezer, we never had to do this since (well rarely, because there have been times where enough was consumed that glasses had to be washed). While the water chilling method gets a chill on the glass (and in a bar is a good sign that the bartender has a clue as to what they are making), it is not as effective as the frozen glass.
...but I'm shaking the martini, so that's 20 seconds that I'm not chilling the glass.
I have a letter on my wall from a martini competition, where my martini beat the Vesper (among other competitors). Vesper is good.
But I won.
PS I spent the prize money on chips.
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
@GreekRedEye If we ever attend a meet-up together, you bring the gin, I'll bring the vodka. We almost always travel with a shaker.
GreekRedEye
Flush
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