Posted on 06/19/2022 7:38:43 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Do you prefer it dry, dirty, shaken, or not stirred? That’s the question we’re all asking on National Martini Day, a special occasion to enjoy your favorite version of the classic martini cocktail. The martini was originally called “The Martinez,” named after the California Gold Rush for the town of Martinez, where it was invented. Early martinis were made with wine, gin, and an olive. But since have expanded to many exciting flavors! So this June 19 take a moment to relax while sipping on a new type of martini after your long day and start feeling like the international spy of mystery that you are.
National Martini Day Activities
Try making a martini (for the first time) at home
If you haven't made your self a martini at home ever try one of our recipes to test out the classic martini. If you already are a cocktail master, take today to try out a new one you've never tasted. Espresso martini, gin martini, cranberry martini, lemon martini, grapefruit martini: the possibilities are endless.
Go out a martini at a bar
Text your friends for an after work meet-up. Bonus points if you can find a cocktail bar with a piano and a lounge singer, because the only thing that makes drinking a martini better, is drinking it in the proper lounge setting.
Buy yourself or a friend a martini related gift
Do you need a mixer set to get started in your mixology adventure? Buy cocktails ingredients and bring them over to a friends house. Because, in reality, the enjoyment of drinking cocktails is truly about the company you keep.
Why We Love National Martini Day
Martinis highlight the flavor of gin
If you're not a gin fan you might have some trouble loving a martini, but if you do like gin, the martini is the essential drink to highlight the flavor of juniper berries and complement it with new and interesting flavors such as grapefruit or even espresso.
Martinis are easy to make
You only need eight things on hand to make a perfect martini: ice, a martini glass, a shot glass, a shaker, a strainer, vermouth, gin, and a garnish. Its so simple you can make them at home: try it out this National Martini Day.
Martinis are fun
Martinis conjure up all sorts of images of high class ladies, James bond spies and adventure. You can take advantage of this and have a martini party or outing themed specifically towards the fun that automatically arrives when you order a Martini.
I’m changing the ‘holiday’ to, ‘JuneTini.’ :)
Great memories! My Dad liked beer - nothing fancy.
We both grew up in Milwaukee and all of my Uncles were Cops, Firemen or worked for Miller Brewing.
Now THOSE guys could DRINK! Like, at a professional level! ;)
I am fondly remembering a special man from long ago in a setting just like that, with a Cosmopolitan in hand. ;)
No, it wasn’t ANY of the James Bond guys, LOL!
Yum!
I Love Bloody Mary’s.
Had an interesting conversation one morning many years ago at the airport bar with two ‘strangers’:
I ordered a Bloody Mary, one stranger said he preferred a Screwdriver, the other ‘stranger’ preferred a Bull Shot.
I don’t drink Bull Shots since it was Peter Fonda’s favorite morning drink...
True dat, every afternoon is martini time for me with my best buddy Cootie the cat.
There is NO VODKA in a real martini. There's an old saying that a martini is the marriage between the gin and the vermouth, a union that is oh so brief but oh so glorious. Vodka and vermouth don't have the same "chemistry," either literally or figuratively.
And any bartender worthy of the title knows you never bruise distilled spirits, so it's stirred, not shaken.
BTW, do you know why Russians say they always gulp their vodka? Because what's the point in prolonging the suffering?
The first appearance of the (oxymoronic) vodka martini in the Fleming novels was in the final passages of 1954's "Live and Let Die." The oxymoron became de rigueur a few years later once distiller Smirnoff became a major sponsor of Cubby Broccoli's product-placement-heavy Bond film franchise.
Similarly, Bond wore a Rolex wristwatch in the Fleming novels but an Omega in the films because Omega paid for the product placement. It had nothing to do with being true to Fleming's work, it had to do with lining Cubby's pockets. Then again, if Fleming had had his way, Hoagy Carmichael would have been hired to play Bond (not kidding).
When I buy a jar of cocktail olives I pour off the brine and replace it with vermouth. And I keep the gin in the freezer. So it I'm not showing of to guests, I make a martini by pouring ice cold gin into a glass, adding three olives,* a spoonful of vermouth, and stirring twice, gently.
* Old gin lore, it's impolite to serve a martini with an even number of olives.
Looks like right proper place to partake!😀
Great stuff! Love the tip about the olives with vermouth in the freezer!
*Runs off to do that* :)
My SIL took a trip to Ireland this spring, and she brought all of her pictures on an i-pad to share at Easter.
99% of them were GORGEOUS bars that they had toured. ;)
And she can seriously make an awesome Dirty Martini. I look forward to them!
I like Ernest Hemingway’s martini drink - The Montgomery.
https://www.ciprianidrinks.com/en/recipes/cocktails/gin/montgomery/
ERNEST HEMINGWAY AND GENERAL MONTGOMERY
The Montgomery cocktail is more than a just simple cocktail, it is the legacy Ernest Hemingway has given to the world of Mixology. When he visited Harry’s Bar, the writer used to order a Dry Martini with a slightly modified recipe, yet with precise proportions. “He preferred that the Vermouth, in respect to the Gin, not exceed a proportion of one to fifteen. The same proportion – Hemingway would say – with which the famous English General Montgomery was fighting his battles during the Second World War: fifteen of his soldiers against for each of his enemy’s”
Hemingway’s authentic cocktail consumed at Harry’s Bar is truly essential, but in order to be excellent, it must be prepared with careful consideration. For Cipriani, the secret lies not only in the amount of dry Vermouth used, but also in the serving temperature. A Montgomery must be served ice cold, but never diluted, nor shaken with ice. The best solution is to keep the Gin and Dry Vermouth bottles in the freezer, as well as the glass.
We watched a short Juneteenth video in church. Great photos and some history I didn’t know.
Probably one of the best Martinis I ever had was one that came in a frosted glass. I had never seen that before and it. was. impressive. :)
I love Martini glasses and pick them up at thrift stores or Antique shops whenever I find a unique-looking one.
So, olives soaked in Vermouth are in the freezer - and I’ll have to put my favorite glass (this week) in there as well.
So many good tips! I’m glad I posted this because my Friday Night Martini ‘treat’ has been totally elevated! :)
For the longest, I used pearl onions as a garnish (making it a Gibson), but here the last couple of years, I’ve been using olives stuffed with either Feta or Bleu cheese. I got one of those at our favorite Destin, FL place, AJ’s. Been using them since.
My Vesper Martini
Large lemon peel peeled in a singular line around the lemon. Twist it from one end tight and drop into center of glass. When the drink is poured, the peel opens to look like a yellow flower.
3 shots Bombay Sapphire
1 shot Crystal Head vodka
1/2 shot Cocci Americano
Put in large mixer filled with ice and swish it in fast, circular motion.
Pour into glass with lemon peel.
I’m old enough to remember three martini lunches.
I LOVE those stuffed olives. Bleu is the best. :)
My Martini Bar is getting an overhaul. I’ve been living like an animal, LOL!
‘Three Martini Lunches.’
Reminds me to watch ‘Mad Men’ again. ;)
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