A Cocktail Story Part 3 - The King of Cocktails

We conclude our three part cocktail series with the king of all cocktails, shaken, not stirred, the classic martini.

According to the IBA (International Bartenders Association) the martini is found in literature as early as the 1860's but gained popularity during prohibition, ironically enough. There are numerous recipes for the ratio of gin to vermouth but IBA specifies approximately 2oz. of gin or vodka to every 1/2 oz. of vermouth with either an olive or a twist of lemon. A dry martini has less vermouth and a wet martini has more.

Early recipes specified stirring the drink but the "shaken, not stirred" preference of James Bond helped make that the popular method. Throughout the Bond novels and movies, the character drank both gin and vodka martinis. But it's been written that his creator, Ian Fleming, was a big fan of gin, specifically Gordon's. Therefore, today we honor the author of one of the most famous lines written in cocktail literature by presenting a Gordon's gin martini, shaken and not stirred. Cheers!






Ingredients
2 oz. Gordon's gin
1/2 oz. Dry vermouth
Lemon peel

Pour the vermouth into a well chilled martini glass and swirl it around to coat. Pour the excess into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add the gin and shake well. Pour into the martini glass, twist the lemon peel over the drink and then garnish the glass with it.

Don't know how to make the fancy schmancy lemon twist? Simply cut a slice from the center of a lemon and make a slit. Cut or pull off the flesh and twist the rind into a curl. It will hold it's shape.






To see our complete list of cocktail recipes to date, click on the A Cocktail Life tab at the top of the blog.

Check out part one of this series:

A Cocktail Story Part 1

Check out part two of this series:

A Cocktail Story Part 2