Comments on: Shaken or Stirred?

By: Gloria

Gloria — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:02:27 +0000

You want EXTRA Vermouth? Girl! you are ruining the smooth taste of the vodka!! If I do the Vermouth…….I pour just a little in the martini glass and then throw it out!
Vodka from the freezer (only the best) poured into a martini glass which has been wet and put in the freezer for the coldness! 3 olives and I’m done.

By: Boston : Dining News Elsewhere: Tainted Tomatoes, Foul Food at Fenway

Boston : Dining News Elsewhere: Tainted Tomatoes, Foul Food at Fenway — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:42:36 +0000

[...] – Martinis: shake or to stir? [drinkboston] [...]

By: ljclark

ljclark — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:22:33 +0000

Wow, fellas. My head is spinning. I need a Martini — lemon twist, olives, frozen gin, orange bitters, elderflower liqueur… whatever.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:25:27 +0000

Todd: Here are a few more references, all available at the following site:

http://www.euvs.org/Books.html

“American Bar”, Frank Newman, 1904. Martini, page 66, w/ orange bitters. No Astoria cocktail listed.

“New and Improved Bartenders’ Manual, 1934 Edition”, Harry Johnson. Martini, page 165, w/ Boker’s bitters. Again, no Astoria cocktail listed.

“The Cocktail Key”, listed as published in the 1920s. Martini listed, again, with orange bitters.

“Cafe Royal Cocktail Book”, 1937, compiled by Willian G Tarling. Astoria is listed in this one, as a drink with apple brandy and orange bitters. No bitters listed for the martinis. (No page numbers available)

“Cocktails de Paris”, 1929, author not listed. No Asotoria listed. Martini listed with orange bitters. (No page numbers available)

“Bariana”, 1902, Louis Fouquet. No Astoria listed. Martini listed with orange bitters, in addition to absinthe and Creme de Noyaux. (I think there are page numbers but I’m having a lot of trouble reading them).

… based on these six sources, plus the other three books I’ve already quoted, I think we can safely conclude that the original Martini formulation did indeed have bitters. As for the Astoria, we can’t draw many conclusions from lack of evidence, but it seems that if it did predate the Martini it was certainly not as widespread or well-known a drink.

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:52:29 +0000

Might want to read up on CocktailDB before you bash it.

http://cocktaildb.com/article?id=3

By: Todd

Todd — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:09:47 +0000

Adam,
that’s a joke… Cocktaildb… the Savoy was publish in 30… don’t quote the internet

By: Todd

Todd — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:57:34 +0000

Adam,

I have the Savoy Coctail its published in 1976…(pg 62), try the Official Mixer’s manual by Duffy 1934… the Astoria pre dates Dry martini and there is a dry martini aside from the Astoria…. 4 or 5 parts gin 1 part dry vermouth ……

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:00:41 +0000

You freeze your gin (or vodka) in order so that the shaking of it with ice doesn’t melt the ice too much, thus watering down your drink. With a room temp gin, the ice melts too much, watering down my precious Bombay Sapphire.

As for vermouth, I dunno. Even with the little bit I use, if it isn’t Noilly Prat I can really tell the difference. So it must add something.

I’ve never tried orange bitters in the martini. My wife, a true purist, would never do it, but I might some night. Another ingredient to try, recommended by the bartender at Zygomates, is the elderberry flower liqueur.

Personally, I’ve spoiled myself with my martinis and they are never cold enough nor dry enough at a bar, so I usually try something else like a sidecar.

By: MC Slim JB

MC Slim JB — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:37:12 +0000

I’m surprised no one has raised the distinction I was taught: always stir if the drink contains bitters, which will make the drink cloudy if shaken. I now guess this refers to non-potable bitters: my Negronis never get cloudy and I always shake them. Most bartenders aren’t stirring, of course, because it takes too long. I’m always impressed when someone knows enough and is willing to take the time to stir my Manhattan (as, for instance, they always do at the B-Side Lounge in Cambridge) for this reason.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:59:07 +0000

… and at the risk of going overboard with references (it’s Friday afternoon and I’m bored with work, so why not?) here are two more:

“Famous New Orleans Drinks & How to Mix ‘em” by Stanley Clisby Arthur (2000 printing, but the book was written in 1937), page 49, has a Dry Martini with a 50:50 gin and vermouth ratio plus a half teaspoon of orange bitters(!)… and an olive for garnish, with an extra reminder in the text: “Don’t forget the olive!”

Another reference found in “Imbibe” by David Wondrich: Page 247 includes a Dry Martini recipe credited to Charlie Mahoney, “Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide”, 1906, which uses the same 50:50 gin and vermouth ratio, plus a dash orange bitters and an orange peel squeezed over the top.