House Martinis Recipe

Chill the glass

Place the martini glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to ensure a cold serving vessel.

Add 3 oz gin and 0.5 oz dry vermouth into a mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with about 8 ice cubes.

Add 2 dashes of orange bitters to the mixing glass.

Stir (preferred for clarity) or shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds until well chilled and the outside of the mixing glass is frosty. Stirring will produce a smoother, clearer martini; shaking will produce more dilution and a colder, slightly cloudy drink.

Using a strainer, discard the ice water from the chilled martini glass (if used) and strain the mixed cocktail into the chilled glass.

If using a lemon twist: hold a strip of lemon peel over the drink, give it a quick twist to release the oils, then rub the peel on the rim of the glass and drop it into the martini.

If preferring an olive: spear one green olive on a cocktail pick and place it in the glass instead of the lemon twist.

Serve immediately. Taste and adjust next pours by changing dry vermouth by ±0.25 oz to preference (less for a drier martini, more for a softer one).

Discard ice used to chill glass and rinse tools. Store any remaining vermouth refrigerated and consume within a month for best flavor.