Martini Recipe

Chill glass

Place the martini glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare the drink to chill.

Measure spirits

Using the jigger, measure 2.5 oz of your choice of gin or vodka and 0.5 oz dry vermouth. For a drier martini, reduce vermouth to 0.25 oz; for a wetter martini, increase to 0.75–1 oz.

Add ice

Fill the mixing glass or shaker with 6 large ice cubes to sufficiently cold-dilute the spirit.

Stir or shake

Traditional: Stir the gin or vodka and vermouth with the bar spoon in the mixing glass for 20–30 seconds until well chilled (and slightly diluted). If you prefer a shaken martini (James Bond style), shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker for 8–12 seconds.

Strain

Discard ice or water from the chilled martini glass. Using the strainer, pour the cooled mixture from the mixing glass or shaker into the chilled martini glass, leaving ice behind.

Garnish

For an olive garnish: spear 1 cocktail olive and drop into the glass. For a lemon twist: use a peeler or paring knife to cut a 1-inch strip of lemon peel, twist it over the drink to release oils, rub the rim of the glass with the peel, and drop it into the drink or discard per preference.

Serve

Serve immediately while very cold. Offer the choice of olive or lemon twist to the guest.

Adjust vermouth to taste for dryness. For a Gibson, substitute a cocktail onion for the olive/lemon garnish. Use a quality gin (London Dry) for a classic martini or a clean, neutral vodka for a vodka martini.