The Perfect Vodka Martini
A vodka martini is a timeless cocktail with a history dating as far back as the gold rush in the late 1880’s. At the most basic level, it is a simple combination of vodka and vermouth, masterfully crafted into a delicious cocktail Some of the greatest historians and writers had named the vodka martini as “The only American invention as perfect as the sonnet”. There are many variations of this vertsatile cocktail including but not limited to, dirty, dry, shaken, and stirred.
In any fashion, a vodka martini is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser enjoyed by the most practiced drinkers, down to the DIY bartending novice. With just a few ingredients and steps, there is no reason to be intimidated by this undisputed champion of a cocktail.
In order to further understand this prominent cocktail, you must familiarize yourself with vermouth. Vermouth is a fortified aromatized wine, flavored with different botanicals that sometimes displays different colors and hues. The vermouth is used to balance your martini and create a subtle flavor ultimately delivering a satisfying herbal palate and fragrance.
The vodka martini is known for its versatility as a charming aperitif cocktail before an elegant meal, as well as a luscious digestif after a dessert course. With so many variations of this cocktail and so many ways to enjoy the nuanced flavors it makes a perfect fundamental drink for the dinner party at home with friends and family, or the exorbitant anniversary dinner.
Throughout history, the vodka martini has always had a broad demographic appeal ranging from Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack all the way back to the flapper girls of the prohibition era, and of course, the infamous James Bond vodka martini, always shaken and never stirred. The vodka martini has certainly cemented its place in history with so many important figures throughout popular culture that the rest of society wanted to emulate.
So what makes the perfect vodka martini you ask? It is important to start with a good quality vodka followed by white dry vermouth with floral notes and soft fragrances that will work in tandem with the vodka to forge our complete cocktail.
Now to formulate our perfect vodka martini for home bartending we must follow an order of operations, First chill your martini glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add 1 1/2 oz vodka and up to 1/2 oz vermouth per serving. Shake well until chilled. Strain into the aforementioned chilled martini glass and garnish with either olive or lemon peel and most importantly, savor this creation.
Ultimately, when quality vermouth is combined with Gate 11 vodka to construct a martini the possibilities and good times are abundant, and you are guaranteed to concoct alluring nostalgia.
