What’s the best suit? To an American, it’s something from Brooks Brothers. Classical, democratic and made with high quality. To a Brit, it might be something from Henry Herbert or Gieves & Hawkes, a tailor-made garment from Saville Row, cut from perfect navy. But a suit can be just as good when rendered in draped, colorful cloth by the late Edward Sexton, or a hot corset-blazer blend by H&M and Mugler.
There is no universal best suit. There’s just the best suit for the man or woman who wears it.
And so, I come around to the refined blazer of beverages: the martini.
In the pages of our July magazine, Chilton Williamson, Jr. wrote about his effort to “search of the perfect martini.” To spoil a beautifully written piece, Williamson’s answer was Duke’s Martini, the obviously correct answer.
But to write so assertively about cocktails becoming “feminized” through complexity, and then conclude with a Duke’s Martini is akin to — however elegantly — railing against the degenerate expansion of ice-cream flavors and conclude that vanilla is ultimately the very best. It may well be! But who wants life just in vanilla?
There is no single best martini. The best martini is the one that makes you feel refreshed in a most sophisticated manner; and the best way to find which one you like most is to explore them.
There are some classic rules though. The martini glass should chilled prior to pouring, and the spirit is best kept in a freezer. Please don’t use cheap, pickled onions as a garnish. And it must be stirred, not shaken. Despite the instructions of Mr. Bond, a Boston Shaker is a poor tool for the classic martini, creating ice shards and less controlled dilution compared to stirring.
My preference for a classic dry martini recipe involves the pouring of under 5ml of dry vermouth (preferably Noilly Prat Extra Dry) into a chilled martini glass, swirled around the surface, before being tossed out (what is known as a vermouth “wash”); 100ml of gin (I recommend Plymouth) is then added to a mixing glass, along with a single dash of orange bitters and under 5ml of the vermouth, and stirred down over ice. Double strain into the vermouth-washed glass and top with a lemon twist. The “dryness” of a martini refers to the quantity of vermouth in the drink; the more you add to the mix, the “wetter” it is.
As with any cocktail though, from here, the permutations are functionally endless, and if you don’t like one kind of martini, maybe you just need a different version of it. Find a classic gin martini a bit plain? Use Hendricks gin and a cucumber twist for a refreshing summer edge. Celery bitters can also achieve that earthy, refreshing flavor.
Want a hint of sweetness? Use a classic Old Tom gin, a wash of sweet vermouth and add a flake of salt to your mix. For a classic vodka martini, I would follow Mr. Bond’s choice of Belvedere; but if you want something freakier, try Black Cow vodka. Made from milk, it gives a beautiful, creamy profile that’s hard to replicate, and adding chocolate bitters, a black vanilla bean and a few uncrushed coffee-beans to the mix leans into the dessert influence.
Mad Men has ruined the curiosity of America’s martini-sipping men, who now exclusively order the driest of martinis; but why not try a perfect martini, which uses a blend of sweet and dry vermouth? If you learn to love vermouth in your martini, try Audrey Saunders’ “Fitty Fitty” martini from New York’s Pegu Club, which uses 35ml of gin (preferably a navy-strength, overproof kind), 35ml of dry vermouth and two dashes of orange bitters.
Similarly, if you don’t like a dirty martini, try “cleaning” it up by using a homemade brine of water, salt, and lactic acid — and please use deli olives for garnish, not cheap supermarket items. On the other hand, you can make it positively filthy, using umami bitters, tomato-stuffed olives, brine infused with sundried tomato and mushroom, or vermouth infused with onions and chili. Or do all of it!
And if you want to change things up with a classic martini, swap out the vermouth for a wilder wash, like coconut water or — as I do in the following recipe — a plum brandy.
I have spent the night with all of these martinis, but it’s this elegant, harsh, fun, kinky martini that stole my heart. My recipe uses Absolut’s beautiful copper-still wheat vodka, a fruity plum wash and bitters, and that sharp, acidic, complex note of the grapefruit on the rim.
Ross Anderson’s Echoes of Eden Martini
100ml Absolut Elyx vodka
10ml plum brandy
A dash of plum bitters
Grapefruit twist
Wash the martini glass with plum brandy, before tossing out. Add vodka and bitters to a mixing glass, and stir down over ice. Double strain into the martini glass, and garnish with the grapefruit twist, strongly expressing the oils along the rim.
