The Perfect Classic Martini

What makes the perfect martini? Gin or vodka? Shaken or stirred? Vermouth or another aromatized wine? Dry or wet? A twist or olive garnish? Nick & Nora or martini glass? So many choices, so many options for screwing things up! But I’m here to help you make the perfect martini (well, at least MY version of the perfect martini)!

My perfect classic martini - a "dirty" martini

Martinis are all the rage these days. Go to any restaurant or cocktail bar and you’ll find an amazing selection of different martinis – cosmopolitans, espresso martinis, appletinis, lemon drop martini, … Oh, and don’t forget the Manhattan, the one that might have started it all in the first place. Those all have their place, but the martini we are talking about today is the classic martini made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth as the base. Two ingredients, along with a garnish – so simple, or so it would seem.

But the reality is, when you decide to make a classic martini, you have a lot of choices you will need to make before reaching perfection, or at least perfection in your own eyes. Let’s walk through these choices and see which ones you would make as we craft our perfect classic martini!

Base spirit – gin or vodka?

The first choice concerns the base spirit used for your martini – your two options are gin or vodka. To start, gin is really just flavored vodka – it starts with a neutral grain spirit and is then flavored with a variety of botanicals which always includes juniper berries. Accordingly, gin is a more assertive choice for a martini than vodka, which tends to be more neutral and nuanced in flavor. Personally, I prefer gin and more specifically, London dry gin, because I think it makes for a more interesting and complex martini.

Aromatized wine – vermouth or others?

The second main ingredient in a classic martini is aromatized wine, which is a wine (usually white) that has been flavored with herbs and/or citrus and fortified with additional alcohol. They come in all styles, and can be dry, slightly bitter, or even slightly sweet. Most of the sweeter vermouths come from Italy, while the classic dry versions come from France. I prefer dry French vermouth, which is usually extremely dry and clean with subtle herb flavor.

Seasoning – bitters or not?

In addition to the base spirit and aromatized wine, classic versions of the martini often include the addition of bitters to add complexity to the drink. The most popular bitters include Angostura, Peychaud’s, and orange bitters. The former two bitters are quite assertive in flavor, while the orange bitters are more subdued. If you decide to add a drop or two of bitters into your martini, I recommend choosing orange bitters if using gin as your base spirit, and Angostura or Peychaud bitters if using vodka. Personally, I prefer my martini sans bitters – I find them superfluous given all the other flavors introduced by the base spirit and aromatized wine.

Balance – dry, wet, or dirty?

Another key choice when crafting the perfect classic martini is whether to make it wet, dry or dirty. This refers to the amount of vermouth you include into the mix, along with any other additions you might choose. A dry martini is one with lesser amounts of vermouth relative to the base spirit – a naked martini has no vermouth. A wet martini has higher amounts of vermouth, but still no more than an equal amount to that of the base spirit. The more vermouth, the “wetter” the martini. A dirty martini includes a bit of olive brine into the mix – you can add it to the vermouth or use it as a substitute for it. I love the “brininess” that a small amount of olive brine adds to the mix, so my preference is to include both vermouth and olive brine in my martini. I also prefer my martinis wetter, so I go with a 2-to-1 ratio of gin to vermouth/brine.

Mixing – shaken or stirred?

How you choose to mix the different components of your martini together makes a difference as well. Achieving the right balance between the base spirit and the other components of the drink is critical to making a perfect martini. Personal preference plays a part here, but getting the balance right requires how much control you have over the dilution of the spirit and wine. Combining the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice, and then shaking vigorously will give you an ice-cold martini every time, which is critical to enjoying this cocktail. But you also lose some control using this method, which can often result in an overly diluted and unbalanced martini. Stirring the ingredients with ice in a chilled glass stirring vessel will allow for more control which will ensure a more balance final product. Accordingly, I always stir instead of shake – sorry, James!

Garnish – a twist, olive, or pickled onion?

The garnish also has a subtle but important influence on the flavor of your martini. Many martinis are garnished with either a lemon or orange twist, first expressed over the drink and then placed into the cocktail or onto the rim of the glass. This introduces a light citrus flavor which complements both the base spirit and the aromatized wine. Stuffed olives or pickled onions are also a “go to” garnish and work best with martinis that are drier in style. Since I like a bit of olive brine in my martini, I prefer an olive garnish with mine.

Glassware – Nick and Nora or martini glass?

The final choice you need to make is which glass style you will use for your martini. The most popular is the classic martini glass that we are all familiar with, but the best cocktail bars usually default to the Nick and Nora glass, which is smaller than your basic martini glass, has a thinner glass rim, and has a deep curved bowl. Nick & Nora glasses are my preferred vessel for a classic martini – I find martini glasses to be unwieldly (when have you ever NOT spilled some of your drink when using a martini glass?), and I also notice that my drink warms up more quickly given the wide bowl of the glass. The Nick & Nora glass is more elegant and sized perfectly for a classic martini.

So, there you go! Everything you need to create your own “perfect” classic martini. Have fun and experiment with all the different variations to help you decide what options you like best! In the end, if you love it, it is, by definition, the perfect classic martini for you. Case in point – my niece Sara’s perfect martini could be considered somewhat extreme in style – she likes either gin or vodka and adds only olive brine into the mix (and a lot of it at that!). She also “rinses” the glass with a bit of vermouth before pouring her drink into it. And her garnish? She doubles down and garnishes with four stuffed olives (but only because she can’t fit five on her garnish sticks)! Not what I would drink, but it’s HER perfect classic martini, not mine!!

My niece Sara's very wet and dirty martini!

The Perfect Classic Martini (Serves 1)

I like my classic martini “wet”, with gin, vermouth, a bit of olive brine, with an olive garnish. I stir it instead of shake it and serve it in an ice-cold Nick & Nora glass. Make sure the martini is ice cold – the only way to drink one! 

Ingredients

2 oz. London dry gin (we like London Dry Gin by No. 3, or Castel Gin by Highclere)

½ oz. dry vermouth (we like Dolin Dry Vermouth)

½ oz. olive brine

Olives (stuffed or unstuffed) for garnish

Directions

Place a stirring glass and Nick & Nora glass into the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.

Place the gin, vermouth, and olive brine into the chilled cocktail stirring glass and fill with ice. Use a stirring spoon to stir and chill the ingredients, stirring constantly for about 20 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass and garnish with an olive (or olives).