Martini

It’s traditional, when writing about the Martini, to assemble a set of pithy aphorisms from the Jazz Age, and then attempt something … witty. There are the usual quotes about how dry they ought to be, and how many arguments will be triggered by merely making one. Having read all the usual epigrams, from Dorothy Parker to Winston Churchill, I feel none the wiser about the drink itself.

So let’s forget all that and get drunk. The Martini is your ideal accomplice in this situation, as it’s basically a way of drinking very cold gin. A decent gin is essential, and ideally it should live in the freezer. Ditto the vermouth, re decency but not re the freezer. The only real choices are the level of dryness (less than you think) and the tricky proposition of olive versus twist.

Into a shaker with plenty of ice, add 50mL gin, but feel free to slip, as 50mL feels niggardly, although 75mL is way too much. Add a teaspoon, that’s 5mL, of dry white vermouth. I’m using Sipsmith and Noilly Prat, but you don’t have to. Whizz the whole lot round for a few minutes with a cocktail spoon, and strain into  — you guesed it — a Martini glass. Use a potato peeler to get a decent chunk of lemon peel and, over the glass, pinch it and crease it down the middle before dropping it in. This will release some of the oils in the skin. Drink carefully.

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