There are a gazillion martini recipes out there, and sometimes it's hard to pick one we either want to drink regularly or experiment with (I like mine with gin, thank you very much).
Here's one from the terrific book The Craft of the Cocktail, by legendary mixologist Dale DeGroff. It's for the Smoky Martini, and it's not only a very simple concoction it also has a very cool, mysterious name. Full recipe (along with variation) after the jump (the pic is from another site, not sure if it's the same as this recipe).
The Smoky Martini
2-1/2 ounces gin
Splash of blended scotch
Lemon twist, for garnish
Stir both ingredients with ice to chill and garnish with the lemon twist.
Variation:
Audrey Saunders makes a version of the Smoky Martini called the Dreamy Dorini Smoky Martini, for Dori, a whiskey-drinking woman. The recipe calls for vodka and a splash of Laphroaig scotch, the smokiest of the Islay scotches, and here is the secret: Season the ice with Pernod.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-02-2007 @ 9:31PM
tzurriz said...
Grrr. Just because it is served in a martini glass does not mean that a beverage is a martini!
This is a cocktail. What's wrong with calling it a cocktail?
A martini is a very specific drink. Heck, changing the garnish changes the name from Martini to Gibson.
I'm sick to death of "martini menus" and "martini bars" and having to explain that when I order a martini, I don't mean a mudslide or a cosmo, or dear lord in heaven, anything made with midori.
Thanks for letting me rant.
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10-02-2007 @ 11:00PM
will_butler said...
Preach it, brother. There are exactly two kinds of martinis: vodka and gin. These are no more martinis than my beloved Manhattans. Plus, I've got to say that I'm not sold on the combo of scotch and gin. I may have to try one of these out just to satisfy my curiosity.
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10-02-2007 @ 11:12PM
mrsb said...
Um, maybe you guys could use a drink. :-)
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10-02-2007 @ 11:40PM
Keith said...
will_butler, some might argue that a martini served with vodka is not a Martini at all, but a Kangaroo.
Drinkboy has a pretty informative writeup here:
http://www.drinkboy.com/Cocktails/recipes/Martini.html
Cocktail snobs unite! Down with bars that only serve drinks mixed with vodka! Call it a "cocktail glass" not a "martini glass!"
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10-03-2007 @ 9:05AM
Gobo said...
I've noticed the word "martini" overtaking "cocktail" for years -- I was at a bar recently with an extensive martini list that included things like "manhattan martini", "old fashioned martini", "gimlet martini", "sex on the beach martini", etc. All standard cocktails, served in highball glasses, but apparently the word "martini" has a young, classy, hip vibe while "cocktail" sounds like something old fogeys drink.
It still bugs me.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:58AM
jsmylie said...
Bonus: calling it "martini" usually means they get to charge you more, 'cause hey, it's fancy!
And even if it's purely psychological, I always feel like I'm getting stiffed when I get a drink in a martini glass. It just seems like there's less there.
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10-03-2007 @ 12:09PM
Kevin said...
This is amazing and one of my very favorite drinks. After a sip or two I'm way to happy to give a fig what people call it. There is no time in this short life for beverage stress!
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10-04-2007 @ 12:50PM
MonkeyRoyal said...
I'm with you brothers! Bars which call every drink served a martini have been getting on my wick for years. I assumed it was just me being an angry English gentleman. I was in some bar recently & on the list was a 'Mexican Martini' - concocted of tequila & lime juice...err?
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11-07-2007 @ 8:38AM
James said...
Normally I would be right in line with the rest of you pedants on the martini issue but this is not just a drink in a cocktail glass. It is clearly a play on the definitive martini recipe, with identical ratios and a single ingredient replacement. Based on the ratios (and on the importance of gin to martininess), this is more of a martini than the "Vodka Martini".
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