What is a proper Martini? Theoretically, you can call any new cocktail you create a Martini. But hey, let’s honour the heritage shall we? How you name cocktails is important in my book as it should be either a nod to what’s in it, or to one of the key ingredients, or perhaps how it makes you feel.
Imbibing cocktails is partly about how they make you feel while you’re sipping them. Never gulp a cocktail! Vulgar!
I’m not a fan of the traditional Martini
I completely accept that the Martini is probably the most famous cocktail of all. The fact that it has the iconic glass named after it helps of course. And then there is the famous drink brand Martini based in Italy which makes a range of vermouths. So Martini as a name has an unsurpassed heritage. Unquestionably. Doesn’t necessarily follow that the cocktail is special though. A traditional Martini is a combination of 2 things – gin and vermouth. Or possibly vodka in place of the gin. Depending on which recipe you follow, the amount of vermouth varies. Some extremists suggest that you merely swill a bit of vermouth around your Martini glass and then throw it away. So, that leaves you with a glass of neat gin then, doesn’t it? I’ve never wanted a glass of neat gin. And it also means that your Martini is all about the quality of the gin. That’s why a classic Martini isn’t in my list of Top 100 cocktails. Sure you can add olive brine to your drink to make a Dirty Martini, or an olive or a silverskin onion, but it’s hardly likely to change your cocktail.
Honouring the Martini name
So for me, I will only call a new cocktail a Martini if it is based around gin, or vodka and vermouth. So no, a Pornstar Martini is not a proper Martini. It is a fine drink. A little sweet but a strong mix of sharp and fruity flavours. The reason the Martini name has been used so extensively for a wide variety of drinks is that it was a fashionable name a few years ago. So everybody creating new cocktails would add the name ‘Martini’ at the end. The Espresso Martini is another such example. Another great cocktail but it has nothing in common with the gin and vermouth classic.
Using the name martini also has the advantage that it clearly marks out the drink as a cocktail. A mix of flavours in an alcoholic drink.
How to make your own Martini version
Having suggested that a Martini has limited ingredients, it doesn’t mean you don’t have huge latitude when developing your own martinis. You merely need to have a range of vermouths, with a few flavoured gins and vodkas and you have great scope for creating new cocktails. See the post on the in-house Raspberry Martini creation. I have a range of fruit flavoured martinis. The epic Rhubarb Martini was always a favourite on our menus when we ran parties. I’ll write about the gooseberry martini soon. Why stop there? I’ve also created floral based martinis too. Lavender, Elderflower and Rose all feature. And if you want to try something completely different, I came across a recipe for a Tzatziki Martini. Not a ‘proper’ martini admittedly, but interesting nonetheless.