THE PERFECT MARTINI

A few nights ago, I had the perfect martini. Bone dry, with a twist. Simple enough. Bemelman’s in NYC. The bartenders are unpretentious, not referring to themselves as “mixologists”, letting the simplicity of a drink, speak for itself.

I used to be a vodka martini drinker until my best friend insisted I try gin. It is quite amazing how, many gins vary in their flavor profile. Typically Botanist, St. George or Eleni, a gin from Piedmont Italy, are my favorites. At Bemelman’s I tried Kinobi, a Japanese gin. Wow! The subtle notes of citrus made it the smoothest martini I have ever had.

The Dirty Details on This Special Drink.

The simplicity of the drink for one. Ernest Hemingway, the de rigueur drink of the business lunch in the 50’s and 60s, and personified by James Bond as a cocktail of sophistication.

There is a little back and forth as far as its origins go. The one theory, is that it was developed on the fly during the gold rush from a miner’s request to a bartender as he was going back to the town of Martinez. Apparently there was no champagne! Another theory? An Italian bartender in the 1880’s, named Martini di Arma di Taggia, made it at the Knickerbocker Hotel in NYC. However it was invented, the recipe was first published in 1884, in O.H. Byron’s book, “The Modern Bartender.”

A Few Tips.

Hold it on the base of the glass, not the stem. Sip slowly. The glass matters – V shaped not in the Coupe glass. Stirred not shaken – no matter what James Bond says. Cheers!