You can go all the way back to California’s Gold Rush to find stories of a miner on strike being served a martini. You can trace the drink’s ancestor to Jerry Thomas, who wrote about it about twenty years later, when the recipe ended up in his Bartender’s Guide. You could even look at bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia, who is credited with the extra-dry martini he made in the early 1900s for Rockefeller. The origins of the legendary cocktail are a bit of a whichever-story-sounds-better situation, but for me it will always be attributed to James Bond and his shaken, not stirred requirement.
But one of New York City’s best bartenders, Michael Smoley, disagrees with the agent. As one of the city’s key players in the bar scene, he spent time at the Nomad Hotel as Bar Director, where he landed some prestigious awards: “Best Bar Team” and “Best High-Volume Cocktail Bar” by Tales Of The Cocktail; and “Best Bar, North America” two years running by World’s 50 Best Bars. When I reached out to him in his new role as the U.S. Brand Ambassador of Boatyard Double Gin, he gave me some tips on how to make the perfect martini at home, regardless of who you attribute the drink to.
Not everything called a martini is a Martini. You can name your dog Chicken, but that doesn’t make them a bird. Espresso Martini, Lychee Martini, Appletini… these are the names of cocktails, but they are not martinis. – Michael Smoley, U.S. Brand Ambassador for Boatyard Double Gin
The right gin
I mean, it goes without saying that, no matter what you make, the end result is only as good as the ingredients you use. So it is no surprise that the very first tip Smoley gives me is to grab the right gin. However, which is the right one is the question most people will have. So, apart from just telling us that Boatyard Double Gin is his choice (that is why he represents them, after all), what is it about the right gin? What should you be looking for?
“A great martini starts with a gin that has enough character to hold its own against the vermouth and dilution. You want balance: too delicate, and the gin disappears; too aggressive, and the botanicals can overwhelm the drink. Look for a gin with good texture and body that stays present from the first sip to the last.”
The right temperature
Here is an interesting tip that I never thought of. I don’t know if I would have thought of it, actually. When I go to a bar, I see the bartenders use chilled glasses and ice and torches and smoke and a dozen other temperature-related things that I wouldn’t use at home (other than ice). But the ice conversation lends a particularly good perspective to the perfect martini.
“Temperature is one of the most overlooked parts of making a martini. Chilling your glassware ahead of time and starting with cold gin gives you more control over dilution, so you can get the drink properly cold without watering it down too much. It’s a small step that makes a noticeable difference.”
The missing link
Ok, I have to be honest. I am not a huge fan of martinis. I have been a dark liquor (bourbon, specifically) guy as long as I can remember. Martinis haven’t been on my list for a long time (maybe it is the vermouth, maybe it is the olives), but I may have been led wrong by my favorite secret agent. While Bond demands that his martini be shaken, not stirred, Smoley believes the guy is wrong about the technique.
“For a classic gin martini, I firmly believe in stirring. Stirring chills the drink while giving it that silky, almost viscous texture you want in a great martini. Shaking introduces more aeration and creates a different mouthfeel. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but if you’re after a classic, spirit- forward martini, stirring is the way to go.”
The right ratio
Finally, regardless of how good the ingredients are, there is one thing that is just unavoidable: You have to get the mixture right. The recipes need to be followed, and the adjustments need to be made. But the surprising part of this is that there is no such thing as the right mixture. Smoley tells me that the right mixture is the one you like. I guess that means we should be drinking a lot of them until we get the perfect recipe down, then we can enjoy the same amount in perfection.
“There’s no single perfect martini ratio, and that’s part of the fun. Start with a classic gin-and-dry- vermouth combination, then adjust it to your taste. A little more vermouth can bring out new dimensions in the gin, while a drier martini puts the spirit front and center. Just remember to refrigerate your vermouth after opening it. Freshness matters more than people realize.”
Now that I know how to make the perfect martini, I think it is time for me to pair it with a good burger and have a night in with a little bit of Boatyard Double Gin and a Smoley-driven martini.
