Beefeater Gin Martini
Dec 3rd, 2007 by Nick
The gin martini is a true classic, typically served “up” in a martini glass and with an odd number of olives. Tradition dictates that the number of olives are odd, I don’t know why, but I will find out for later. This particular martini has a twist of lemon. That means the garnish is a lemon peel twisted so that the juices are on the rim of the glass. The peel does add a hint of lemon to the drink. Personally, I feel that the lemon truly complements the gin. The flavor is very subtle in the drink.
Martinis can vary a lot; to break it down a bit: They can be served up or on the rocks. When a martini is served up it is in a martini glass. When a martini is served on the rocks its is served with ice in an old fashioned glass or commonly called a lowball glass. I prefer the drink on the rocks just because I think martini glasses are to hard to manage.
When I post a vodka martini I will talk about the differences of gin and vodka. Until then here is how you make a gin martini:
- 9 parts Gin.
- 1 part dry vermouth.
- Olive or twist of lemon for garnish.
In bartender terms this is 9 counts of gin with a splash of vermouth. The count measuring system is used with quick pours. An article about quick pours will be up in the future.
- To garnish with olives just drop in the olive(s).
- To garnish with a twist of lemon. Take a small piece of lemon peel, Twist it and wipe the peal on the rim of the glass. Then drop the peel into the drink
To fit in a standard martini glass, however, bartenders may vary the recipe slightly. It’s common to find martinis made as follows:
- 1.25oz Gin or Vodka
- .75oz Dry Vermouth
It’s not exactly the 9-count I described earlier, but the taste is similarly remarkable if the bartender is good.
The odd number of olives is supposed to be three for health, love and wealth.
This information comes from the February 2008 Martha Stewart Living magazine.
I’ve heard about that before.