I reveal the 2 secrets to making a great martini. So many people get it wrong or just "wing it" when making a martini because it seems like it should be so simple.
Only 2 ingredients... gin and dry vermouth, that's it! So what could go wrong?! Using a cheap gin is the fastest way to ruin any chance of making a good martini.
The next mistake is getting the ratios of gin and dry vermouth wrong. There is some leeway in how much dry vermouth you can use because it depends on your tastes.
So the important thing here is to accurately measure your gin and dry vermouth so that you can narrow down exactly what you like.
I prefer a relatively dry martini to let the character of the gin shine through. A "dry" martini means there is less vermouth.
Another factor in making a great martini is to understand that by shaking it with ice you are diluting the mixture with the melted ice. This is a good thing... to a point. Obviously to much melted ice results in a watered down cocktail, not good.
To keep your gin martinis consistent, use the same method each time. This means to use the same amount of ice, and shake it for roughly the same amount of time each time you make one. This will eliminate variables so that you have full confidence that you're going to make a great cocktail every single time.
However, we want to make this fun, not tedious mixology that sucks the fun out of it for you. Making cocktails should be FUN! This is why my methods works so well; I show you how to eliminate the biggest variables that lead to poor cocktails, but I don't spend much time on the minute details that don't make a significant difference in the end product. Sure some bartenders make it all look fancy and splashy while making their expensive cocktails, but none of that leads to a great TASTING cocktail.
The most fun you'll have in creating your own gin martini cocktails is deciding which gin you're going to use.
Some people already have their favorites, but it's worth doing a blind tasting of gins to see what you really like. Blind tasting gins is a sure-fire way to reveal people's true tasting abilities.
For example, I used to think the Bombay Sapphire was the best gin on the planet, period. But after a blind tasting I picked Tanqueray gin over my beloved Sapphire! Since then I've also selected Empress 1908 Indigo Gin an few times in blind tastings. You should do the same, pair you favorite gin up against a few other cheaper and more expensive gins and have someone serve them to you blind and see what you pick.
A final word... you may notice how vodka is not an ingredient in my recipe. this is because traditionally when you asked for a "martini", you got a gin cocktail, not a vodka cocktail. But as with most things, some people didn't like gin and preferred the more bland canvas that vodka displays. "Bland canvas" is my way of saying that vodka has virtually no flavor. Don't get me wrong, a liquor having no flavor has it's place, but it's usually in a drink that just made to get you drunk, not sipped, savored, and enjoyed for it's nuanced flavors.
Yes of course I know that there are some vodkas that are expensive and taste better than others, but in the end, vodka is a pretty boring liquor unless drunkenness is your primary goal. Of course this is just my opinion, of which you did not ask, so there's that.
So my passive-aggressive way of fighting this gin martini vs. vodka martini war is to ask the bartender for a martini and see what happens. If they ask what gin I'd like then I know I have a winning bartender who's on the right path in life. "If they ask gin or vodka?" then I know I have someone who's trying to please all their customers and wants to get things right the first time... ok this still isn't a bad thing. But if they don't even ask about gin, and just go straight to asking what vodka I'd like... well I just know that this will be my one and only drink at this bar.