# No olives?!? What goes in the Martini, then? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601 "2016-08-03T01:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/41 "2016-08-06T00:50:36Z")
Ukelele Ike, this is a hijack, but if you like anchovies I want to know, have you ever tried bagna cauda, the hot oil dip from Italy? As Dr. Franklin said to Michaeal Garibaldi, on Babylon 5, “I can feel my arteries hardening just being in the same room with it.” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/42 "2016-08-06T03:07:29Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ukelele Ike, this is a hijack, but if you like anchovies I want to know, have you ever tried Bagna Cauda, the hot oil dip from Italy? > […] What about him? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/43 "2016-08-08T18:59:16Z")
I have a case of queen olives each stuffed with a garlic clove and a Jalapeno slice shipped to my house twice a year. I get them from a winery in Gilroy California which claims to be the Garlic capitol of the world. Any martini without two of those olives is an inferior drink. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/44 "2016-08-08T19:54:53Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > What is the difference between a Gibson and a Martini? Is is just the garnish? [Pretty much](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_(cocktail)). Both are gin and vermouth, plus garnish. There are variations in the ratios of gin to vermouth, but martinis have variations of that, too. Wikipedia gives the same ratio of gin and vermouth for both drinks: 6:1. Of course, nowadays, martini usually signifies “vodka martini,” just as it used to signify “dry martini.” “Martini” was the name of a different drink with a 1:1 ratio of gin and sweet vermouth. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/45 "2016-08-08T20:41:12Z")
I have learned to order “martini, gin, dry, olives, up” when in prior years I only needed to say “a Martini, please.” ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/46 "2016-08-08T20:50:54Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I have a case of queen olives each stuffed with a garlic clove and a Jalapeno slice shipped to my house twice a year. > > I get them from a winery in Gilroy California which claims to be the Garlic capitol of the world. Any martini without two of those olives is an inferior drink. [These Mezzetta Olives](http://www.mezzetta.com/product/10106616.html) are the ones at my grocery. Love 'em, even without booze. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/47 "2016-08-08T20:52:34Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I have learned to order “martini, gin, dry, olives, up” when in prior years I only needed to say “a Martini, please.” up? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/48 "2016-08-08T21:26:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Actually, a gin sour is a different drink than a gimlet. Similar, sure, but not the same. If I ask for a gimlet and get gin and sour, it’s getting sent back. Gin and Rose’s for me, or Roses cut with lime juice if you’re feeling fancy. I’ve made it with homemade like syrup, but I just need the Rose’s for it to taste right to me. Yup. And a daiquiri is essentially a rum sour made with lime juice instead of lemon (or vice-versa; I think the daiquiri came first). Cocktails/mixed drinks come in “families”, which means that they’re essentially the same drink, but made with slightly different ingredients. So a daiquiri and a whiskey sour fall into the same family- both are spirits, sour & sugar. Similarly, the older versions of the Martini (gin, vermouth, orange bitters) fall very squarely into the same family as the Manhattan (bourbon, red vermouth, aromatic bitters). Garnishes typically aren’t the decisive factor in the naming of a drink; most of the older ones (like say… pre-Prohibition) had fast and loose garnishing rules- if you read the old books, there are rarely any hard and fast rules- they suggest things like nuts as garnishes in martinis, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/49 "2016-08-08T21:30:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > up? Not over ice. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/50 "2016-08-08T21:59:34Z")
Having a martini right now: 3oz Bombay, 1/4 oz Dolin vermouth, dash of Jade v.s. 1898 absinthe and an olive stuffed with almond. Not bad. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/51 "2016-08-08T22:16:45Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > [These Mezzetta Olives](http://www.mezzetta.com/product/10106616.html) are the ones at my grocery. Love 'em, even without booze. Yeppers, those are my goto as well. Tasty sliced on toast covered with old cheddar, too! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/52 "2016-08-08T22:21:05Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Yeah…you can have a Martini with a twist of lemon or a Martini with an olive, but you have to call a Martini with a pickled onion a Gibson. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > Ya got it, a martini contains gin (default) or vodka, plus a measurable, detectable amount of vermouth. Garnished iced vodka/gin is not a martini. My standard martini used to be ice, vodka, a splash of vermouth, and an olive. But now the olive has been superseded by a far superior garnish – it’s technically a pickled onion, but no ordinary picked onion! It’s a Sable & Rosenfeld _ **tipsy** _ onion – soaked in a vermouth-laden pickling broth. It’s sometimes hard to find so I have many jars in reserve. There is no comparison with an ordinary pickled onion which tends to be harsh and strongly flavored – these are beautifully mild and ooze vermouth flavor --just perfect for a martini even if some insist on calling it a Gibson, and I don’t even bother with vermouth now. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/53 "2016-08-08T22:22:09Z")
My standard martini recipe (“Martini please, Hendricks, not too dry, a little dirty straight up with a twist and 2 olives”) goes like this: 2 shakes of Angostura bitters in an ice frosted glass 2 oz Hendricks gin (kept in freezer) 1/4 oz dry vermouth (kept in fridge) 1 tsp olive juice Shake with super cold ice in a frozen shaker; pour into the glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top to release the oils, but don’t add the twist to the drink. Garnish with 2 olives and slip into an icy shiver at the first sip! Now I want one. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/54 "2016-08-09T18:06:31Z")
I had a martini the other night that was accompanied by 3 pimento filled olives. Those were the first olives I have eaten that did not make me want to gag. ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/55 "2016-08-09T20:31:57Z")
A countably infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The lead mathematician says to the bartender “martinis for us please.” The bartender says “one round of Gibsons coming up.” The lead mathematician asks “why’s that?” The bartender says “your order needs to be olive-null” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/56 "2016-08-09T21:28:12Z")
What _is_ with all these stupid “martini” recipes that include things like “while looking at a bottle of vermouth” or whatever that sez it’s 100% straight gin? Why the fuck is straight gin more sophisticated than a martini?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/57 "2016-08-09T23:43:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What _is_ with all these stupid “martini” recipes that include things like “while looking at a bottle of vermouth” or whatever that sez it’s 100% straight gin? Why the fuck is straight gin more sophisticated than a martini?😕 Agreed. Or maybe it’s just a classier way to ask for a glass of gin. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/58 "2016-08-10T13:55:28Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > About the only martini I’ve had in 30 years is a Cajun martini made with a jalapeno. It was part of a special Cajun menu set up by Paul Prudhomme to educate New Yorkers about real Cajun food. Thank you! It’s mentioned in a Jimmy Buffett song, and I could never find another reference. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/59 "2016-08-10T14:02:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [Pretty much](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_(cocktail)). Both are gin and vermouth, plus garnish. There are variations in the ratios of gin to vermouth, but martinis have variations of that, too. Wikipedia gives the same ratio of gin and vermouth for both drinks: 6:1. > > Of course, nowadays, martini usually signifies “vodka martini,” just as it used to signify “dry martini.” “Martini” was the name of a different drink with a 1:1 ratio of gin and sweet vermouth. Couldn’t **possibly** have to do with the best known brand of vermouth being _Martini_ & Rossi … :smack: ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601/60 "2016-08-10T15:40:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What _is_ with all these stupid “martini” recipes that include things like “while looking at a bottle of vermouth” or whatever that sez it’s 100% straight gin? Why the fuck is straight gin more sophisticated than a martini?😕 Amen. > [@](#): > > Jared Brown wants you be nicer to your vermouth. > He’d like you to stop making those tired jokes when you order your so-called dry martini. He’d rather you didn’t quote Alfred Hitchcock’s martini recipe, calling for “five parts gin and a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth,” or Winston Churchill’s, which calls for drinking a tumbler of gin while bowing in the direction of France. And he isn’t amused when you ask the bartender to simply wave a bottle of vermouth over the shaker. In his opinion, the joke’s on you, because you’re not really drinking a martini anyway. You’re drinking a cold glass of gin. > “Vermouth gets picked on, and it doesn’t deserve to be,” says Brown, cocktail scholar, consultant and co-author of “Shaken Not Stirred: A Celebration of the Martini.” “Vermouth is the least-understood common beverage behind bars today.” > Most of all, Brown wants you to take better care of your vermouth. Go to your liquor cabinet, fish out that ancient bottle and pour it down the drain. Now go buy a fresh bottle and, this time, keep it in the fridge. “I will die a happy man,” says Brown, “if I leave this life having only succeeded in leading the world to the understanding that vermouth is a wine and, like port, spoils a month or two after opening.” Spoiled vermouth tastes like, well, spoiled wine. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032000273.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032000273.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-olives-what-goes-in-the-martini-then/761601.md?page=4)