The history’s pretty murky, actually.
From what I can tell, the big sin of most martini-makers is to leave out the bitters. They’re what make it a cocktail.
Tradtionally it was orange bitters, but there are plenty of other kinds out there to try, as very few cocktails are married to one specific type of bitters (the Sazerac is the only one I can think of, actually)
I really like grapefruit bitters in martinis.
Well, as long as we’re showing our sources. My olive of choice is this.
Thank* you*!
I make tritinis: gin, vermouth and 3 extra-large olives—one stuffed with an almond, one stuffed with blue-cheese and one with a pit (to spit at the bartender, letting him know you need another).
Of course, in order to compensate for the displaced gin from 3 extra-large olives you need a *large *martini glass—like this.
Of course, you need an extra-large glass to compensate for the displaced gin from the woman (who of course is needed to seductively hand-feed you the olives).
Once, when I ran out of olives, I used pickled toes. But that was only good for ten drinks.
And if you stir it with a chopstick, it’s a hickory daiquiri, doc.
-MMM-
(gag stolen from Spider Robinson)
I am pretty sure that is wrong.
Indeed.
A gimlet is gin with Rose’s Lime Juice, a bottled lime cordial product (you’ve seen it, I’m sure).
A whiskey sour made with gin would be, appropriately enough, a gin sour.
Me too!
And, madmonk28, I liked your citation about vermouth. Vermouth and quinquinas are rather unappreciated. Good thing, I guess, as they are still rather cheap. I really enjoy what I call a “reverse martini.” Especially on a hot summer evening. Mostly vermouth with a dash of gin, shaken, served with a garnish or lemon twist. Turns out that’s a thing, and was enjoyed by the likes of Julia Child and Queen Elizabeth. 
As for garnish, I prefer a twist, but bleu cheese olives aren’t bad. I’ve used cornichons and also slivers of pickled red pepper when entertaining.
Yeah, I was generalizing. A whiskey sour is lemon juice, sugar, and booze. As bump said, a Gimlet should have Rose’s Lime Juice, which is lime juice and sugar in a bottle.
If you have no Rose’s, you could make a Gimlet with fresh lime juice and sugar (a gin Daiquiri!), which is probably a superior drink.
What I was getting at in my “liquor semantics” post is that all three of these cocktails are “punch.” Without the “weak” part. You know the old mnemonic rhyme…One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.
How about one of those hard-boiled eggs soaked in beet juice?
“We’re gonna need a bigger martini glass.”
Oh my God, now I want a cold pickled egg.
It;s so hot and oppressive in NYC right now, all I want to eat is cold food.
See the thread I started on gazpacho.
You will make a pitcher of it, and you will revere me like a god.
Since Richard Biggs died of an aortic dissection he might have been right.
Cocktail naming is all in the details though; technically a vodka martini is a “Kangaroo”, not a martini of any kind. And for that matter, to be a cocktail, it pretty much has to follow the “spirits, bitters, sweetener” formula, where the sweetener can be sugar, like in an Old Fashioned, or some sort of vermouth, like in a Manhattan or Martini. Leaving the ibtters out makes it some kind of mixed drink (in a very pedantic and nitpicking sense).
I’m not sure they really count as “punch”- punches are more about that ratio above than anything else- to be a punch, it would be more like a Tom Collins or a gin fizz than anything else- something like 0.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz sugar, 1.5 oz gin, and 2 oz water/soda-water. Which I suspect would be too sweet, and not sour enough.
I would say not living near a Walmart is a feature, not a bug.
I am in Vancouver, the Walmart is pretty far away AND I would go to a 24 hour pharmacy with a decent grocery selection.
Little Nemo, he was makin’ wit da jokes.
I usually go to an olive bar in Greektown (up in Astoria, Queens) or to the local Whole Foods or other goormay shop, and fill a container half-and-half with green olives in garlic and green olives in Mediterranean herbs, then shake them together.
These are very good indeed either as table olives or in a Martini. The only drawback is when you drink outside, and the little vegetal herb flecks float up and you think you got a fly in your booze.
What goes in a Martini?
Depending on the variant, usually a .577/450 Boxer or a .303 British cartridge; although Turkish ones used an 11.43x55 rimmed cartridge or the 7.63x53mm Argentine round.
It’s OK, I’ll get my coat.
Where they green tomatoes? If they were then they probably were tomolives.
http://oldsouth.com/product/6-pack-tomolives-32oz/
ME Do I really want to know how they go into you?: Looks at Handle…: 
In an ideal universe, they wouldn’t be going into me at all. 
However, just in case someone is being whooshed: Martini-Enfield
