# So how do you like your martinis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554 "2006-10-31T05:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/1 "2006-10-31T05:12:04Z")
Mods, feel free to move into GD if necessary. šŸ˜ƒ Hereā€™s my preference: 1.5 oz Old Raj gin 1.5 oz Vya sweet vermouth Dash of Reganā€™s orange bitters Dash of Stock maraschino Stir long enough for a fair amount of water to get into the drink; strain. Twist of orange. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/2 "2006-10-31T05:42:38Z")
Iā€™m a puristā€“must be gin (Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray most preferably) and dry vermouth (a five-to-eight-to-one ratio), stirred not shaken, with three olives. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/3 "2006-10-31T05:45:45Z")
4:1 Sapphire to dry vermouth, stirred of course, with one or two huge, luscious bleu cheese stuffed olive(s) floating in it and the barest touch of brine. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/4 "2006-10-31T05:52:44Z")
:smack: Would a mod kindly add a second ā€œpā€ to my spelling of "Sapphireā€™. Thankee. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/5 "2006-10-31T06:05:07Z")
Beefeater gin, with just the merest hint of vermouth; when Iā€™m making them at home, I swish some vermouth around in the glass, then pour it out and put in the gin. The drink must be ice-cold, preferably with ice crystals floating around in it; and it is properly garnished with three olives, aka ā€œdinner.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/6 "2006-10-31T06:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] Iā€™m a puristā€“must be gin (Bombay Saphire or Tanqueray most preferably) and dry vermouth (a five-to-eight-to-one ratio), stirred not shaken, with three olives. [/QUOTE] Well, it depends how much of a purist you are. The original dry martini had much more vermouth than that, about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total alcohol content. Anyway, martinis are about the only alcoholic beverage I havenā€™t developed a taste for. I canā€™t deal with gin, and I donā€™t like vermouth. If I were a martini drinker, Iā€™d probably go against the grain and order them with 1/3 dry vermouth and 2/3 gin. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/7 "2006-10-31T06:48:22Z")
i donā€™t know if Frank Sinatra and his friends ever drank them; or if they did, if they drank them this way. But we always called this the ā€œRat Packā€ style, and I still like them this way: Three parts gin (it wasnā€™t around for Frank and the boys, but I prefer Bombay Sapphire), and one part Noilly Prat dry vermouth. Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass containing about two or three large cubes. Garnish with three or four large pimento-stuffed olives. A couple of these, baby, and you may well end up headlining at the Sands or playing at the Flamingoā€™s crap table. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/8 "2006-10-31T07:32:33Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Well, it depends how much of a purist you are. The original dry martini had much more vermouth than that, about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total alcohol content. [/QUOTE] Perhaps I should have been more specific. I was speaking in terms of a martini made from gin vs. one made from vodka. You are correct, though, in that the original drink contained more vermouth than I usually use. One of these days Iā€™m gonna try the original recipe, though Iā€™ve intentionally avoided it for fear that Iā€™d like it but be unable to find one unless Iā€™d made it myself, as these days even a five-to-eight-to-one ratio isnā€™t considered all that dry. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/9 "2006-10-31T07:44:29Z")
[QUOTE=Starving Artist] Perhaps I should have been more specific. I was speaking in terms of a martini made from gin vs. one made from vodka. [/quote] Oh, I just assumed that when people talk martinis, they mean gin. What kind of uncultured ingrates drink vodka ā€œmartinisā€ ;). (And donā€™t get me started on chocotinis and appletinis and the likeā€¦ Since when is ā€œmartiniā€ synonymous with ā€œcocktail served in martini glassā€?) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/10 "2006-10-31T07:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] i donā€™t know if Frank Sinatra and his friends ever drank them; or if they did, if they drank them this way. But we always called this the ā€œRat Packā€ styleā€¦ [/QUOTE] I believe olā€™ Frank was mostly a Jack Danielā€™s manā€¦so much so that his family placed a bottle of it in his coffin to help smooth his way into the hereafter. Ya gotta love family like that. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/11 "2006-10-31T08:00:06Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Oh, I just assumed that when people talk martinis, they mean gin. What kind of uncultured ingrates drink vodka ā€œmartinisā€ ;). (And donā€™t get me started on chocotinis and appletinis and the likeā€¦ Since when is ā€œmartiniā€ synonymous with ā€œcocktail served in martini glassā€?) [/QUOTE] I couldnā€™t agree more with this entire post. I hate when someone I like/am related to mentions how much they love ā€œappletinisā€ or some such. I nearly drown on the blood from my bitten tongue. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/12 "2006-10-31T12:53:36Z")
Four parts Bombay gin to one part Martini & Rossi vermouth, shaken until very cold. The bottle of gin, the cocktail shaker, and the glasses all stay in the freezer. Garnished with two jumbo olives, usually pimento stuffed, but occasionally bleu cheese stuffed. Whenever thereā€™s a martini thread, I like to link to [this article](http://www.slate.com/id/3517/) for some historical perspective. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/13 "2006-10-31T13:24:15Z")
I like my martinis made by someone who knows what theyā€™re doing and that, in my estimation, is a rare bird. Iā€™ve talked with those able and tried to discern their secret. I use the same ingredients in the same order and proportion and in the same mannerā€¦ and itā€™s just not there. Iā€™m perfectly willing to call anyone who actually can make a _really good_ martini an artist. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/14 "2006-10-31T13:32:30Z")
Jeeezā€¦I havenā€™t had a real martini in 20 years. I got too sloshed. I just started digging French Martinis (which, as everyone knows, arenā€™t martinis at all). Iā€™ve become a lightweight in my old age. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/15 "2006-10-31T13:42:31Z")
About 4-1 gin to dry vermouth. I use 3 tomolives ā€“ pickled green tomatoes ā€“ which I like better than olives. I shake it up with a couple ice cubes, and dump the whole thing. . .ice cubes and all into a martini glass. I really donā€™t get the ā€œblue cheese stuffed oliveā€ in a martini. That might be an all right olive, but _Hello. . .thereā€™s cheese in your gin!_ And not just any cheese, but pungent, moldy cheese. It doesnā€™t make sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/16 "2006-10-31T18:28:07Z")
My martini of choice is Bombay Sapphire on the rocks. Iā€™m not a major fan of vermouth, so, I figure, why bother? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/17 "2006-10-31T19:11:37Z")
I love all variations on the traditional (read: not chocolate or apple or other such nonsense) martini. When Iā€™m at home, itā€™s Ketel 1 Vodka and any number of pickled vegetable matter. Very favorite: anchovy olive. Other favorites: spicy pickled okra, habanera olive, greek olive, and, in warm vodka, japanese pickled plum. Muddled with ice and fresh cucumber is my favorite summer drink. When itā€™s Gin, itā€™s Bols Genever, out of a stone bottle; second choice Bombay Sapphire. And except for the occasional warm martiniā€“try itā€“I like it vigorously shaken, with little ice crystals. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/18 "2006-10-31T19:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] I really donā€™t get the ā€œblue cheese stuffed oliveā€ in a martini. That might be an all right olive, but _Hello. . .thereā€™s cheese in your gin!_ And not just any cheese, but pungent, moldy cheese. It doesnā€™t make sense to me. [/QUOTE] I donā€™t like pimentos, theyā€™re unnaturally colored and slimy. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/19 "2006-10-31T19:29:07Z")
**So how do you like your martinis?** Cheap. Everywhere I go now the standard price seems to be $10. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554/20 "2006-10-31T22:08:19Z")
I like to rinse the glass with a bit of scotch - Oban is my preference, but Glenfiddich will do in a pinch. Then, 3 ounces of very cold gin - Beefeater is great - I usually swish this over ice. about 2 drops of vermouth - Martini and Rossi is fine. About 8 olives, and some olive juice (yes, I like my martini dirty). One icecube - removed if I nurse my drink too long. Really, Iā€™d be quite happy drinking gin with a bunch of olives in it, while looking at a bottle of vermouth, but thatā€™s not super cultured, ya know? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-you-like-your-martinis/378554.md?page=2)