Any other martini fans out there as pissed off as I am at the co-opting of the name “martini” to describe any mixed drink served in a martini glass? The “appletini” was bad enough, but these bars have gone too far with chocolate martinis, paech martinis, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
There are only 2, count them, 2 types of martinis: GIN and VODKA!!! Yes, I know, some ultra-purists will say that the gin variety is the only true martini, but James Bond drinks vodka martinis, so that has to count for something, right?
Come up with some other names, asshats, and stop besmirching the good name of the most perfect mixed drink ever!
Even if you do stick to gin/vodka and vermouth, the end result is not guaranteed to be a martini. I was recently appalled by the following incident at a longstanding, well known pub and restaurant whose staff should have known better. At the bar of this pub, I ordered a martini and watched it being made. (I always like to watch the process to see if I can, eventually, close the gap between the martini made at home, and the one imbibed at a bar.)
Anyway. She chills the glass using ice cold water–very nice. Then she puts the ice, gin, and vermouth into the shaker–fine. Only, after shaking it turned out that she underestimated the amount needed by a good deal, for when she poured it out, the surface of the liquid very much below where it should have been. So what does she do? Dribbles in some room-temperature gin to bring the level up. I can understand just adding a dash of gin to provide a fair serving, but IMO she should have shaken it in the shaker for a few seconds to give it that ice-cold temperature which is so essential.
Well, “extra dry Martinis” made without any Vermouth at all- aren’t “Martini’s” either. Most of the 'extra-dry" martini “recipes” out there are straight gin, with various joke ways of not having any Vermouth. So there.
We were in a hotel bar for a wedding once. The bartender was not in, so another hotel staff person was filling in. My friend ordered a Margarita. The bartender got out the rum…
I like something I once saw called a Kentucky Martini - burboun and ameretto. But I make mine in a bar glass.
(Anaamika - hint, the Russian part of the White Russian refers to Vodka. And the white is the cream, a Black Russian is Kahlua and Vodka)
Nah, that’s a Sombrero. Chocolate milk for grownups.
Otto, I’d heard of a Sidecar, but I didn’t know what was in it, other than brandy, so just out of curiosity, I googled it. I’m guessing you just want brandy, triple sec, and sour mix, but people sure do like to play with that one, don’t they?
Nononono, I meant a White Russian, without any vodka, isn’t that just Kalhua and milk? It’s not a White Russian anymore, is what I meant. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Here is what i found upon googling White Russian:
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A White Russian consists of Vodka, Kahlua, and cream and is a creamy, coffee flavored drink. Kahlua is a sweet coffee flavored liqueur. For this Drink we are using Ketel One Vodka, Kahlua and Half and Half cream.
Thank you want2know. You are exactly correct. Yeah, a lot of those drinks that are adding -tini to the end are pretty good. Fine. Serve them in a martini glass if you want to. But give them another name!
I was just about to rush to your defense Anaamika. *I * knew what you meant.
Anyway I don’t have a problem with whatevertinis. After all the term martini has already been co-opted, from vermouth to a mixed drink…to, as noted, gin drinks that don’t even HAVE vermouth in them.
If it’s got the word “peach” in you know in advance it’s not a real martini. What I object to is when I order a martini and get a glass half full of vodka and half full of vermouth. I didn’t order a VODKA martini!!! (not that there’s anything wrong with that) And half vermouth is…well…that is wrong, just so wrong. Unlike the appletini I had no warning!
Ooh, that brings up my pet peeve – ordering a regular, standard, classic gin martini too soon after the bartender has mixed an appletini, and failed to adequately clean the shaker.
Standards are obviously falling; I witnessed something similar to the OP at my favorite drinking establishment recently, as well as other abominations of drink mixing.
I stave off error by typically ordering my drinks straight and neat. Even then, some screw up; when I ask for “Black Bush, neat” or “Jameson, neat” or “Glenmorangie, NEAT!”, I don’t want you to pour it over ice, or spray some fizzy soda in it, and I damn sure don’t want you to mix it with Coke or 7-Up. Neat, damnit, neat.
Oh, hell…just leave the bottle and a glass. I’ll take care of myself.
