Martinis – Shake and Stir Your Way To Celebrate National Martini Day
By Becky Ellis
National Martini Day is here and it is time to enjoy a perfect martini!
Do you prefer shaken or stirred? Gin or vodka? Olives or Onions, maybe a lemon twist? No matter how you shake or stir it, it’s always fun to serve martinis. Especially fun on National Martini Day,
If you love time-honored cocktail tradition then you know that the classic martini requires only three ingredients – gin, vermouth, and olives. A bit of skill is required when making martinis. First, choose your glass – a martini glass or a Nick and Nora glass (named after the detective team made famous in the movies in the 1930’s, this glass holds just over 6 ounces). Traditionalists will combine dry gin and dry vermouth with ice, give it a stir, strain, and serve straight up with a garnish of a Spanish olive. An odd number of olives (1-3) is the proper number of olives to serve in a martini. Even numbers of olives (2-4) are thought to be unlucky.
If you are not wed to tradition, you can have all kinds of fun creating martini cocktails:
If you like a hint of lemon, rub the stem of the glass with lemon peel (the lemon scent will absorb onto your fingers while drinking the martini further enhancing the citrusy aromas while you are sipping your cocktail). The lemon peel twist can then be placed on the rim of the glass.
If your martini contains only spirits, then it is meant to be poured over ice and stirred, then strained. If it contains fruit juices then it is meant to be shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker.
If you love fanciful fruity cocktails: Almost any fruit can be made into a fruity martini – from Appletinis to Watermelon Martinis. Even a fruity Gummy Bear Martini with raspberry vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and garnished with, you guessed it, gummy bears!
If you crave a savory cocktail: Tomato Water Martinis with a Shichi-mi tōgarashi (Japanese 7 flavor chili spice) rim is the answer to your taste buds dreams.
If you favor a little citrusy pucker in your cocktail: Lemon Drop Martini – vodka and limoncello. Served in a chilled martini glass with a citrus sugared rim. Make a Very Berry Lemon Drop Martini with Açaí-Blueberry Vodka, limoncello, and triple sec. Such a pretty purplish hue in the glass!
If you love chocolaty dessert try a decadent chocolate martini made with creme de cacao, vanilla vodka and half and half.
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What will be in your cocktail shaker on National Martini Day?