What makes a martini a martini these days? Robert Simonson, who wrote a book about the martini, said: “It’s funny: it’s strict and loose at the same time.”
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Everyone seems to have an opinion about the cocktail: “Ingredients, proportions, garnishes – it’s all up for debate,” Simonson said. “I’m a purist. I would think it should be gin and vermouth. But I’m willing to bend and say, ‘OK, vodka and vermouth too.’ [However,] If it doesn’t have vermouth in it, I don’t know how you can call it a cocktail.”
Simonson says the martini was probably named after a vermouth company. It was invented in America in the 1870s or ’80s when bartenders mixed gin with vermouth, a fortified wine made with herbs and spices. “It’s a very big player in cocktail history,” he said.
Martini recipes from cocktail writer Robert Simonson – The author of “The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink” offers “Sunday Morning” viewers two classic recipes
In the early 20th century, the “very dry” martini became very popular: ice-cold gin or vodka, garnished with a twist of lemon, or an olive, or an onion, but just a little vermouth (or maybe not even a little).
Samantha Casuga, the head bartender at Temple Bar in New York City, says the reason many people don’t want vermouth in their martini is because vermouth has been improperly stored for years. “It should be in the refrigerator,” she said.
Samantha Casuga, the head bartender at Temple Bar in New York City, prefers to stir a martini rather than shake it, which she says adds more relief:
Casuga’s classic martini is two parts gin, one part vermouth, with a twist of lemon. She suggests that you probably shouldn’t order it the way James Bond does: shaken, not stirred. Casuga says she’s always stirring, but some people like the show behind the bar when a bartender shakes their cocktail. “Sure, people love a good shake,” she said.
People also love to have a martini made just the way they like it. But Casuga understands why they can be so specific: “Having your own preferences, which are not just listened to and then implemented, that is the luxury itself.”
Martini recipes from Temple Bar, New York City – Head bartender Samantha Casuga offers viewers some classic cocktail recipes on Sunday morning
Writer Robert Simonson says a martini can also add a little luxury to your Thanksgiving. “It actually makes a lot of sense for Thanksgiving,” he said. ‘It will whet your appetite for the coming meal.
“Few American inventions are more American than the martini. So an American holiday, an American drink.”
Martini by Robert Stevenson. / Credit: CBS News
For more information:
“The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World’s Greatest Drink, with Recipes” by Robert Simonson (Ten Speed Press), in hardcover and eBook formats, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.orgThe Mix with Robert Simonson (newsletter) Temple Bar, New York City
Story produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: Remington Korper.
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