It is Friday night cocktail time again. I've chosen the classic martini as my muse. There is great controversy about the liquor used in a Martini. Many consider anything but gin to be blasphemy, but my personal preference is vodka. My choice may have something to do with the phrase "gin will make you sin!." If you look up this phrase there will likely be a photo of me with a big grin sans clothing. Not really, but gin does have a huge inhibition reduction effect on me and in order to keep the world a more attractive place vodka will do.
The selection of brands is also a personal choice. I prefer Smirnoff Vodka and Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth. I start by putting my old school small martini glasses in the freezer for at least half an hour. The new larger size ones seem like overkill to me. I use a metal shaker filled with ice and add one and half ounces of vodka for each glass. To that I add four drops of vermouth. This makes for a very "dry" martini. Shake vigorously until the outside of shaker becomes frosty. I retrieve my glasses from the freezer and pour and serve immediately.
Normally I would serve some nice snacks but for that today I am going to refer you to some fellow bloggers. Each have posted some great ideas for bar food. Cookiecrumb has a recipe for nibblies that would be perfect with cocktails. Chilebrown cooked up some bacon wrapped chicken lollipops. For something more substantial I recommend Zoomie's ham filled burgers. Cheers!
The selection of brands is also a personal choice. I prefer Smirnoff Vodka and Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth. I start by putting my old school small martini glasses in the freezer for at least half an hour. The new larger size ones seem like overkill to me. I use a metal shaker filled with ice and add one and half ounces of vodka for each glass. To that I add four drops of vermouth. This makes for a very "dry" martini. Shake vigorously until the outside of shaker becomes frosty. I retrieve my glasses from the freezer and pour and serve immediately.
Normally I would serve some nice snacks but for that today I am going to refer you to some fellow bloggers. Each have posted some great ideas for bar food. Cookiecrumb has a recipe for nibblies that would be perfect with cocktails. Chilebrown cooked up some bacon wrapped chicken lollipops. For something more substantial I recommend Zoomie's ham filled burgers. Cheers!
6 comments:
For years, my parents drank a martini every evening and Dad shook them like crazy in his cocktail shaker, just as you described. Brought back memories of Dad jiggling his a$$ and the sound of the ice in the shaker, then the careful pouring out into glasses that look just like the ones in your photo. :-) Thanks for the memories. And for the plug!
I will drink to that. Smirnoff is that midrange Vodka that will not leave the Ring of Fire. Burns, Burns, Burns, the Ring of Fire.
Interesting observation about the gin!
The other day I had a pickletini. You just pour a little pickle juice from the jar into your drink (sorta like a dirty martini). Some people are even using sweet pickles.
Zoomie- I search the thrift shops to find the old school barware.
Chilebrown- Smirnoff has won blind taste tests against much more expensive vodkas.
Cookiecrumb- Pickletini sounds good.
I have noticed that the best barware can be found in Catholic thrift shops. Mount Carmel in Mill Valley (which a friend calls "The Little Sisters of the Rich") has especially good stuff.
On the other hand, the Family Service League shop (also in MV) which supports services for counseling has a great book selection but not so many bar treasures!
Kudzu-Thanks for the tip!
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