Lonely Friday afternoon gin thread

[David in Jackson]

With warm weather approaching, I'm torn: Miller's or Boodles.

Followed by a Schlitz or two, of course.

[Alkie]

I met a guy today who told me a story about drinking Heiniken and peppermint schnapps.  When he was done, he ordered a "martini" in some mountain town and was given a boot full of gin.  He finished that as well.

Then he kept talking to me, but I stopped listening.

[Limey]

I met a guy today who told me a story about drinking Heiniken and peppermint schnapps.  When he was done, he ordered a "martini" in some mountain town and was given a boot full of gin.  He finished that as well.

Then he kept talking to me, but I stopped listening.

A proper martini is all gin, with the merest hint of vermouth.  Winston Churchill famously "showed" the vermouth to his martinis, without any liquid actually leaving the bottle.

[pravata]

A proper martini is all gin, with the merest hint of vermouth.  Winston Churchill famously "showed" the vermouth to his martinis, without any liquid actually leaving the bottle.

Yeah but it should be cold and not just sloshed into a beer goblet.  No olive, nothin.

[Limey]

Yeah but it should be cold and not just sloshed into a beer goblet.  No olive, nothin.

I'm a no-fucking-olive-no-fucking-way in my martinis-type person.  Call me "Gibson".

[pravata]

With warm weather approaching, I'm torn: Miller's or Boodles.

Followed by a Schlitz or two, of course.

Here's the gin list, in order, Hendrick's, Bombay, Tanqueray.

[David in Jackson]

a fair amount of vermouth in a gin martini.  Though I love a vodka martini (James Bond drank vodka "martinis", so there!) it doesn't need the vermouth.

[OldBlevins]

A proper martini is all gin, with the merest hint of vermouth.  Winston Churchill famously "showed" the vermouth to his martinis, without any liquid actually leaving the bottle.

Churchill could never be elected President today.

[David in Jackson]

Here's the gin list, in order, Hendrick's, Bombay, Tanqueray.

Love Bombay Sapphire (sp?) and Tanqueray.  Never tried Hendrick's, though I hear it's good.

[pravata]

I'm a no-fucking-olive-no-fucking-way in my martinis-type person.  Call me "Gibson".

So Mr Torn Soiled T-Shirt bartender in death trap mountain town knew his business? 

[Limey]

a fair amount of vermouth in a gin martini.  Though I love a vodka martini (James Bond drank vodka "martinis", so there!) it doesn't need the vermouth.

With all due respect to 007, there's no such thing as a "vodka martini".  A martini is gin with an infusion of vermouth (classically introduced by pouring vermouth over the ice, pouring it away, then shaking the gin over the same ice and serving "straight up").  That's it.  Anything else is a cocktail, but not a martini.

Also, "shaken or stirred" is not an option.  A true martini is shaken over ice.  End of story.

I'm not being a snob here:  I drink a vodka "martini" as I can't stand a "gin" martini.  Doesn't change the fact that my "martini" is simply not a martini.  It's like ordering a Waldorf salad without apples, and cashews instead of walnuts - it's simply not a Waldorf!

[Bench]

Churchill could never be elected President today.

Nor back then, either.

[Ty in Tampa]

A proper martini is all gin, with the merest hint of vermouth.  Winston Churchill famously "showed" the vermouth to his martinis, without any liquid actually leaving the bottle.

"I'd like a dry martini, Mr. Quoc, a very dry martini. A very dry, arrid, barren, desiccated, veritable dustbowl of a martini. I want a martini than can be declared a disaster area. Mix me just such a martini."

[Bench]

With all due respect to 007, there's no such thing as a "vodka martini".  A martini is gin with an infusion of vermouth (classically introduced by pouring vermouth over the ice, pouring it away, then shaking the gin over the same ice and serving "straight up").  That's it.  Anything else is a cocktail, but not a martini.

Also, "shaken or stirred" is not an option.  A true martini is shaken over ice.  End of story.

I'm not being a snob here:  I drink a vodka "martini" as I can't stand a "gin" martini.  Doesn't change the fact that my "martini" is simply not a martini.  It's like ordering a Waldorf salad without apples, and cashews instead of walnuts - it's simply not a Waldorf!

I agree wholeheartedly with everyting except for the shaken v. stirred thing. Shaking a martini dilutes the gin as the ice breaks up. There's nothing worse than getting a martini with a bunch of thin shards of ice floating about on top. The purpose of the ice is to cool the liquid, not add to it.

[austro]

I agree wholeheartedly with everyting except for the shaken v. stirred thing. Shaking a martini dilutes the gin as the ice breaks up. There's nothing worse than getting a martini with a bunch of thin shards of ice floating about on top. The purpose of the ice is to cool the liquid, not add to it.

On a trip to Japan, I was taught how the Japanese drink their saki. Not warm, as Bond and others would have us believe, but cold, cold, cold. They have special little pitchers with a removable ice "bucket": you pour the saki into the pitcher, then fill the "bucket" with ice, then immerse it in the pitcher and let it chill the saki. Once chilled, you remove the "bucket" and pour your nicely chilled, undiluted saki into glasses (special glasses for the purpose) and drink away. Very nice. (I apologize for the terms "pitcher" and "bucket"; they don't do justice to the service.)

[Limey]

I agree wholeheartedly with everyting except for the shaken v. stirred thing. Shaking a martini dilutes the gin as the ice breaks up. There's nothing worse than getting a martini with a bunch of thin shards of ice floating about on top. The purpose of the ice is to cool the liquid, not add to it.

I'm not talking preference here - as stated, I prefer a vodka Gibson straight up.  The point is that a martini is not stirred.  It's shaken over ice and any ice shards are a residue of that process.  A gin stirred in a pitcher with ice may be how you like it (NTTAWWT), but it is a cocktail akin to martini, not a martini.

Again, I'm not judgin', I'm 'splainin'.  E.G. dribbling the ball past the pitcher on a full swing and getting to first base may look like a bunt, but it's not a bunt.  It's sometimes called a "swinging bunt", but it's still not a bunt.  It's an infield hit, which isn't a bunt.  Savvie?

[pravata]

I'm not talking preference here - as stated, I prefer a vodka Gibson straight up.  The point is that a martini is not stirred.  It's shaken over ice and any ice shards are a residue of that process.  A gin stirred in a pitcher with ice may be how you like it (NTTAWWT), but it is a cocktail akin to martini, not a martini.

Again, I'm not judgin', I'm 'splainin'.  E.G. dribbling the ball past the pitcher on a full swing and getting to first base may look like a bunt, but it's not a bunt.  It's sometimes called a "swinging bunt", but it's still not a bunt.  It's an infield hit, which isn't a bunt.  Savvie?

Either way, runner on first.  The gin is smoothed when shaken properly.  Ice shards means the dude is treating your beverage like a maracca.

[pravata]

"I'd like a dry martini, Mr. Quoc, a very dry martini. A very dry, arrid, barren, desiccated, veritable dustbowl of a martini. I want a martini than can be declared a disaster area. Mix me just such a martini."

Hawkeye Pierce describing the perfect martini.  Lets not get into Henry Blake describing the perfect banana daquiri.

[Limey]

Either way, runner on first.

Or, more accurately after a few: Limey down.

I live by Larry Miller's martini rule:

One is not enough.
Two is too many!
Three is not enough...