Where they garnish Manhattans and Old Fashioneds with an olive

[SloopJonB]

There is no such question.

 

[Cruisin Loser]

Putting an olive in a Manhattan is the sort of departure from societal norms that requires an extra layer of prior consent. Like handcuffs during sex or something. You can't just assume it's OK.

I'm taking it as a harbinger of the upcoming rapture. These are the End Times (tm).

No. The Rapture will occur when someone spells "Snaggletooth" in scrabble.

 

[Bull City]

This is the Stanley Tucci Martini. If you use an olive, which I do, you must use a wooden toothpick, never plastic, and never, ever with a colored cellophane fringe.

My Dad was a Gibson drinker, Beefeater gin, vermouth and a cocktail onion or two. One of my earliest memories is sitting on his lap (he smelled of wool and Bay Rum) and eating one of the onions when he finished the drink.

I am a new person.

BTW, I wouldn't put an olive in anything other than a Martini.

 

[Elegua]

You sir are obviously a peasant.

A proper Martini is gin with an open bottle of vermouth waved gently above it and garnished with either an olive or a twist.

Nope. You’re the peasant who likes cold gin, not a martini.

Cold gin is nice, but not a martini.

 

[Elegua]

My house, any given Saturday. There's no magic though. 2oz of a decent Gin, which is sounds like you've probably got covered. 1oz of vermouth - I like French dry vermouths like Dolin, but most important is that they are fresh. Many people have a five year old bottle of vermouth in the back cabinet that they pour a few ounces out of every year. Better to buy a small bottle & keep refrigerated with a vacuum cork if you don't drink a lot of it. Then you just need a dash of Regan's orange bitters and a good lemon twist (I use a vegetable peeler

Anything over 18% needs less refrigeration. Maine temps in the bilge are perfect . No refrigeration required. I always have a bottle of Carmpano and Noily Prat on board as well as a bottle of Lillet.

If you want a good twist, bend the peel into an light match. The burnt oils will infuse the drink plenty.

 

[SloopJonB]

Nope. You’re the peasant who likes cold gin, not a martini.

Shows what you know.

I don't even like gin - I drink vodka martinis.

 

[Elegua]

Shows what you know.

I don't even like gin - I drink vodka martinis.

So who’s the real philistine? Vodka martini? With no vermouth? That’s not a cocktail. That’s a shot in a faanzy glass.

 

[socalrider]

Shows what you know.

I don't even like gin - I drink vodka martinis.

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth

 

[sculpin]

I am, as an engineer, going to stick with the ANSI definition of a martini, ANSI K100.1.
Olives are covered in section 4.4
Vermouth is best applied by the irridation method as per 6.2.3

 

[2airishuman]

Any good bartender should be able to make this for you, you just need to provide instruction. "Wet martini, dash of orange bitters, lemon twist, olives on the side" will probably work if you don't want to dictate proportions.

I have, to my sorrow, visited a bar where I was told that the bartender "didn't know how to make a Martini." I offered to step behind the bar and provide instruction and was turned down for reasons involving the large number of patrons, and possible disputes over tips. Something about unions and the health department may have been mentioned but were improbable since this was in Daytona Beach where neither organization enjoys a strong presence. They did claim to know how to make fourteen different Tiki drinks. At any bar or restaurant, it is wise to order what they are good at, so i did.

 

[Fleetwood]

If you don't want a beer, you're not thirsty; if you don't want a whisky, you don't want a drink...

 

[2airishuman]

Vermouth is useful on a cruising boat as it’s a good substitute, and in many cases a superior substitute, for white wine when cooking that doesn’t require refrigeration or oxidize after opening.

Try that risotto or pan sauce with vermouth next time.

I can attest to that. We use dry vermouth routinely in cooking.

 

[2airishuman]

You sir are obviously a peasant.

A proper Martini is gin with an open bottle of vermouth waved gently above it and garnished with either an olive or a twist.

I thought you were supposed to use the cap for the vermouth bottle.

 

[sculpin]

"vodka" and "martini" are words that don't go together. In my bar they'd get you heavily mocked. I will agree there is a case to be made for sipping a good vodka, properly chilled, but I wouldn't call it a martini. And if you mention Tito's I will have to resist the urge to smack you on the side of the head...

 

[fufkin]

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Is that not a Vesper?

 

[Kris Cringle]

This is the Stanley Tucci Martini. If you use an olive, which I do, you must use a wooden toothpick, never plastic, and never, ever with a colored cellophane fringe.

My Dad was a Gibson drinker, Beefeater gin, vermouth and a cocktail onion or two. One of my earliest memories is sitting on his lap (he smelled of wool and Bay Rum) and eating one of the onions when he finished the drink.

I am a new person.

BTW, I wouldn't put an olive in anything other than a Martini.

View attachment 551323

Bull, have you been watching the Tucci series on Italy? His last piece on his homeland area was very good. I also watched him in a Netfliks movie playing a murderer on death row. He has good range as an entertainer.

 

[Jim in Halifax]

"vodka" and "martini" are words that don't go together. In my bar they'd get you heavily mocked. I will agree there is a case to be made for sipping a good vodka, properly chilled, but I wouldn't call it a martini. And if you mention Tito's I will have to resist the urge to smack you on the side of the head...

I'd pay attention to this man - he's a professional.

The profusion of good, botanical gins has made even the basic martini much more interesting. As to the 007 Vesper recipe: why would you want to dilute a pretty ordinary gin with vodka? Vodka has its place...its just not in a martini.

 

[accnick]

Bull, have you been watching the Tucci series on Italy? His last piece on his homeland area was very good. I also watched him in a Netfliks movie playing a murderer on death row. He has good range as an entertainer.

That has been an excellent series. I particularly liked the piece on the bakery making peasant bread, where all the bakers were young women who looked (and were seemingly built) like Sophia Loren, and were similarly hanging out of the tops of their dresses.

I lost track of the recipe, but I'm sure the bread was good...

 

[Israel Hands]

It seems that Lipset missed the point entirely. Any astute cultural commentator would point to the obvious touchstone that exemplifies the true nature of the continental divide: Nipplegate.

A year prior, in 1993 we quietly and politely threw a raging bender called the SARS concert. Broadcast in all its glory, live, no censorship, by our national tax funded broadcaster.

Exhibit A

I'd say that the divide on this subject has nothing to do with north or south, and everything to do with a generational divide. The 60s, 70s and even 80s were a great time for public nudity. Somewhere after that it went out of style, and the advent of the phone camera was its deathknell.

A proper Manhattan is timeless: whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, cherry. Although I will admit that orange bitters and an orange twist is good too. Here's to no pictures and good memories.