If I am having a cocktail, four out of five times it will be a Martini. I love ’em.
in London wearing red knee-high boots!
My Guild of Food Writer chum Richard Ehrlich knows everything there is to know about martini making and I have been to two of his Martini Monologue workshops. I learned lots, I drank lots! Here’s a link to a brilliant article by Richard about this king of all cocktails.
Some will say that a Martini must only be made with gin. But I agree with Richard, “You can also make a vodka Martini, even though purists loathe the idea. They’re wrong. This is a different drink, and it will have a good flavour if made with good vodka.”
I often make myself and Mr R a Martin Landau vodka Martini. After a couple of snifters Mr R cleverly started calling these MARTINI LANDAUS.
Carole’s favourite way of blending the drink is also a vodka-based version but she goes a bit heavier on the vermouth. This version reminds me of the Martinis I drank in my youth, I don’t think we knew all the stuff about “waving the vermouth at the glass” rather than adding a good old glug to the cocktail shaker.
If I’m making a non-movie star Martini I tend to chill the glasses, pop a tiny bit of vermouth in and swirl the glass to cover the inside with vermouth, throwing away the excess. Then I shake up the gin or vodka with a LOT of ice and pour (I note that Richard is a stir, not shake kinda guy, but I like the theatricality of a shake).
Carole’s version, heavy on the vermouth is a nice variation and of course, it’s good to mix things up now and then.
Here’s a brilliant silver screen Martini related story from Richard’s article.
WC Fields kept a Thermos flask full of them when shooting a movie, and referred to it as his “pineapple juice”. One day a joker emptied the flask and substituted pineapple juice. Fields took a sip, spat it out and roared, “who put pineapple juice in my pineapple juice?”
Carole’s Martini is the third martini recipe I have in the Silver Screen Suppers collection. As well as the Martini Laundaus there is also the super sweet but rather fabulous Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson’s “Giant” Martini. You can read all about that here. But here to whet your appetite is a photo of one I made earlier…
Carole liked a beer too apparently…
To be drunk with Audrey’s Penna A la Vodka no doubt. And I have that Penguin shaker too ! I had my first Vodka Martini in a bar in San Francisco. Very memorable. They mixed it then put the shaker on the bar by your glass for you and you got about 2 and bit drinks from it. With a twist. A drunk then came in and took the next stool to me and slurred at the barman.. ‘Give me a vodka marrrtinniiii’ . He slammed it down in one and then slurred ‘Those dealers in Las Vegas are crooks, nothing but crooks’ and then stormed out leaving the rest of his drink in the shaker which the barman poured into my glass without a word ! Like your recipe, yes to a swirl of vermouth and lots of ice. The perfect martini is as dry as dust and colder than a well diggers arse.
OMG I love that story! You must have been absolutely SMASHED! A friend of mine on Instagram shared a photo of a Martini on his timeline with the caption “Quarantini” – I think this is going to catch on!
OMG I love that the recipe suggests a Waring blender!
I can’t remember when the Stork Club Bar Book was originally published – 1930s I think. Imagine how fabulous a Waring blender from that era would look!
You should also make a video of how to make this martini. And as well, in these difficult times,one on how how to bake your own bread .. and call it ‘Loaf In The Time of Coronavirus’ !
HAhahah – love it Mark! Actually, there was a time when I was thinking of doing video demos of movie star cocktail recipes. Perhaps now is the time to get on that!
Definitely ! Start with Mary’s .. How to protect yourself against all known germs, never Coronavirus.
It’s happening Mark! Get ready for MOVIE STAR QUARANTINI TIME! Planning to do a little movie demo of a cocktail a week each Friday in April – HIC! xx