Vodka Martini
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz vodka
- ½ oz dry vermouth
- Garnish: lemon twist and/or olive
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a shaker with ice. Before the ice starts melting, pour the ingredients into the shaker, and shake vigorously until the shaker becomes frosty, about 12 to 15 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Run the lemon peel around the rim, twist it over the drink, and drop it in (or garnish with an olive).
VARIATIONS: For a Kangaroo (less dry than the classic Vodka Martini), use 11/2 ounces vodka and 3/4 ounce dry vermouth.
For a Dirty Vodka Martini, add a dash of juice from a jar of green olives.
For a "bone-dry" Vodka Martini, simply sip chilled vodka neat.
VIDEO HOW-TO
NOTES
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE VODKATINI, this clear, clean-tasting cocktail eclipsed the traditional Gin Martini in popularity by the late 1950s, due in no small part to James Bond and Smirnoff simultaneously promoting a stylish preference for Russian vodka into the mainstream of popular culture.
Shaking your Vodka Martini: Whereas Gin Martini drinkers prefer theirs stirred (so as not to bruise the gin), Vodka Martini drinkers tend to agree with James Bond, preferring theirs shaken. Fill a three- part stainless steel shaker with cracked ice (or fresh ice cubes made with filtered water). Before the ice starts melting, pour the ingredients into the shaker, and shake vigorously until the shaker becomes frosty, about 12 to 15 revolutions. Quickly strain the Martini into a chilled cocktail glass (pulled out of the freezer).
