A martini drink is a cocktail which is made with gin and vermouth and is garnished with an olive or a lime twist. Since its origin in the mid 1800’s the martini has taken an almost cult like status in the drinks world. According to David. A. Embury’s classic publication ‘The Fine Art Of Mixing drinks’ the martini is one of the six most basic drinks.

The primary alcohol used in a martini is gin but it has been supplemented by vodka in more than one occasion. This drink is served straight up which means that while ice is used to chill the drink it is strained and then served in a classic martini glass.

To make a perfect standard martini you will need one and half ounces of gin and half an ounce of dry vermouth. These two ingredients need to be poured into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice cubes and then either shaken or stirred. It is then strained and poured out into a chilled martini glass and garnished with a lime twist or an olive. Quintessential martini drinkers prefer their martini very dry. The dryness of a martini is defined by the amount of vermouth added to the drink. According to them the lesser the vermouth, the more perfect the drink.

The martini was given its legendary status by James Bond in the novel Casino Royal. When the martini became Bond’s favorite drink, people across the world wanted to drink martinis that were “shaken and not stirred”. Bonds special martini drink was the Vesper cocktail. The primary alcohol used to make this drink is gin and vodka which are mixed with one half measure of Kina Linnet. This drink is then shaken with ice and poured into a champagne coupe or a champagne saucer. It is then garnished with a thin slice of lemon peel and served.

Another new age martini drink that is becoming quite popular amongst the masses is the chocolate martini. Thought this drink has its share of skeptics, it has found its fan following amongst people who are joined by their love for chocolate and alcohol. Vodka, vanilla flavored vodka and chocolate liqueurs such as crème de cacao are stirred together with ice till the shaker is frosted on the outside. This mahogany colored drink is then strained into a martini glass which has been rimmed with lemon and baking soda.

However the most popular version of the martini drink is the appletini. The apple martini or the appletini has a sweeter taste as compared to the classic martini but what the drink doesn’t lack despite its sweetness is the bite. You will need two ounces of Vodka, half an ounce of apple cider, apple juice or Apple Pucker Schnapps. These ingredients are shaken in a cocktail shaker with ice till it is nice and chilled and then strained into a chilled martini cocktail glass. The appletini can be given many twists. You can use sugar and cinnamon to rim the martini glass. Instead of using only vodka and apple juice you can use vodka, a splash of cranberry juice and some apple schnapps and shake it with ice to get a chilled summer cooler to savor.

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