There are very few people who can deny the merits of martini gin. The martini has its share of illustrious followers ranging from James Bond to F.D. Roosevelt to Earnest Hemmingway. One can safely say that the martini is perhaps the most vouched for cocktail drink. A martini is so popular amongst cocktail drinkers that it has found its place in as one of the six most basic cocktail drinks. With many variations and manifestations, the martini has only grown in popularity as the years have passed.

While the exact origin of the martini gin is not very clear, some can trace its beginnings to the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco where it was first made and served in 1862. However some others contend that the Martini was first made by a bartender in the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York in the year 1911. Wherever the origins of the martini might lie, it has found its niche in the cocktail market with ease.

Originally, the Martini was made with one ounce of Old Tom sweet gin, two ounces of sweet vermouth, one dash of bitters and two dashes of maraschino liquor. This mix was then shaken with a lot of ice and strained and served in a martini glass with a lime twist.

As time went by the martini mix became a whole lot simpler. By the late nineteenth century the martini was being made with two dashes of orange bitters, half a jigger of French Vermouth and dry gin. This was then shaken or stirred in a cocktail shaker with ice till it was cold and then strained and served garnished with an olive.

The martini became phenomenally popular during the time of the Prohibition in the United States. When the Prohibition was repealed and gin became more readily available, the martini started becoming drier in taste. As time progressed, the martini evolved in many different ways till there was a veritable explosion of martini versions.

The traditional martini gin is something that all bartenders whether professional or not should know. For making a classic martini you will need two and a half ounces of gin, half an ounce of dry vermouth, a lime twist or a green olive for garnishing and orange bitters. The orange bitters are the optional component of this drink. You will need to fill a mixing glass or a cocktail shaker with all these ingredients along with a lot of ice. Then you should stir this drink for a minimum of thirty seconds and then strain it into a martini cocktail glass. You can add a small dash of the orange bitters to the mix to give it a more rounded flavor and introduce more complexity to the drink. Finally you can garnish the drink with an olive or a lime twist.

A dry martini is a slight variation of the martini gin but has many takers. To make a dry martini you have to use the same components as used in the classic martini but have to make sure that you use very little or no vermouth at all. Garnish your martini with a small onion and you will have a Gibson. And for a dirty martini all you will need to do is add a small amount of olive brine to the main drink.

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