Advanced Mixology

"He was white and shaken -- like a dry martini." - P.G. Wodehouse


There are, in most modern bars, certain sounds which add -- or detract -- to the ambience.

The pop of a champagne cork, or pull from a bottle of still wine. That's a good one.

A blender making margaritas. Could be good, as long as it doesn't seem to be a new percussion instrument for the live band in the corner. That would be bad.

The gentle glug of a beer as it's poured from the tap.

And, of course, the sound of ice being dropped in a metal shaker, and the subsequent rhythmical shaking of it.

So imagine the silence in some of the most modern martini bars where the drinks are never shaken, and only rarely stirred. 007 would be aghast, but as he noted in a very amusing line in the 2006 version of the Bond movie Casino Royale -- "Do I look like I give a damn?"

But the fact of the matter is that a few places have gone the extra mile with their martini service, and shaking may be going by the wayside as consumers learn that an unshaken martini may indeed be the b
etter tasting one. 

Among the most innovative is the "10 Minute Martini" as created by Chandler's Restaurant in Boise, Idaho. Invented purely by accident -- well, sort of -- it was a busy customer who gave them the incentive to create this very smooth as tasty variation on the shaken martini. Ten minutes in the freezer and it's ready to go -- all of the flavors, gently introduced, have a chance to cool down and gel together. You don't get the slight dilution of the gin or vodka which occurs in a shaken or even stirred drink. 

As a result the vermouth softens a bit, and makes for a smoother infiltration of flavors with the primary liquor. 

Another mixing method which is gaining favor is the at-table infusion. A new and popular bar accessory these days is the Vermouth Spritzer. I first encountered this at Sharps RoastHouse adjacent to SeaTac Airport in Washington. I was doing some reading at the bar table and had made my usual vodka martini order and was waiting for the "shake shake shake" when the waiter reappeared at the table, set down the martini glass and spritzed the vermouth lightly into the glass before pouring in the unshaken vodka. I quickly realized that the bartender had simply filled the shaker with ice, added the vodka and let it chill as the waiter walked from the bar to the table. He held the ice back with a cocktail strainer, and was done. No fuss, no muss.

And, as with the 10 Minute Martini, the result was a much smoother and more gentle concoction. The single spritz of vermouth was perfect -- I prefer my martinis very dry, often telling the bartenders to read the label on the vermouth bottle as they add the olives. If you like them a bit "wetter", two spritzes will do you. (Ignoring for the moment that the earliest martinis were roughly 20%, almost nobody makes them that way these days, and I approve.)

I'm seriously considering getting myself a spritzer for my home bar, but since 98% of my martinis are consumed in restaurants, night clubs and bars, it would be infrequently used. At best. Then again, I should be able to make them at home...and I'm thinking maybe I ought to combine the two methods together and create the ten minute spritzed martini.

Or maybe just tell you about it and let YOU experiment. We do, after all deserve our hobbies.

Cheers.

A very dry martini