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5 Tips to Making a Good Martini

by Dave A Vance

1. Select quality ingredients. When preparing to make a martini, whether it is for you or a customer, select quality ingredients. There are many qualities of liquor on the market, some of which are of extremely high quality and some that are cheap replacements intended for mixing. Martinis are complex in flavor and should have a smooth taste. The same goes for mixers and garnishes used in the drink. Who wants to follow-up their martini with a soft, mushy fruit slice?
   
   
2. Chill the martini glass. Unless specified, you should ALWAYS chill the martini glass. Chilling the martini glass keeps the drink cold longer and provides for a smooth drink. Imagine drinking a warm beer or soda. They don’t taste as good warm as they do cold. Martinis are the same way.
   
   
3. Know your customer. Some people enjoy the taste of vermouth while others can’t stand it. Unless a customer specifically asks for vermouth, use it sparingly. You will encounter some customers who ask for vermouth to be excluded completely. You also need to know what your customer is ordering. If someone simply asks you for a martini, in turn you need to ask them if they want a gin or vodka martini. There are recipes that call for tequila, bourbon and other liquors, but a customer will usually specify a specific martini in those cases.
   
   
4. Shaken or stirred. This depends on the ingredients you use and customer preference. Some customers are adamant about one or the other while many customers do not care. A good tip to use is if the recipe calls for a lot of different ingredients that need to be mixed well, then shake them. If the recipe only calls for gin, vermouth and olive juice, then stir the drink to chill it; you do not want to bruise the gin.
   
   
5. Presentation does matter. If you have taken the time to make a martini, take the time to present it to the customer in a delightfully appetizing way. Make sure you rinse out the glass to remove any dust before chilling it. Many martinis are clear and the dust will noticeably float on top. Wipe the glass down with a rag to remove fingerprints and any lipstick smudges that may not have been removed during cleaning. Garnish the drink with fresh fruits. The martini is more of an art than it is just throwing ingredients together. Present it as such.

Dave A Vance is the author of “5900+ Cocktail Recipes” and “Martini Madness: 380 recipes to tempt your taste buds”.

Martini Madness: 380 recipes to tempt your taste buds by Dave A Vance (January 23, 2009; $14.99 Paperback; ISBN: 978-1441455550). Available in paperback or for the Amazon Kindle ($7.99) on Amazon.com.