The martini is always in style.
The only thing complicated about a martini is its origin story, which remains a bit murky. Created during the Gilded Age, the stirring of gin and vermouth in all its many iterations conjures glitz and glamour. A martini has no season, and every bar should have the ingredients to make the classic. More than 125 years later, the drink is still posh and iconic.
It wasn’t until Harry Johnson’s second edition of Bartender’s Manual that we had a recipe for a martini in print, listing Old Tom gin (a sweet, cordial style gin), sweet vermouth, orange curacao, gum (simple syrup with an emulsifier) and a couple of dashes of bitters as ingredients. The suggested garnish was a lemon twist. Cocktails were sweet in the 1880s.
The formula waxed and waned. By 1897, the dry martini (“dry” meaning little or no vermouth) became ubiquitous, and in 1904, the 50:50 split of gin and vermouth was in print. This ratio is considered “wet” by today’s standards. A dry martini order today is a ratio of 5:1 gin to vermouth but can be anywhere from 4 to 8 parts gin and a garnish of olive or lemon twist.
Fine tuning led to classic and modern iterations. The most common is a swap of vodka for gin or a change-up of the garnish. The drink has a timeless power in the simplicity, and there are numerous ways to experience the emblematic cocktail served in the conical bowl.
The Betty, the restaurant at Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta-Buckhead, serves a classic martini: dry, straight up, with rocks on the side and your choice of olives, pickled onions or a lemon twist. Request oysters on the half shell with housemade mignonette to complete the sophisticated order.
Serving prime steaks since 1979, Bones is a classic in itself. The standard here is a Ketel One vodka version, slightly dirty (adding olive brine), chilled by shaking or stirring and garnished with a house stuffed blue cheese olive.
Peachtree Battle’s Roshambo makes your martini however you fancy, and they serve up a special that Don Draper would love. The three-martini lunch pitcher can be made wet or dry with vodka or gin. You can order it at dinner, too. It works well as a Gibson, which is made with a juniper-forward dry gin and vermouth. The addition of pickled onion makes a savory finish.
For a truly local version, head to the Distillery of Modern Art. Not only can you see where and how Atlanta Vodka is made, you can order the martini version with vodka, dry vermouth, olive brine and an olive garnish.
The Martinez, basically a Manhattan made with gin, is considered a predecessor to the martini. The Painted Pin stirs up a classic version with Old Tom Gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and a few dashes of orange bitters. It brims with floral aromatics, astringent herbs and a sweet aftertaste.
A Vesper, the modern martini riff using both gin and vodka, is comprised of three parts gin to one part vodka and a half measure of Lillet Blanc, a wine-based aperitif. Ian Fleming, creator of the iconic British secret agent James Bond, wrote the drink into existence in 1953’s Casino Royale.
On Carmel’s new coastal inspired menu, the bar team takes vodka and dry vermouth to fruity heights in their lychee martini with the inclusion of lychee liqueur, blackberry liqueur and a lime garnish.
Probably the hottest version of the martini in the present era is the espresso variety, made with vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur in the timeless glass. Westside’s Lucky Star has creative iterations with a classic, a cachaça version and a clarified version that is clear like the original but tastes of espresso.
BONES
bonesrestaurant.com
CARMEL
carmelatl.com
@carmelatl
DISTILLERY OF MODERN ART
distilleryofmodernart.com
@distilleryofmodernart
LUCKY STAR
luckystaratl.com
@luckystaratl
ROSHAMBO
roshamboatl.com
@roshamboatl
THE BETTY
thebettyatl.com
@thebettyrestaurant
THE PAINTED PIN
thepaintedpin.com
@thepaintedpinatl
