It's all about the martini

Posted by lushlife

Posted: April 18, 2008 - 11:11 am

The martini is arguably America’s favorite cocktail. It was the drink of choice for Hemingway, Capote and Bond; Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite recipe called for five parts gin and a “quick glance” at a bottle of vermouth. At heart, it is a creation of gin, vermouth and a subtle garnish. But today’s martinis revel in a large, diverse and apple-flavored atmosphere.

The classic drink is a nightlife symbol. It means class, it means glamour and it means liquor. When it’s on a restaurant sign or menu, the understanding is that there are “good times to be had.”

But I like my martini dirty and vodka-based and use gin only when cleaning paint off something. Martini purists argue that the whole point is the taste of gin — with a vodka version, you taste only vermouth and the garnish.

Nevertheless, over time the substitution of vodka for gin has grown, maybe because the versatility of vodka makes it easier to mix in other ingredients. And now, the drink is as much about the glass and what you can put in it than the original recipe anyway.

At Bernie’s Bungalow Lounge, the martini spot in town, bartender Shawna Calt said that when people order a martini, she always asks whether they want gin or vodka. They say vodka.

“There’s not a lot to mix with gin,” said Calt, who’s unconvinced there should be mixing involved with martinis in the first place. “All of the drinks are called martinis, but to me, a martini is vodka or gin and vermouth. These days anything in a martini glass is dubbed a martini.

“But,” she admitted, “they sure are fun to make.”

Arianna Frender, bartender at SubZero Microlounge, estimates that about two-thirds of the drinks she serves are martinis. Again, vodka is more popular than gin. In fact, Frender said, the trend is moving toward top-shelf vodka martinis, because better alcohol means a smaller hangover.

At Sullivan’s Steakhouse, the most popular martini is the Knockout. You’ve probably had it or at least seen it. It’s that pineapple-y thing that tastes like ambrosia and, well, knocks you out. Still, it’s not really a martini at all.

“A martini’s got to be straight vodka or gin with vermouth,” said Sullivan’s general manager Michael Fisher, an admitted purist who prefers his martini dry and shaken until it’s bruised.

But, he adds, “we’re way past that now. Everything is moving into a martini glass. I think it’s great. It gives bartenders an opportunity to be creative.”

Because, of course, the coolest part of a martini is the glass.

“It makes no sense,” Fisher said. “But it’s sexy as hell.”

Without the glass or garnish, a martini would be just a few ounces of clear alcohol. So fancying it up is, really, “just an adult excuse to get a shot of vodka or gin,” Fisher said.

Whatever your preference, it’s clear that the straight-up, gin-heavy recipe is more of a specialty nowadays than the norm. And though new “tinis”may not be textbook, they taste good, look classy and are fun to select from wide, creative menus.

In the nightlife scene, sometimes it’s more about having fun that having it exactly right.

-- by Jessica Bowman

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