How to Make a Great Martini

If you are throwing a party or you are simply a raging alcoholic, then you had better know how to make a great martini. It takes the right knowledge, a little bit of style, and all of the right tools in order to have a wonderful martini. In this article, I will provide tips on how to make a great martini.

My favorite kind of martini is the gin martini. The best gin martini is one of that is stirred instead of shaken. Regardless of what James Bond has to say, shaking a martini with gin will always bruise the gin and create an awful, bitter taste. If you are having a vodka martini, then you could probably get away with shaking. Remember that stirring a martini will always give you the best taste, though.

Lots of people are under the impression that vermouth is absolutely essential to the martini making process. These days, that is not necessarily true. In the old days, this ingredient was used as a mask for the harsh taste of prohibition-era liquor. In today's alcoholic age, the liquors taste good enough to drink alone. With that in mind, why mask the taste? If you are old fashioned, then go ahead with your useless vermouth, though.

The best martinis are made with premium gin and vodka. Do not take the cheap way out by buying the bottom-shelf stuff. For gin, stick to Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire, which create a clean, sharp taste for your martinis. For vodkas, try to stay with Grey Goose, Ketel One, Stolichnya, or Belvedere. While there are obviously some more good vodkas, these are always solid. If you want to get exotic, try using gins from other nations such as England's Plymouth gin. This is a good way to make a drink that most people have never had.

The garnish of the martini is very important. Use a whole bunch of stuffed olives with many different stuffings. Pimento cheese and bleu cheese are classic and good choices for olive stuffing. I hate onions, but many people like onion stuffed olives. All of these will provide a different distinct taste, so a little bit of experimenting will give you the martini that suits your personal style and taste.

A dirty martini is something that I prefer to avoid. The taste is a little harsh for me. Some people like these awful things, though. If you want to make one, then add in some olive juice and a couple extra olives. Many retailers have olive juice designed especially for dirty martinis.

An extra-dry martini is something that is a little bit more difficult to make. It all comes down to how you treat the vermouth. You will want to pour just a little bit of vermouth into a glass, and then oscillate the glass, before pouring out the liquid from the glass. This adds to the sharpness of the vodka that will make a great martini.