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Martini

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cocktails•american•alcoholic, gluten-free
5 minutes•1 cocktail•

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ice – for chilling and stirring
  • 2 1/2 ounces gin
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • lemon – wide strip of peel, expressed (for garnish)
  • green olives – pitted, on a pick (for garnish)
martini

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Fill a chilled cocktail or martini glass with some of the ice to chill, 1 minute.

  2. 2.

    In a mixing glass, combine gin, dry vermouth, and orange bitters. Add fresh ice to the mixing glass until two-thirds full.

  3. 3.

    Stir until well-chilled and slightly diluted, 20–30 seconds, until the outside of the mixing glass feels very cold.

  4. 4.

    Discard the ice from the serving glass. Strain the cocktail into the chilled glass.

  5. 5.

    Garnish with either a lemon peel twist (express oils over the surface, rub the rim, then drop or discard) or a green olive on a pick. Serve immediately.

The martini is a crisp, spirit-forward cocktail celebrated for its clean lines and bracing balance of botanical gin and aromatic dry vermouth. Served icy-cold and crystal clear, it delivers layered aromas of juniper, citrus, and herbs, with a silky texture achieved through proper stirring and dilution. A lemon twist amplifies brightness with aromatic oils, while a green olive adds a savory counterpoint.

Its origins trace to late-19th-century American bar culture, evolving from earlier gin-and-vermouth mixtures such as the Martinez and the Marguerite. Over the 20th century, the martini shifted drier as tastes favored more gin and less vermouth, becoming a symbol of refined cocktail culture. Though variations abound—from the olive-brined “dirty” martini to the vodka martini—the classic gin martini remains a benchmark of technique and balance.