How to create the perfect Martini

A Classic Martini from The Everleigh 

We are all huge fans here at Hardie Grant of what we (and many others) believe is the best cocktail bar in Melbourne, The Everleigh! 

We were so thrilled when it was announced that we would be publishing their very first book – a compendium of more than 300 recipes for 'fond and forgotten' cocktails. 

In celebration of the release of A Spot at the Bar we are sharing the recipe for the perfect martini – it is Friday afternoon, after all. Chin chin! 

THE MARTINI

The origins of the Martini are shrouded in mystery; everyone wants a piece of her. Described by author H.L. Mencken as ‘the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet’, the Martini is so strong and sexy, simply ordering one is enough to make us weak at the knees.

60 ml gin

30 ml Dolin dry vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

olive, pickled onion or lemon twist, to garnish

Add your ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a frozen cocktail glass.

Garnish with a lemon twist, an olive or a pickled onion.

Big fan of Scotch whisky? Before straining your Martini into the glass, rinse it with a little Scotch whisky and you have the Smoky Martini. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Got some sherry in the fridge? Take our house Martini and swap out the dry vermouth for dry sherry to get the Tuxedo #1. Again, this one needs a lemon twist to garnish.

Like to keep it pretty clean but keen for a little something extra? The Blenton is a classic Martini with three dashes of Angostura bitters, garnished with a lemon twist.

What about something sweeter? Take our classic 2:1 ratio and simply switch out the dry vermouth for Cocchi Americano to get the Richmond, a golden oldie from 1934. Garnish this one with a lemon twist.

Never tried a Martini with sweet vermouth? You don’t know what you’re missing! Go equal parts sweet vermouth and gin with a dash of maraschino liqueur and a few dashes of orange bitters and you have the Martinez.

This 2:1 ratio is our house Martini (2 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth). We love it quite ‘wet’, which is to say we like it with more dry vermouth. If you like it even more wet, try the Fifty Fifty, which is equal parts gin and vermouth. If dry is more your style, the 5:1 ratio should do the trick – 5 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth. That’s 75 ml (2½ fl oz) gin to 15 ml (½ fl oz) dry vermouth.

Like it dirty? How dirty? We use the terms dusty, dirty and filthy to describe the varying levels of olive brine desired. For a Dusty Martini add 7 ml (¼ fl oz), for a Dirty Martini add 15 ml (½ fl oz) and for a full throttle Filthy Martini throw in 22 ml (¾ fl oz). Go crazy with those olive garnishes. We pop one in the drink and two in a sidecar.

Like yours garnished with a pickled onion? We call that a Gibson. The possibilities are almost endless.

The Everleigh is by Michael Madrusan and Zara Young, for more information about A Spot at the Bar head here, for more information about The Everleigh go here.