Martini partini

August 7, 2005 8:33 PM

Dry, veddy veddy dry...

I'll be hosting a martini party next week. Fellow suppers, please suggest the best ingredients and recipes for your favorite martinis. Feel free to include unconventional cocktail drinks that would do well in a martini glass, such as gimlets, Cosmos, appletinis and crantinis...

posted by Rothko to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

caprinhas and caprinovskas
posted by amberglow at 8:59 PM on August 7, 2005

Apologies for being a purist but it is a caipirinha, not sure what a "caprinovska" would be but a caipiroska is the same thing with vodka rather than cachaça. I agree they are great party drinks although I've never seen them in a martini glass but I suppose it could work.

So the recipe, take fresh limes, smash them up, add sugar and the vodka or cachaça and crushed ice. The exact measurements will vary for taste - some like them more sweet, some with more lime, best thing is to experiment :). I'm sure there are a lot of recipes online.

I was also thinking manhattans. But really, there is a wealth of cocktail information on the web.
posted by keijo at 9:20 PM on August 7, 2005

But really, there is a wealth of cocktail information on the web.

I've seen too many bad recipes on the web to trust it. Thanks for the caipirinha recipe! I've never had one before but it looks like a mojito minus the mint. I'll have to give it a try.
posted by Rothko at 9:30 PM on August 7, 2005

so i spelled it wrong--they're delish anyway...in Lisbon when i was there, that's what they called the ones w/vodka--caipirinhovskas
posted by amberglow at 9:34 PM on August 7, 2005

I don't know how to make 'em, but chocolate martinis are awesome. Mmmm...chocolate booze. Love it.
posted by amandaudoff at 9:48 PM on August 7, 2005

I've had caipirinhas with mint garnishes -- the big difference is that a mojito has rum, and a caipirinha has cachaça.

I second the recommendation for Manhattans. Make them with a dash of bitters, please, or don't bother. And while making them with good bourbon is good, making them with rye is better.

Jim Coudal would disagree with me, but a "martini" does not involve vodka. Gin. And use vermouth. Not a huge amount, but if you simply want a glass of very cold gin, well, that's not a martini.

Other drinks that work well in cocktail glasses? The Aviation. The Bronx. The Rob Roy. The Sidecar. Stick with these, and you can't go wrong.
posted by Vidiot at 9:51 PM on August 7, 2005

The Nicotini.
posted by 517 at 10:16 PM on August 7, 2005

Just have to toss you the martini menu from my fave lounge in T.O.. It's a flash site, though, so you have to click a few links to get to it -- no way to send you there directly. I love most of them on that menu, particularly the Riviera, ChipandDale, Insomnia (espresso), peanut butter and jelly, and Snowball.

One piece of advice, however: as has been rarely pointed out, "shaken, not stirred" makes a watery martini. If you're going for both style and substance, ensure you have a proper martini stirrer (silver, I think) that won't chip the ice. Shaking chips the ice, and you get... fancy water-liquor in a nice glass. For godsakes man, don't do it!
posted by dreamsign at 12:36 AM on August 8, 2005

Saketini

sake, vodka, lemon twist.
posted by sciurus at 4:36 AM on August 8, 2005

"shaken, not stirred"

Shaken because 007 drank vodka "martinis". One does not shake a martini (i.e. gin, vermouth, olive (I'll let a lemon twist slide, barely). That Saketini sounds good, though.
posted by jalexei at 6:06 AM on August 8, 2005

Caipirinhas--and oskas-- are served on the rocks in old-fashioned glasses; though sometimes I've had them served to me in highball glasses.

I don't like what martini glasses have become. Human beings are not meant to drink out of funnels.
posted by brujita at 6:36 AM on August 8, 2005

I think folks make a mistake when they make their martinis too dry, or use vodka instead of gin. It's gotten to the point that one cannot order just a plain old regular martini in a bar anymore without being barraged with an array of options.

The classic martini is about 8-to-1 gin to vermouth, (IMHO) shaken with ice. Do not freeze the gin beforehand--a little dilution from the melted ice is a good thing. Drop in three regular old green olives and serve in a chilled glass. Old school, baby--give it a try!
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:19 AM on August 8, 2005

The best martini I ever tasted was at the Duke's Hotel in London (here's their recipe). That said, classic martinis are a deeply personal thing.

Am also a recent convert to raspberry martinis, made with raspberry vodka or, even better, with a lovely layer of sieved fresh fruit at the bottom.
posted by dogsbody at 7:47 AM on August 8, 2005

amandaudoff: Chocolate martinis are made from chocolate vodka, which is very hard to find. Golden Baer(sp?), a Ukranian vodka is the only one I am aware of. A friend got it for me years ago, still sitting there (better in theory than in fact).
posted by johngumbo at 10:08 AM on August 8, 2005

I once had possibly disgusting idea that I may as well vet here: The Kimichini (kimchi and vodka). Many drinks include a vinegary, savory or salty touch -- Gibsons with a pickled onion, dirty martinis with extra olive juice, margaritas with a salty rim (not to mention the classic Wisconsin Bloody Mary with a pickle or a meat stick). So why not spicy, garlicy kimchi?

Of course, your date would have to drink one too...
posted by footnote at 10:17 AM on August 8, 2005

Make a classic martini but replace the olives with a sliced jalapenos piece (can be found in the Mexican food section of your supermarket. I like Casa Fiesta). Gets REALLY good towards the end of the drink
posted by Ferrari328 at 10:31 AM on August 8, 2005

There are also jalapeno-stuffed green olives, from the Santa Barbara Olive Company (and doubtlessly others). I've used them to good effect. I've used pickled asparagus as well.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:05 PM on August 8, 2005