MOTD- Martini Of The Day

[Kyle76]

Churchill's martinis reputedly were little more than straight gin with an olive. Varying stories about his recipe call for waving an unopened vermouth bottle over the gin, watching the vermouth from across the room or bowing toward France as he mixed his drink. I remember reading somewhere that he despised the dirty martinis that were Roosevelt's favorite.

My favorite martini quote is from Dorothy Parker:

I love to drink martinis
Two at the very most
Three and I'm under the table
Four and I'm under the host

[brothers]

I've heard that Martinis are an acquired taste. I suppose my opportunity will present itself one day. If not, I'm OK.

[Quarterstick]

Because of the many flavorings used in the distillation process (juniper berries, along with lemon and bitter orange peel, anise, coriander, angelica root, and other botanicals), gins vary widely, and everyone has their favorites. Here's a pretty good SMF discussion on the topic: http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewto ... hlight=gin

I have not tried a ton of gins, and am by no means an expert, but here are some of my faves:

Gordon's: ~$10 a bottle, affordable, really nice, my house gin
Beefeaters: ~$15 a bottle, licorice notes, nice gin
Bombay Sapphire: ~$20 a bottle, very popular, my best friend's fave, so the one I drink when he's over
Junipero: ~$30 a bottle, heavy on juniper, my absolute fave and the one I treat myself to once in a while
Plymouth: ~$30 a bottle, smooth, smooth smooth; I believe Churchill's favorite (and he was a gin guy)

Dave

Thanks for the info. This gives me a good start as I wanted to get a better sense of what is considered decent. Price is not always a good indicator in these sorts of things. Certainly seems like Gordon's is a great place to start.

I have been interested in Junipero in part from the connection to Anchor. I am a beer guy and since I know they make quality beer, I figured the same principles would drive their distillery.

Prost!

[DavidB]

Andy, the Junipero gin is simply superb.

Also, everyone ought to try the Castelvertrano olives. Incredible. I first had them at a jazz bar in San Francisco, and found them at BevMo. They have pits, so you have to spear them on the side, but they taste wonderful.

Dave

[function]

Decided to try a new Gin the other day. I was out of decent gin(decent being defined as does not need to be mixed with OJ).
My regulars are Beefeater and Boodles, I'll get Hendricks when I want my cucumber G&Ts. I did a little research and saw good reviews for the inexpensive Monopolowa. Buying that was a great choice for my G&T drinking last night. I know it's not a martini, but it was nice and smooth. A 1.75l was $24 plus tax, barely more than Gordons.

As a person known for occasionally hooking an IV of Gin into my veins, I will highly recommend giving this a try if you want to take a step up from Gordons but shudder at spending more than $20 on a 750ml bottle.

[Squire]

Mmm, Gordons, breakfast of Champions.

[function]

Mmm, Gordons, breakfast of Champions.

Bought an orange tree for just that reason. SWMBO thinks she will be eating the oranges, she is sadly mistaken.

[xXClockwork]

I just recently started to try my hand at Martinis when I scored a free bottle of Beefeater's. Is this something that I'll get better at with time? Because I cannot seem to pull a good one off! So far I've been using

3oz of Gin
1oz M&R Extra Dry

Shaken in ice with three olives.

What type of olives are you using? Olives can often give your martini a completely different taste. Make sure you are not cheaping out on the olives you buy.

I use: New Amsterdam Gin
Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
Mediterranean Organic Stuffed Garlic Olives.

[Squire]

On another Board I once mentioned soaking the olives in Scotch. I was kidding but lo and behold a guy tried it and said he liked it.

[fallingwickets]

I tried the churchillian method last night......its all lost on me. I do envy you gents that get to enjoy your drinks.

clive