National Martini Day

The martini is a timeless classic. It never falls out of fashion and there’s no shortage of Bond films to remind us of its cool factor. Numerous theories on the cocktail’s origins exist, as do numerous versions and recipes. From gin or vodka to fruity or savory, the martini is a jack of all trades.

Martini Terms

• Dry: a martini with more gin and less vermouth
• Dirty: a martini with dashes of olive brine
• Up: chilled in a cocktail shaker and strained into a martini glass
• On The Rocks: served over ice as opposed to being strained into a cocktail glass
• With a Twist: garnished with lemon zest
• In-and-Out: vermouth is swirled in the glass, then poured out prior to adding gin
• Gibson: a martini garnished with a cocktail onion
• Buckeye: a martini garnished with a black olive instead of green
• Kangaroo: uses vodka instead of gin
• Vesper: gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet vermouth, garnished with a twist of lemon peel (unfortunately, Kina Lillet no longer exists, but there are alternatives you can use)

Now that you’re well-versed in martini lingo, you can not only condescendingly correct your friends, but you’ll be able to wow them with the martini recipes below!

Vesper

Ingredients

• 3 oz. Nolet's Silver Dry Gin
• 1 oz. Ketel One Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc Aperitif or Cocchi Americano
• garnish: lemon twist

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir (or, if preparing the Bond way, shake).
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Twist a slice of lemon peel over the drink, rub along the rim of the glass, and drop it in.

Dirty Martini

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 oz. gin or vodka
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. olive brine
• garnish: olives

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with 2 olives.

Black Pepper Gibson

Ingredients

• dry vermouth
• 4 oz. vodka
• garnish: cocktail onions and black pepper

Directions

1. Rinse a martini glass with vermouth and set aside.
2. Add the vodka to a mixing glass and fill with ice.
3. Stir, and strain into the prepared glass.
4. Garnish with cocktail onions and freshly cracked black pepper.

Marguerite

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz. Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
• 1 dash Regans Orange Bitters
• garnish: 1 lemon peel

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice.
2. Stir, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel and/or a small Spanish olive without pimento.

French Martini

Ingredients

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 3/4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/4 oz. Crème De Cassis liqueur

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake.
2. Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Hendrick’s Breakfast Martini

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz. Hendrick's Gin
• 2 tsp. orange marmalade
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• garnish: 1 lemon peel

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice.
2. Shake, and strain into a cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel and serve with buttered toast on the side.