June 19th is when the world celebrates our favorite cocktail. Here is some useful information from NationalDayCalender.com about martinis and how to order them. We learned a few things ourselves.
Martini Lingo
- Dirty – This Martini includes olive brine or juice from the olive jar.
- Dry – The vermouth is decreased significantly in the Martini, and gin becomes the primary spirit. Extra dry tips the ratio even further.
- Gibson – Instead of an olive, bartenders garnish the Martini with a pickled onion.
- Shaken vs. Stirred – Most bartenders will tell you that the better Martini is stirred. Shaken Martinis tend to be inferior due to a couple of reasons – ice chips water down the drink, and shaking the Martini adds air to the cocktail. A stirred Martini results in a smoother, fuller experience.
- Straight Up – This Martini may be either shaken or stirred, but it is strained and served without ice – the opposite of a Martini on the rocks.
- Smoky or Burnt – Scotch whisky replaces the vermouth in this Martini. A twist of lemon garnishes the glass.
- Wet – Where the dry Martini has less vermouth, this one has more.
- With a Twist – The bartender adds a thin strip of citrus peel to the Martini as a garnish or in the drink.
– Jet Cannon
Photo: WallPaperFlare.com
Carol and I had a very wet and dirty martinis yesterday and we didn’t even know it was World Martini Day. I guess the gods were with us because we really enjoyed it. Thanks Jet, I’ll put this on my calendar for next year!