Nana's Martini

It is one of the first cocktails that I can really remember... the cone shaped glass, the clean frosty liquid, and the silver skewer bedecked with tangy olives. It is a favorite cocktail of mine and few things bring quite the same satisfied smile to my wife as the first sip of a well made martini.

The drink is both simple and challenging, much like cooking a perfect steak. There is no fruity cover or overbearing citrus to hide behind. The martini is bare bones and reflects the ingredients and their blending. To get it right, I suggest practicing, as often as possible ;-), to find what works for your tastes. 

The inspiration for the steps below come from my wonderful paternal grandmother, called Nana. She was a sassy lady, lovely and strong. She worked at the family business well into her 90s and met life with great flair and passion. I suppose it should come as no surprise that her drink of choice, a gin martini, was full of personality as well. I remember well a gift we gave her one Thanksgiving - a bottle of good gin, a whimsical martini glass, a giant jar of olives, and a long turkey skewer. She immediately dug in, threaded over a dozen olives on the skewer and fixed a martini before sitting down with us to reminisce... 

Ingredients:

• 3oz. Gin - I prefer Hendricks, The Botanist, or Old Raj if I'm feeling flush
• Splash dry vermouth - Del Professore is a favorite! (http://www.thewinebowgroup.com/our-brands/del-professore/vermouth-del-professore/) try sipping this by itself too... 
• Shaker, bar spoon, ice, and a favorite (not too large!) martini glass

Steps:

1. Prepare your martini glass by putting ice water in it to chill. I like the look of a nice misty glass for this cocktail. Note that many of the fun, silly glasses are way too big and would floor an elephant if you filled it up with gin.
2. Put ice in the shaker, about 1/3 full. Splash vermouth over the ice and stir briefly.
3. Add gin to the ice. Either place the lid on and shake vigorously for about 5 seconds if you like the taste and feel of ice crystals, or stir with your bar spoon for 10-15 seconds to chill the liquor. There is no "right" method, each is different and will result in a slightly different mouth feel to the final cocktail. Know who you are serving and choose wisely! ;-)
4. Let the drink rest for a moment and skewer the olives on your pick. My Nana would use an 8" turkey skewer and fill it with olives.
5. Spill the ice water out of the martini glass, place the olive skewer into it, and using a cocktail strainer gently pour the chilled mixture over the olives. Doing this gently adds some brine to the drink and adds a gentle tang. Not as salty as a dirty martini, this pour adds another layer of flavor to the drink.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Have fun! Nana approves...

r.