The Weekly Nightcap - The Classic Gin Martini

i am pleased to introduce a guest blogger for this week's weekly nightcap. this particular blogger happens to be near and dear to my heart and he also makes a mean martini - a gin martini that is, shaken, not stirred.

hop on over to your perfect antidote and check out his blog. he writes about changing the perceptions of success, about procrastinating, saying ‘no’, lowering expectations, doing just enough to make it (and no more!), and being happy about it.

so, without further foolishness, here's ian:

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So don’t read in to the fact that after several years my first guest post happens to be the weekly nightcap. I mean why worry about how to cook when I’m married to such an amazing one in the first place, right?

When P asked me to guest blog a weekly nightcap drink my first thought was “is Miller Lite really that interesting?” but after thinking for a few minutes it hit me. What drink is my go-to, classy, out-on-the-town drink? It’s a gin martini. 

(P says: yes that's E and another friends bf chugging a beer before the ceremony. ahh to be young again:)

My affinity for gin martinis is a rather new one. Recently, at a wedding of one of p’s friends, I went to the bar with another of her friend’s boyfriends, D. I was lamenting that I wanted a gin and tonic but it just seemed so pedestrian. D asked the bartender if she had a suggestion for a classic, manly drink. Without missing a beat she said matter-of-factly, “a gin martini”. I was sold. Maybe it was the drink making me feel like James Bond, or maybe it was just the atmosphere, either way, it was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had.

The drink is definitely not an “at home on a Tuesday night” kind of drink, but I’ll make an exception for my wife. I will also claim ignorance if any of you part-time bartenders feel this is not the way to make a real gin martini.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Gin
Vermouth
Lemon
Ice

To me the key is making sure it’s cold enough. I fill about half of a cocktail shaker with ice then I add gin and vermouth in a 4:1 ratio respectively. Shake vigorously in a circular motion, pour into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy.

So there you go. Martini…gin martini. Thanks P!