Recently I've been trying to cultivate a taste for martinis because on paper they sound appetizing but in practice...? I'm gagging.

I've been using Skyy vodka and Gallo vermouth:
http://www.bertellisliquormart.com/images/Skyy.jpg
http://library.bevnetwork.com/bottles/675/48204.jpg

2 shots vermouth to shot of of vodka ratio. A tablespoon of olive juice, shaken and drained over ice.

Wanna dig it...but it ain't happening.

Is it cheap ingredients? Ratio's off? What's ya'lls recipe?

secondly vermouth has a limited shelf life so use and buy accordingly

My experiences then kind of ruined it for me and ever since, I've definitely shown a preference for dark/brown spirits.
Skrew drivers and Bloody Mary's are pretty much the extent of my palate when it comes to clear liquor.

But, you're right. Substitutions in ingredients probably should be where I start looking for what went wrong haha.

Fuck a martini. The glass is the best part. So I stick to drinks that I can drink out of a martini or cocktail glass.

And watch some dick tell you your recipe ain't a 'real' martini bc it uses vodka. As the fuck if. Who cares except assholes? Lol.

^ I didn't know that had already happened. Lol!!

Gin is nasty shit. If I drink a martini (for WHAT??) I want it with vodka. Bc gin makes me fight - bc it's nasty and it stinks and that angers me as I drink it.

fuck rum and rum drinkers.

Bc im going to start a fight. I hate that shit.

What'd rum do to you?

nearly ever blackout ive had was from going hard on E

Rum is just...its wierd shit man.

I'll have it its just a bit too sweet

I drank too much during the first 2 days of my weeklong summer vacay. I was hungover until I switched to vodka and soda with limes.

it's never aded up for me

I imagine the smell and taste of gin probably makes a difference cause outside of this particular drink, I'm definitely aware of the difference.

But I get what you're saying too. If a martini made with vodka isn't a real martini...what is it then?

Whatever the case, I agree, the glass is definitely the best part.

Only handle-bar mustached hipsters and creepy old men give a shit about gin vs vodka in a martini. Even James Motherfuckin BOND drinks vodka martinis. Sheesh.

Try making the drink with vodka and less vermouth (2:1 vodka or gin - vermouth or even less vermouth or no vermouth). And no bitters. And more or less olive juice.

>The glass is the best part.

blame it on "craft cocktail" culture, "mixologists" and their cute coupe glassware.

i hate the really small coupes i like the big ones
i'd rather have that than a martini glass. sometimes i ask for up drinks that should be served in a stem (martini) glass and ask for it in a lowball for easy portage. im not mad at a spot that swaps their martini glasses for coupes

>i hate the really small coupes i like the big ones
>i'd rather have that than a martini glass. sometimes i ask for
>up drinks that should be served in a stem (martini) glass and
>ask for it in a lowball for easy portage. im not mad at a spot
>that swaps their martini glasses for coupes

but yeah, i get why they do it. i mean, as a consumer i'm always looking for a good pour lol. i've had many a bartender tell me the traditional stemmed martini glasses break a lot more so that's why the swapped them out for coupes. (i'm not gonna front, i've broken a few myself at home over the years.)

the typical problem with coupes is indeed the size. most bars stock the smaller ones, so i'm basically paying more for less. it's epidemic in SF and particularly oakland, actually.

and they serve in the larger coupes. they better considering drinks are $15 (but sooo good)

they're fine for drinking punch, for example.

but if i'm drinking a Martini or a Manhattan i want a Martini or cocktail glass.

It should be like 5:1 gin or vodka...only a little bit of vermouth. I treat vermouth like pepper on food...a little bit goes a long way. So much vermouth would be gross, I imagine.

My general recipe is 2.5 to 3 shots of gin and 1/2 a shot or less vermouth. Also, bitters help a ton depending on what flavor you fancy.

One of my favorite martinis has been the above recipe using habanero-stuffed olives, then the martini made dirty using a little habanero olive juice. A nice heat on the mouth without being too spicy and everything else is delish.
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I thought he was going 2:1 gin-vermouth.

He has it backward. Lol

Yeah, that vermouth concoction I came up with was awful indeed.

I'll be trying your recipe tho. Thanks for the tips.

its 2 shots gin/vodka to 1 part (or less) Vermouth

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-996igbGIMBM/VVJmSidO8GI/AAAAAAAAB7I/xZDAy7f4las/s640/the%2Bmore%2Byou%2Bknow.gif

I like mine with extra olives - especially the huge blue cheese stuffed ones.

If you're looking for something more flavorful you can skip the olives and try variations that use more peppery gin like Bombay Sapphire East, or have more juniper - Tanqueray 10 is one that's easy on the wallet and most good bars should have it.

OR you can bank total left and order a dry martini with a splash of St. Germain. That's a winner and good for those who are easing into martinis.

if im gonna be drinking vodka lol

goes down better

in a rocks glass.

good way to start is pour maybe an ounce in your shaker, swirl it around, then dump it out. there'll be just enough left coating the inside. make sure you buy a vermouth that isn't the cheapest and keep it in the fridge. ice your glass while you make the drink.

I love olives but do not prefer them in martinis.

Nowadays I would probably get drunk from one.

1:1:1 gin/vodka, campari, red vermouth. shake. garnish with a lime wedge.

basically have to echo what others have said.. it tastes like shit because your drink's mostly vermouth. funny enough, i've been in parts of central europe and ordered a martini, and that's how they make a martini.

1) don't try and make it yourself when you're a rookie and trying to cut your teeth.

go to the bar.

order your (dirty) martini either i) "dry"... bartender will give a couple splashes of vermouth, and probably swirl it around the empty glass and then dump it out, or ii) "extra dry," which is NO vermouth, depending on the bartender's discretion. the latter is how i prefer it.

2) have it stirred, not shaken. the ice chips dilute the vodka somewhat. if you're drinking smirnov or gordon's, not a big deal. but if you're going with quality, it matters. which brings me to the next point.

3) skyy is o-k, but step up your vodka selection a bit.

go with stoli or ketel (or hangar one if it's available). ketel really is a timeless, mid-to-upper tier vodka that you can never ever go wrong with. unfortunately niggas invariably getting duped into paying $$$$ for cirac or whatever else out there has been commercially hyped to death --- see: hypnotiq in the mid 90's and patron in the mid 00's.

4) experiment with different garnishes to see which one grabs your palate. olives or a twist.

personally, i only drink (dirty) vodka gibson's now if the bar's got cocktail onions in stock.

cheers.

Shaken is totally fine. What shaken will do is chip some of the ice off of the cubes, both chilling the drink more quickly and opening up the flavors(same as adding a couple of drops of water to a glass of scotch). Now stirred is probably the way to go if you're a vodka man, since there are no botanicals to open up the way there are in gin.

If the martini noticeably dilutes, it's because you're using ice chips and not large cubes.

smoothest there is.....

.

no one cares about that shit.

Ive had Pomegranate martinis and sour apple martinis that were to die for. But, don't ask me the recipe because i have no idea.

First of all, I'd argue that a real martini is gin, not vodka.

You only need a tiny amount of vermouth. Just coat the inside of the glass then pour it out before you add the gin. IMO a martini is basically chilled gin, olives, and a very slight flavor of vermouth.