How to make the perfect martini
When it comes to turning out this classic libation, less is often more
Words: Josh Lee
Photography: Benjamin Swanson
It’s night-time in Corsica, or Ocho Rios, or Lima, or whichever destination you’ve decided to jet to in order to escape the daily pains of home life, even for a week or so, and the lead bartender and his juniors are thumping ice into tumblers, slicing up limes, and slamming bright ingredients around their shakers. Sure, the creamy froth on the piña colada looks pretty good, the jolts of vivid colours flooding through the tall glass of mai tai will shock sugar-fuelled life into your wary limbs, and a margarita is always a grand time.
However, whenever our skin is a little browned and the head is flapping ever so slightly in the humidity, we find that a martini will always cut through the heat. Of course, each drinker will defend his own prep method to the death: some splash in a little olive brine, others add cool slices of cucumber, and the sleepy-eyed turbocharge theirs with a shot or two of espresso.
No. 3 London Dry Gin, £39, bbr.com
Yet, all things considered, it’s a more pared-down, fuss-free method that does it for us, which comes courtesy of No. 3 London Dry Gin and comprises the label’s signature spirit, a little glug of vermouth and some lemon peel. Suggest it to the bartender, share it with your fellow drinking mates, recreate it at home and soothe that post-holiday comedown. It’s “a balance of simplicity and indulgence”, according to the brand – and a guaranteed way to have your eyes roll up into your head, according to us.
Ingredients
- 60ml No. 3 London Dry Gin
- 10ml dry vermouth
- 1 lemon
Equipment
- Spirit measure
- Strainer
- Martini glass
Method
- Measure out the gin and vermouth
- Stir over ice in a mixing glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist and strain into a chilled martini glass
This feature was taken from Gentleman’s Journal’s Summer 2023 issue. Read more about it here.
Want more recipes? Here’s how to make the perfect old fashioned…
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