Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Martini
Slick the vessel with a smear of dry vermouth. Add a bright green olive, a splash of Bombay Sapphire (which has been cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature in the coldest spot of my freezer), and drink.
In college, I never liked gin, mostly because it was cheap gin, reeking of juniper. After that, I would try a martini every five years or so. I was attracted to martinis the way young people of past generations have been drawn to tobacco: the allure of sophistication. Eventually I discovered the good stuff: Hendrick’s, Bombay Sapphire. Minimal juniper, lots of character.
Interesting is the history of the martini. It used to be a much sweeter, much more complicated drink, including such things as maraschino liqueur and sweet vermouth. The modern dry martini apparently found its start in Los Angeles — but even that involved some bitters and a twist of lime in addition to the traditional olive. Jump ahead to a more recent generation for the real deal. From Wiki,
Winston Churchill chose to forgo vermouth completely, saying that the perfect martini involved pouring a glass full of cold gin and looking at a bottle of vermouth. General Patton suggested pointing the gin bottle in the general direction of Italy. Alfred Hitchcock’s recipe called for five parts gin and “a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth.”
Maybe that’s one of the things I find so appealing about martinis: the connection to the past. My dad says my grandfather swigged an ounce of gin every night before bedtime. And as Churchill, Patton, and Hitchcock attest, is this not the driest of martinis?
So here’s the question for discussion: what’s your favorite cocktail, and how do you prepare it? Dry bones, you can play too. Surely you aren’t drinking milk all the time. What’s your pleasure — pink lemonade? Homemade punch?
D.
When I drink, which is like never, I like black label Jack Daniel’s with a splash of Coke.
My favorite drink, though, is diet coke on ice with a slice of lemon.
Negronis. I do love a Negroni shaken within an inch of its life.
A Negroni is essentially a gin and vermouth martini with Campari added to it. Nummy nums. I do about one part each, a little heavy on the gin. Shake as hard as you can with ice — it should be a little opaque when you put it in the glass. I enjoy bitters, so I throw a dash of that on top.
The other one I like is tonic water over ice with LOTS of bitters and a splash of lime. The drink should go a very pale pinky brown. I use Angustora bitters and somehow the drink smells like pumpkin pie spice to me.
Ah, yes, the other drink I enjoy when I happen to have it in the house is Pimms No. 1 mixed with lemonade. I don’t put all the fruits and veggies in, but I do enjoy the iced tea/gin/lemonade thing going on in the glass.
If I’m out and don’t trust the bartender (cheap restaurant) I usually don’t order a Negroni — it always tastes flat. Instead I order a Rob Roy with a good quality scotch and extra vermouth, a gin and tonic if it’s hot out, A Southern Comfort on the rocks, or if I’m feeling cheap and in the mood to get sloshed, a margarita on the rocks, extra lime, salted rim.
It’s amazing to me that I grew up in a Methodist household. I love cocktails. I’ll drink almost anything that has enough lime, gin, sweet vermouth, or bitters in it. Oh, and whiskey sours. I like those too.
Just so you don’t think I’m a lush, I think in 2008 so far I’ve had three negronis, maybe five gin and tonics and maybe, I dunno, ten margaritas? Last time I ordered a Rob Roy at a bar I hated it. Dear Butcher doesn’t drink, and it seems weird to mix a cocktail all by myself to drink in the dark, sitting on the couch in front of the TV. So I don’t drink much, but I do know what I like.
For the record: I hate martinis. I’d drink an old fashioned one with lots of sweet vermouth, but no way is that glass with the clear liquid and the olive getting anywhere near me.
Not really a cocktail sort of guy, here. I drink beer if it’s handy and wine with dinner and if I’m in the mood for a drink I like good Irish whiskey with a teaspoonful of water in it. I use filtered water.
I don’t actually know the names of many cocktails. Martini, of course, and Rusty Nail and Harvey Wallbanger and Mai Tai and Margarita. Heard of Rob Roy and Whiskey Sour.
my first mixed drink that i liked was a screwdriver, OJ and vodka. however, i’ve discovered that vodka makes me sleepier than other hard stuff. so i go for rum or jaeger or SoCo with coke…or a pina colada…or, well, hell. i’ll try just about anything.
two weeks from today is going to be very interesting 😀
Cosmopolitans, Mojitos (regular and blueberry), White Russians, Cranberry juice and vodka, and various margaritas. Tasty – and yes, all girly drinks (umbrellas not required).
I find that a drink at lunch is exactly what I need to neutralize stress. When I’m wound up at work, the lunch cocktail calms me down – the stress and the alchohol seem to cancel out. Here I could get wine or beer at lunch, but I don’t like beer at all and am not interested in mediochore wine. If only I could get a Cosmo in the cafeteria! Someone suggested I make my own, but that really seems OTT, plus I’m too lazy to bring all the components. There are plenty of offices with bottles tucked away, but I’m not quite at that point yet.
i think all my favorite cocktails involve a bottle of american whiskey. some bourbon, some rye. a mint julep can’t be beat on a hot summer’s day. i like em super minty and just a wee bit sweet, so i use the bare minimum of sugar to muddle the mint, and the amount of mint depends entirely upon how big the glass i’m making said cocktail in is. also, sazeracs are the bomb. old potrero rye, one sugar cube, peychaud’s bitters go in the cocktail shaker with a liberal quantity of ice. the glass the cocktail will be served in gets a sploshing of herbsaint. shake away and strain into the cocktail glass.
yum!
as far as martinis go, i only like one made with gin… a super bone-dry in the fashion of churchill, made only with hendrick’s, and with a cucumber garnish instead of the olive.
Kira, I like cosmos too. But only while wearing Karen’s camisole.
Hendrick’s is mmmmm. I think that’s the brand that got me thinking gin was okay after all.
Butterscotch Martini, which, of course, isn’t a martini in any real sense other than you serve it in a martini glass. I had one at a restaurant once, and liked it so much I got the ingredients and played with them until I got the recipe just right.
1.5 oz Butterscoth Schnapps
0.5 oz Vanilla Vodka
1.0 oz Milk (not skim. I use cream or half and half to get the lovely foam)
Pour ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake the bejeebers out of the thing so the milk gets nice and foamy, strain into a martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
I don’t make those very often (I actually don’t drink often). I am fond of beer, my favourite being a dark, Irish beer called “Smithwicks” (pronounced “Smiddicks” in any self respecting pub, unless you want to look like a tool).
We are also fond of Gosling’s Rum at the KraftR’s place. I have it with Diet Coke and lime.
This time of year, a good, spicy Bloody Mary is my favorite. With green olives, not celery, for the garnish. I’ve yet to find a good recipe I like for making it at home, so rely on mixes and bartenders to get my fix.
In summer I’m partial to Cosmopolitans, Lemon Drops, Chocolatinis, Appletinis – you know, the chick drinks. I hated the one Martini I tried and have never been tempted to try one again.
As an Oregonian, of course I like some of the local brews and year round take Widmer’s Hefeweizen (with lemon, of course) and McMenamin’s Ruby Pale Ale.
With wine, I find I don’t like it often enough to gamble on the cost for buying bottles for home consumption, so mostly rely on people who know more about it and depend on recommendations when out for dinner, receptions, etc.