Skip to main content

An almost poetic review of the Martini Cocktail Extra Dry

There is a wrong perception about, how a cocktail should taste! And this perception is fueled by the opinions of consumers as well as bartenders.

The Martini is definitely the drink, which shows this misconceptions very clearly. Many customers, who never tried a Martini cocktail, will order one with the anticipation of a delicious drink - and then after trying it, their dreams are crashing - from cloud 9 to under sea level!

An experienced bartender definitely knows, that this drink can't be delicious - there are no yummy ingredients featured in the recipe and taste doesn't materialize out of thin air...

But there is so much more what a cocktail can be - and the Martini is showcasing this. First of all, the character of a cocktail, has to be not only understood - it has to be learned.
Let's depart for a moment mixology and lets esteem wines. When people start to drink [seriously], nobody really likes bone dry, minerally white wines or tannin rich and funky red wines. Evolutionary our taste is preferring sweet, unfermented, fruity and clean aromas. However through several "cultural" experiences [wine tastings] the palate is changing. Sometimes during several tasting experiences, after several years, we understand, that this dry wine is magical and we are discovering these multilayered aromas, the velvety mouthfeel, the pleasing acidity or interesting "funk"...

While some cocktails will have the same effect of discovery, the Martini is even farer away of being easy discoverable. Because it is not the aroma, which really make it special. It is the texture and the effect.

Sounds confusing? Try a well made Martini cocktail and if you are listening to your senses you might understand...

For me personally a Martini is like an icy desert e.g. in Antarctica. First of all it is uncomfortable, brutal, maybe even boring white on white... however if you let go, you'll experience the crystal clear, cold air, the beautiful pure scenery, the pure blue sky, the freedom, and piece. Zen.

The Martini is a reminiscence to this. The alcohol will hit you almost brutally, the botanicals are streaming through your head like the cold air in the ice desert. The high alcohol content hit your stomach like a hammer... but then you listen to this drink. The texture is so high in alcohol that it is almost syrupy, it doesn't flow, it rather raft through your mouth; the character of a well made Martini is clean and pure and cleansing.

A Martini cocktail set your mind straight - your busy mind is slowing down and it is almost as the drink wipes it clean. It calms you down, slows you down. It wakes up your ingestion system and prepare your stomach for dinner. Three or four sips to finish it and to alternate your mood. It is not a drink, it is an elixir, for the noble and brave. It is a drink, which can be only understood by the initiated; a triumph of drinking culture.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to use citric acid - and why you might not want to use it anyway!

To be honest, I shied away of this topic, because I think, people can misinterpret this - big time. I don't want to be part of the problem - I want to be part of the solution!  But when Chris, over at A Bar Above  discussed this subject- I literally could not resist to join into "the discussion". Here is the video: I - however take a bit slower approach than Chris. What is citric acid? Chemical Compound Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and drinks. Wikipedia Formula: C6H8O7 Molar Mass: 192.124 g/mol Melting Point: 153C Density: 1.66 g/cm3 Boiling point: 175C Soluble in: Water Why is it controversial? In my "mixology world" it is controversial, as citric acid is the stuff, which makes the nightmarish sour mix [ preferably in powder form ] sour. Yeah - citric acid is the main ingredient in one of the most ...

Agar-Agar Clarification

Not often, I am posting here things, which are clearly not my ideas... However Dave Arnold is clearly a mad scientist [no, he really is!] - and he posted amazing stuff on his website www.cookingissues.com - no - don't click now - just follow the link later. One of the most impressive posts about mixology, besides of demystifying the mechanics of shaking, were clarification techniques. Look, after him, you could use a centrifuge [which would set you back a couple thousand bucks] and a chemical compound, which solidifies sediments. I am not a fan of that. Then there is gelatine clarification; this works quite well [I tried it several times my self] - you gelatinize a liquid [with little gelatine only], freeze it, thaw it [in the fridge] over a colander and a muslin cloth. Thats it. Unfortunately this has several problems: Gelatine is made out of animal bones - hence it is neither vegetarian nor vegan, which you won't usually expect of a beverage. You have to freez...

King Robert II Vodka

Who would knew, that I am reviewing a budget vodka here - on the opinionatedalchemist.com. But this isn't a normal review. I skip the marketing perception and use this product to cut directly to the case: Vodka is a "rather" neutral, colorless, "rather" flavorless and odorless distilled beverage from any agricultural source - and depending on the country, it has a minimum of 37.5% and 40% abv. As I said time and time again before: at times it is absolutely nonsense to talk about premium and luxury, when the original product doesn't really "hold this promise". Luxury water can have luxurious marketing, luxurious packaging, can be even rare and slightly more expensive "to produce". However really it is just water. Maybe it has some nuances to normal water - however those nuances (in a blind-test) are pretty small. Vodka is extremely similar - and the chain of evidence (despite a lot of people trying to proof otherwise) makes it re...