opinionated alchemist

 I have just watched how Martini produces their vermouths. It is extremely interesting. I always thought, that the company is using extracts of herbs which they just purchase externally. However I could learn, that they are making their own botanical spirit and adding this to the wine. It is for sure different than vermouth producers which are aging the neutral alcohol (or the wine) with the botanicals - but the method is different - not necessarily worse.  However this video sparked a question to me: what makes a good Martini cocktail.  First thing (sorry Martini & Rossi) - is a good vermouth. While Martini Rosso is not bad at all - and their Riserva Products are even quite good, I wouldn’t really suggest to use the normal Extra Dry. The Ambrato? Maybe - or Noilly Prat. Or Dolin Extra Dry... But here is the thing: how much vermouth are you using? Now we are arguing since decades about the ratio. Bat you know, what we haven’t really put into consideration: the gin!...

People who order Martinis which aren’t bone dry probably eat also children. People who order and drink Martinis which aren’t extra dry, probably have no taste buds. People... dammit - just don’t drink your Martini cocktail wet!!! Since a couple of years you hear and read, that XYZ bartender is doing a Martini which has more vermouth in. Sometimes ⅓ vermouth - and now there are even so-named bartenders, which suggest a 50:50 Martini cocktail. Their arguments sound totally reasonable: the cocktail becomes more sessionable (you can drink more than one or two, without ending up in the alley). And the taste (if the drink is made with proper vermouth) improves... All of it though is rubbish! Look - this “goals” make not a lot of sense. making the martini cocktail more sessionable or “tasty” is like: making a LaFerrari hypercar more tame and practical... or making a fighter jet more luxurious... or making a Carolina Reaper easier to eat. If you don’t get the context it might sound...

This post is directly related to the article:  Are Martinis better at Room Temperature  ...on liquor.com. To be honest, I was pretty upset and maybe slightly disgusted when I read the title. Because I know, how bad a drink can be, if the temperature isn’t right (that means extremely cold). When I though read the article through, I had a bit of an insight and I think, that it isn’t necessary wrong. Well - only one thing might be wrong - a slightly chilled drink, which has a ratio of 50-50 and has added water, isn’t necessary a Martini Cocktail anymore. The question is that: what makes a (real) Martini Cocktail? Wait a minute - this was more of a rhetorical question. Or at least: think about a Gin Fizz and a Tom Collins first before you answer. Not only the ingredients make a cocktail, but rather the (main) ingredients, its character, its size, its presentation (...). And especially when it comes to character, a warm martini wouldn’t be a martini. Chac...