This one’s a funny drink to cover; which explains why it’s a day late. (Sorry about that, by the way.) I’d like to tell you all about the storied history of the martini, but nobody really knows it. The best I can tell you is that the martini is a cocktail that’s at least 160 years old, but unlike the Long Island Iced Tea, it doesn’t draw its lineage from a singular, indisputable moment.

It’s also a funny drink to cover because it only has two ingredients - Gin, and either Sweet or Dry Vermouth. In fact, the less vermouth in the drink, the better the martini, according to most purists, so it’s barely two ingredients. Stranger still, although it’s probably the most storied and widely known alcoholic drink, most who enjoy it don’t even order the traditional martini; usually, people drink vodka martinis nowadays. All in all, it sounds like an easy drink to mix, with a bunch of different ways to put it all together, right?

Well… the easy answer is maybe. This is the first in our Martini Series - oddly enough, the oldest one in the group, with the fewest amount of ingredients, is somehow the hardest to get right; at least, if you’re preparing it for an aficionado.

Martini - Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 5 Parts Gin (or Vodka)
• 1 Part Dry (or Sweet) Vermouth
• 1 green olive or lemon twist for garnish

Instructions:

Before you start, you should chill the martini glass. Did that? Good.

Now, pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled to the brim with ice cubes. Pour slowly, and one ingredient at a time; patience makes all the difference. Stir; this is also something to do slowly. place your garnish in the glass, then strain into a martini glass.