Active Time

　　5 minutes

　　Total Time

　　5 minutes

　　A chilled gin martini served up in a graceful cocktail glass is one of the most elegant and sophisticated drinks around. The classic martini recipe is fairly simple—just gin, vermouth, and an olive or lemon peel (and possibly some orange bitters). The key is to stir the drink with lots of ice until it is very cold (forget what James Bond said about shaking it), then pour it into a chilled martini glass or coupe to keep everything as cool as possible.

　　This dry martini is made with five parts gin to one part dry vermouth, which gives the drink a lovely aromatic quality. If you prefer the cocktail even drier, you can lower the proportion of vermouth to ¼ ounce—but don’t leave it out altogether or your drink won’t be a martini at all (just a glass of cold gin with an olive). That said, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this drink. Over the years people have come up with a long list of martini cocktail variations that are all delicious: You can use equal parts gin and vermouth for a Fifty-Fifty, use a combination of dry and sweet vermouths for a “perfect martini,” add some olive juice to the mix for a dirty martini, or swap the olive for a cocktail onion to make a Gibson.

Ingredients

　　Cracked ice

　　2½ ounces London dry gin, such as Beefeater

　　½ ounce dry vermouth, such as Noilly Prat

　　Green olive or lemon twist for garnish

　　In mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine gin and vermouth. Stir well, about 30 seconds, then strain into martini glass. Garnish with olive or lemon twist and serve. 

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in February 2007. Head this way for more classic cocktail recipes and check out our hub for cocktail tips and recipes here→