Martini (cocktail)

Lore & Background

The exact origin of the martini is unclear. The name may derive from the Italian Martini brand of vermouth. Another popular theory suggests it evolved from a cocktail called the Martinez served sometime in the early 1860s at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, which people frequented before taking an evening ferry to the nearby town of Martinez, California. Alternatively, residents of Martinez say a bartender in their town created the drink, while another source indicates that the drink was named after the town. A 'Martinez Cocktail' was first described in Jerry Thomas's 1887 edition of his Bartender's Guide. Other bartending guides of the late 19th century contained recipes for numerous cocktails similar to the modern-day martini, such as Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual (1888) listing a recipe for a 'Martini Cocktail'.

Reader's Guide

By 1922, the martini had reached its most recognizable form: London dry gin and dry vermouth combined at a ratio of 2:1, stirred in a mixing glass with ice cubes, with optional orange or aromatic bitters, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Over time, the garnish became the drinker's choice of a green olive or a twist of lemon peel. In modern terminology, a dry martini is made with only a dash or hint of vermouth. Over the 20th century, the amount of vermouth steadily dropped: during the 1930s the ratio was 3:1 (gin to vermouth), during the 1940s 4:1, and by the latter part of the century 5:1 or 6:1 dry martinis became the norm. Drier variations can go to 8:1, 12:1, or 15:1 (the 'Montgomery'). In 1966, the American Standards Association released K100.1-1966, 'Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis', a tongue-in-cheek account of how to make a 'standard' dry martini. During Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), the relative ease of illegal gin manufacture led to the martini's rise as the locally predominant cocktail. In the 1970s and 1980s, the martini came to be seen as old-fashioned, but the mid-1990s saw a resurgence. A trend starting in the 1980s used the term 'martini' to refer to other cocktails served in a cocktail glass, such as the Manhattan or Cosmopolitan, and newer drinks include the word 'martini' or the suffix '-tini' in the name.

Did You Know?

• The first dry martini is sometimes linked to a bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City in 1911 or 1912.
• A 'perfect martini' uses equal amounts of sweet and dry vermouth.
• A 'dirty martini' contains a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is typically garnished with an olive.
• The 'Marguerite Cocktail', first described in 1904, could be considered an early form of the dry martini.

The Slow Drying of a Classic

By 1922, the martini had settled into what would become its most recognizable formulation: London dry gin and dry vermouth combined at a two-to-one ratio, stirred over ice in a mixing glass, optionally touched with orange or aromatic bitters, and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. Yet this was merely the starting point of a long, gradual shift toward dryness. Throughout the twentieth century, the vermouth component steadily shrank. In the 1930s the prevailing ratio moved to three parts gin to one part vermouth, and by the 1940s it had stretched to four to one. By the latter decades of the century, five-to-one or six-to-one dry martinis were regarded as standard. Enthusiasts pushed even further, with ratios reaching eight-to-one, twelve-to-one, and even fifteen-to-one—a proportion nicknamed the "Montgomery," reportedly after British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's preference for overwhelming numerical superiority in battle. Ordering a martini "dry" meant a mere dash of vermouth, while "extra dry" signaled that the vermouth might be omitted entirely.

A Name in Dispute

No one can point to a single moment or person who invented the martini, and the competing origin stories reflect that ambiguity. One theory traces the name to the Italian Martini brand of vermouth, suggesting the drink was simply named after its key ingredient. Another widely repeated account places the cocktail's ancestor at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco in the early 1860s, where patrons would order a Martinez before boarding an evening ferry to the nearby town of Martinez, California. Residents of that town, however, claim a local bartender created the drink. Jerry Thomas's 1887 Bartender's Guide included a "Martinez Cocktail" recipe using Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, Maraschino, and bitters. Harry Johnson's 1888 Bartenders' Manual listed a "Martini Cocktail" with Old Tom gin and sweet vermouth. The 1904 "Marguerite Cocktail" used Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth at a two-to-one ratio, and in 1907 William Boothby published what may be the earliest recipe explicitly called a "Dry Martini Cocktail," attributed to a bartender named Charlie Shaw in Los Angeles. A separate tradition links the first dry martini to a bartender at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel around 1911 or 1912.

Prohibition's Unlikely Gift and Cultural Afterlife

The martini's rise to dominance in American bars owed much to an unintended consequence of Prohibition. Between 1920 and 1933, the relative ease of illegally manufacturing gin meant the drink became the locally predominant cocktail, as quality spirits were scarce and gin was the most accessible base. After repeal restored the availability of quality gin, the drink evolved further, becoming progressively drier. In 1966, the American Standards Association released a tongue-in-cheek document, K100.1-1966, titled "Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis," a satirical guide to making a "standard" dry martini. The American National Standards Institute, ASA's successor, published a revised edition in 1974, though it is no longer an active standard. The martini's cultural standing wavered in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was dismissed as old-fashioned and gave way to more intricate cocktails and wine spritzers. Yet the mid-1990s brought a resurgence, spawning numerous new interpretations. The drink also attracted devoted adherents: playwright Noël Coward famously suggested a perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin and waving it in the general direction of Italy, while filmmaker Luis Buñuel relied on the dry martini to sustain creative reverie in bars.

A Family of Variations

Beyond the classic gin-and-vermouth formula, the martini has spawned a rich taxonomy of variations that cater to different palates and preparation preferences. A perfect martini blends equal parts sweet and dry vermouth, while a wet martini leans toward more vermouth, and a fifty-fifty version uses equal amounts of gin and vermouth. An upside-down or reverse martini inverts the proportions, featuring more vermouth than gin. The dirty martini introduces a splash of olive brine or juice and is typically garnished with an olive; an extra dirty version doubles that brine. A direct or naked martini skips the stirring step entirely, pouring freezer-cold gin directly into the serving glass with the vermouth, delivering an intensely cold drink without the dilution that ice would introduce. The vodka martini substitutes vodka for gin as the base spirit. The garnish itself remains a matter of personal choice: a green olive, a twist of lemon peel, or both. Some recipes advocate eliminating vermouth altogether, and the Churchill martini supposedly uses gin straight from the freezer with only a "glance" at the vermouth bottle.