Cocktail History: Martini Origins

Martini

• The Martini has many origins, but its popularity is linked to the Manhattan
• The "god-father" of the Martini is the Martinez, created by Jerry Thomas in 1887
• The Dry Martini emerged with the inclusion of London Dry Gins in the US
• The shift in taste moved away from sweet to dry, with the use of dry champagne, dry gin, and dry cocktails

Manhattan

• Ingredients: 2oz Bourbon/Rye, 1oz Sweet Vermouth, 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, add ice, stir, and strain into chilled coupe glass
• Variations: Perfect (½ oz Sweet Vermouth, ½ oz Dry Vermouth), Rob Roy (substitute whiskey for scotch), Harvard (substitute whiskey for cognac)

Margarita

• Ingredients: 2oz Tequila Blanco, 1oz Cointreau/Royal Combier, ¾ oz lime juice
• Method: Combine all ingredients in shaker, shake, and strain into glass
• Garnish: Half-rimmed cocktail glass with sea salt
• Variations: Havana Cocktail (substitute Tequila and Cointreau with Gin and Apricot liqueur), Tommy's Margarita (2oz Tequila, 1oz lime juice, ½ oz agave nectar)

Mint Julep

• Ingredients: 2oz Bourbon, ½ oz simple syrup, 8-10 mint leaves
• Method: Add mint to vessel, add bourbon and simple syrup, add crushed ice, and swizzle thoroughly
• Glass: Coupe or Small Highball

Bellini

• Invented by Giuseppe Cipriani between 1934 and 1948
• Named after the unique pink color, reminiscent of Giovanni Bellini's painting

Ramos Gin Fizz

• Ingredients: 2oz Gin, ½ oz Lemon Juice, ½ oz Lime Juice, ¾ oz simple syrup, ¾ oz DBL Cream, egg white, 3 dashes Orange Water
• Method: Add all ingredients to shaker, "dry shake", add cubed ice, and shake hard, then strain into glass with no ice and top with soda
• Also known as the "Ramos Fizz" or "New Orleans Gin Fizz"
• Invented by Henry C. in 1888 at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans, Louisiana

Mimosa

• Ingredients: 2.25oz Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice, 2.25oz Champagne
• Method: Slowly pour all ingredients into shaker, trying not to create too many bubbles, then stir to mix both champagne and orange juice together
• Glass: Coupe Glass (ice optional, if ice is requested, then use a wine glass)
• Variations: Bucks Fizz (2 parts Champagne, 1 part orange juice)

Hot Toddy

• Ingredients: 2oz Blended Whisky, ¼ oz lime juice, Barspoon simple syrup, 1 dash Orange bitters, 1 dash Angostura
• Method: Firstly preheat your glass, add honey, lemon, and whisky, then strain into your glass and serve
• Glass: Mini Coupe or Nick and Nora

Pegu Club

• A gin-based cocktail that was the signature drink of Burma's Pegu Club
• The club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river
• The drink was popularized by Harry MacElhone's Barflies and Cocktails in 1927 and Audrey Saunders' New York City Bar

Blinker

• Ingredients: 2oz Rye Whiskey, 1oz Grapefruit Juice, ½ oz Raspberry Syrup
• Method: Add all ingredients to tin, add ice, and shake, then strain into your glass and serve
• Glass: Mini Coupe or Nick and Nora
• Originated in 1934 in Patrick Duffy's The Official Mixers Manual, with a revised recipe by Ted Haigh

Explore the origins of the Martini cocktail, its evolution from the Martinez, and popular variations like the Gibson and Hoffman House.