I have been following this thread quite closely, as I love well made "classic" cocktails, though I have to admit I am more a Manhattan guy than a Martini guy. I just have one issue to interject, to muddy the waters even more. Much of the talk is centered around the "proper" way to make a Martini, but my question is what version of the Martini constitutes the "proper" version? The Martini has been evolving since well into the 1800s. No matter which school of thought you belong to as to where the Martini originated one thing is relatively certain and that is the drink we call the Martini, at one time, from the late 1800s to at least the 1910s contained a dash of bitters, usually orange bitters. So far I have yet to see anyone really mention this in any of the discussion. As stated previously, over the years, the ratio has also changed greatly. So, again, I have to ask, what constitutes a "perfect" Martini? It seems that people from different eras would all have differing opinions. |