Vodka Martini

I can’t watch an episode of Mad Men without seeing a delicious looking Martini. They have ordered gin and vodka Martinis. But since I am also a James Bond fan, I am making a Vodka Martini – Shaken not Stirred. Why does 007 order it shaken, because then it comes out nicely chilled with a slight froth of ice on top. Basically it is amazing.

I serve my martinis in a 50’s style 6 oz martini glass with cocktail onions as I prefer the taste of them to olives.

The Perfect Martini

1 chilled martini glass
splash of dry vermouth
5 ounces of good vodka. The amount of vodka varies based on the size of your glass.
1 cocktail onion

The first step is to chill a martini glass. A quick way to do this if you have warm glasses is to fill them with ice and then top them with water. This will chill the glasses in a minute or so. Then just throw the water and ice out.

I chill my glasses in the refrigerator/freezer.

Next place a splash of dry vermouth into the martini glass. Swirl it around to coat the sides, then pour out any that remains.

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Add the vermouth and then swirl and pour out the excess. Martini and Rossi makes a fine vermouth.

Next add the onion to the glass. I prefer to use a martini pick to allow for it to be removed an eaten at will. You can use an olive but I find that the cocktail onion provides a good flavor without overpowering the vodka.

Add the onion or olive, which ever you prefer

In a shaker full of ice, add the vodka. I prefer to use a high quality vodka for martinis as you do not want the harsh aftertaste of cheaper vodka.

I made mine with Belvedere Vodka - Smooth and Burn Free

Next shake the vodka and ice for at least a minute. This will allow the ice to break down and give you a nice foam of ice crystals. Then strain the vodka into the glass.