Few things are more subjective or inspire more fervour and nerdery than a martini. Gin or vodka? Shaken or stirred? Dirty or with a twist? Dry or wet? (And if wet how wet?) And that’s before we crack into its origins. The whole shebang makes Brexit look straightforward.
I’ll confess to coming to the party late. Scarred by a liquid lunch when I was on a rebound in 2013 (which involved two gin martinis and no further memories), I didn’t touch them for years. But, recently, restaurants have started serving mini martinis, aka the future: little bullets of joy to oil the gears of an evening, the perfect segue from tested nerves to wine.
Speaking of oil, the best martini I’ve had this year was at Gina, pastry chef Ravneet Gill’s Chingford chophouse, where the vodka was infused to offset the sting of the spirit. There are similar vodkas available to buy, but I made my own, then stirred 4 parts of it with 1 of dry vermouth and a dash of Angostura.
What spinach did for Popeye, this little number does for me. And so I bring you the Olive Oyl. If this differs from your idea of a vodkatini, may I quote the great cocktail sage Stanley Tucci, who, in response to heated martini discourse, once wrote: “The only thing that matters is that the martini exists.”
The recipe
You will need a small Tupperware pot and a stemmed glass in the freezer. And a cocktail stick if you’re of the olive-garnishing ilk. Serves 1.
dry white vermouth 10ml
orange bitters 2 drops (or to taste)
ice for shaking
green olives or lemon twist for garnish
vodka 120ml (enough for 3 martinis)
extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp
Make your infused vodka in advance. Measure the vodka into the Tupperware and add 1 tsp of oil. Stir for 1 minute: you will not achieve an emulsion, but the oil will be integrated enough to infuse the spirit. Place in the freezer overnight.
When you are ready to make your drink, remove the vodka from the freezer and use a teaspoon to scoop the frozen olive oil droplets from the surface. Set the spoon to one side (you will use some of the thawed oil to garnish).
For 1 martini, take the vodka from the freezer and put 40ml into a cocktail shaker with the vermouth and 1 large ice cube. Stir in a circular motion 30 times. Add the orange bitters, strain into the frozen glass and garnish with a small droplet of thawed olive oil and an olive on a stick or a lemon twist.