They seem so good in the movies, but actually taste mostly just like straight vodka, which most people aren’t going to enjoy.
James Bond was an alcoholic, with good reason. He didn’t drink vodka martinis for the taste, he drank them to dull the pain and horrors of his job. As much as he drank, he probably didn’t really taste the booze anymore.
The original James Bond from the novels was a dark and brooding high-functioning alcoholic, who operated at his best with a drink or two in him at all times. He was pretty useless without the drink. A vodka martini would quickly get him in the right headspace to accomplish his latest mission.
The movie Bond was reinvented to be this dashing, handsome womanizer who drank and smoked socially and was charming as hell. Basically, a 1950s ideal male fantasy. This Bond probably could’ve used a classier drink than straight vodka, but that’s one aspect of the books they kept pretty loyal.
I haven’t read the books. Is there any background for choosing vodka martinis in particular? As opposed to, say plain vodka. Was it just a more socially acceptable dose of alcohol?
The Vesper is James Bond’s personal invention, from the very first novel, Casino Royale. It’s basically his own custom twist on the vodka martini.
He explains he only has one drink before dinner, but he prefers it’s a large one, ice cold, and made very well. He drinks plenty of other types of alcohol throughout the books, but he’s pretty particular about this one evening aperitif.
The movies kind of latched onto it and just made him drink vodka martinis in general. Although the 2006 film Casino Royale had him order his custom invention from a bar, almost word-for-word from the original novel. It’s named after Vesper Lynd, the first girl Bond truly fell for in the novels.
2 oz vodka because much of the time, he was a spy with Russian adversaries and he wanted to blend in, also note that he doesn’t specify which vodka because he actually doesn’t care. 1 oz Gordon’s because beneath all that he’s a true red blooded Brit and he’ll always proudly drink British gin. Lilet Blanc because it’s not his money and he’s surrounded by wealthy people so he might as well buy the most expensive vermouth in the world. Shaken not stirred because he wants the drink to be cold, causing him to drink more slowly, and because it will water it down, meaning he will appear to be drinking more than he actually is and people will underestimate him. I can’t figure out any obvious subtext for the lemon twist, but it is a very classy way to have a martini. Call it a Vesper to memorialize his first love, and emphasize that he doesn’t and can’t have a life outside of being a spy, he’s condemned to this world.
The Vesper is the best fusion of lore and a cocktail you could ever conceive and will never be topped.
Let’s start with Vodka. What a fucking waste. Vodka, at it’s best, is supposed to be flavourless. So you’re already off to a terrible start. If you’re asking for a Vodka Martini you’re asking for Strong Vermouth.
So let’s get that out of the way. You need the standard gin. Gin is delicious. There are many different Gins to choose from. Gin has actual flavor. I like Hendricks, but try and figure out which Gun you like best. Beefeater is great for a gin & tonic, might not work as well in a Martini. Try a few different options.
Now we’ve got Gin and vermouth. Those two work together beautifully.
Now I like a good olive. I say make that fucker dirty. Extra dirty. OLIVE ME THE FUCK UP! That’s what I want. You want it straight up? Fine. I think it’s packing but it’s the traditional way and I won’t complain. You want a cocktail onion? That’s called a Gibson and I ain’t complaining.
But GIN THAT FUCKER UP. Fuck off with your weak ass Vodka Martini. I don’t care if it’s Grey Goose or some other “fancy” shit. That ain’t no Martini.
I remember hearing a theory that he deliberately orders a mostly flavourless cocktail with very basic and common ingredients because it would make it easier to detect if someone had spiked his drink with something.
Standard, off the shelf ingredients means you can’t just spike the whole bottle ahead of time as each ingredient is pretty standard.
He also liked it shaken because that waters the drink down more. Meaning he’d be able to sip it without getting as drunk.
But the sad reality is that Ian Fleming was likely just an alcoholic who wrote his own vices into his characters.
And you need cold ice. It should be dry and close to 0f, not wet and already melting.
Good gin is genuinely awesome and I generally don’t like alcohol. Have you tried aged stuff like Slo Gin? It’s quite a different treat
Beefeater is straight up nasty, though… I agree with the rest.
(Though he’s probably responsible for an equal amount of wasted bourbon and whiskey)
Whisky is good, but definitely an acquired taste
Gimme a nice peaty Laphroaig. Something that tastes like a tire fire on a football pitch
Islay malts always taste like somebody put a cig out in them. Ew.
Balvenie 14 year for me, thank you very much!
I’ve had one of those little sample bottles of Johnny Walker Blue. Tasted like 3 feet upwind of a campfire. Flavor profile: combustion.
Hahaha that’s great and thank you because I’m stealing it. 😁
It’s creative commons share alike. No need for attribution.
To me it tastes more like dry-rotting lawn clippings.
But in a good way.
If I’m ever in Scotland I might just take a bite out of the ground to see if I like it
Yeah. Acquired from the bartender.
I’m a whiskey drinker, and this is…accurate.
Bourbons are often described as having notes of cherry or apple, vanilla and shortbread, like the baking soda tang from shortbread. That sounds nice, like a pie.
Or they’ll hand you an Irish whiskey with herbal or floral notes. It’s pretty.
Then they’ll hand you a Scotch and say “This one’s really great, it tastes like peat moss, smoke, iodine and leather” and you hesitantly ask if they’d like to go to the hospital.
Definately a wide variety with scotch, tastes and smells with anything from cigar ashtrays, fresh mowed lawn, salty toffee, woody, honey, apples & pears.
Personally i love a sherry cask speyside. Something non-smokey with nice sweeter fruity notes, something to sip with a subtle warmth as it goes down the throat that makes you feel like you have just walked in from a cold evening and taken your coat off to sit in a nice comfy chair by the fire.
I’ve found I prefer Irish whiskies or American bourbons to scotch. And you know what I say to folks who like different drinks than me? Cheers!
sherry cask speyside
Love this as well. There is no shame in being honest that you want something non-smokey, sweet and delicious. Islay scotch for example is IMO for people who are, after years of smoking like chimneys, without tastebuds.
Every bourbon I’ve tried just tastes like corn flakes to me
Not all of it lol.
Yeah they’re vodka martinis. They ARE terrible lol. Gin is much better, more interesting with the botanicals. I usually do Beefeater gin if they have it
If I’m not doing a small distillery gin I usually do Hendrick’s.
Satan’s Maggoty Cum Fart has this right. A gin martini, specifically Hendricks has it right. Dirty is ideal.
I just picked up Drumshanbo with California Oranges and it is positively delicious, very strong nose without a strong taste, great for sipping or mixing.
Tanq 10 is on my list but every place I’ve visited didn’t have it
Gosh I tried Hendrick’s for the first time last year. Polished off the bottle in two weeks, that’s stuff is lovely in a G&T
I do like a gin martini, but as a tequila drinker, nothing beats a dirty Tequila Martini.
God that sounds disgusting. I think, for the first time in 4+ years of sobriety, I actually feel genuinely sad for not being able to try that one out. It sounds so awful it must be good.
Hey, stay strong brother. That one drink isn’t worth giving up your progress. I don’t know you, but I’m proud for you.
I like tequila with a pickleback, which is the way less classy version of this.
Martinis do not involve tequila. That would be a different drink. When you change the single largest ingredient by volume you have a new drink
Gin Martini
Vodka Martini
Martinis is plural. You can make Martinis with any clear spirit. Whether or not you make it again is a different story.
If I make a Manhattan with Scotch did I make a Manhattan or did I make a different drink?
You’d have a Scotch Manhattan.
If you make a margarita with scotch, you’d have a scotch margarita.
We’re not mixologists designing new drinks.
I’ve made tequila with clamato juice, did I make a Tequila Cesar, or is it a different drink??
No if you combine bitters, Scotch, and vermouth you have a Rob Roy because changing the primary component makes a new drink.
Fine,
Tequila, Vermouth, olive juice is called a Trex
That’s because they’re watered down weak martinis. The whole reason you don’t shake a martini and you should stir it is because when you shake it it chips the ice and makes it melt faster. By shaking it he’s making it weaker.
It “bruises” the gin as well.
This isn’t a real thing.
It is, but it’s more that forceful oxygenation impairs the perception of certain olfactory compounds changing your impression of the drink. Saying it “bruises” the gun is just easier
Aeration is a known factor in cocktails, it also requires some kind of protein or structure in the liquid to hold onto air for more than a few moments. Slurping a bit as you sip will impact the taste more than shake/stir (assuming equal dilution, temperature, and clarity) The other factor bruise-truthers trot out is Volatile Organic Compounds and the “top notes” evaporating out or oxidizing and I’m sure that would happen if you left a neat glass out on the counter for half an hour, but ten seconds of tumbling is nothing compared to the distillation and bottling process.
It’s like the “espresso dies in thirty seconds” thing that’s actually an efficiency training benchmark that got misinterpreted at some point. The chemistry just isn’t that fast.
Aeration is a known factor in cocktails, it also requires some kind of protein or structure in the liquid to hold onto air for more than a few moments.
Which is all you need to change some components like those found in fresh citrus oils.
Slurping a bit as you sip will impact the taste more than shake/stir (assuming equal dilution, temperature, and clarity)
Shake is almost certainly creating more dilution though. You can’t handwave that away though it is unrelated to “bruising”
The other factor bruise-truthers trot out is Volatile Organic Compounds and the “top notes” evaporating out or oxidizing and I’m sure that would happen if you left a neat glass out on the counter for half an hour,
Im fairly positive that is why we can smell things and I believe your assertion that leaving a glass of gin out for 30 minutes with a much greater exposed surface area will lose taste faster than innthe bottle
I read that while the martini was his signature drink, he actually is depicted drinking champagne more frequently in the films. So just drink champagne!
Vodka doesn’t have much flavor, but the Vermouth adds a nice touch. Most Vermouth is crap, though and has a sharp edge. The Dolin Dry is more floral: https://www.bittersandbottles.com/products/dolin-vermouth-dry
As for shaking, it’s a matter of taste. Vigorous shaking in a covered shaker with crushed ice breaks small shards into tiny crystals. These quickly melt, though, so it’s really the very first taste where it’s a bit tingly.
Toss in 3 large green olives with garlic or pimento and it’s a pretty decent, hard to mess up drink that anyone can make at home.
Even a gin martini is a bit of a mid cocktail IMO
There are plenty of much more interesting spirit forward cocktails out there
When I was drinking, my favorite martini was Bacardi 151. They don’t make it anymore, because the 151 is the proof. Meaning it’s 75.5% alcohol by volume.
What people were doing was taking the 151, pouring it in a glass, setting it on fire, and then drinking it while it was still on fire.
Well, it’s liquid. It spills easily, even little droplets. And it’s on fire. So these drunk people in their early 20s were setting themselves on fire. The drink would spill onto their shirt, and now their shirt is on fire.
On top of that, the fact that it was so strong was something young people weren’t expecting at the time.
So they’d drink it, with the same expectency of it being like jack danials, or skyy vodka. It’s a little less than twice as strong as those. And it burns like fire going down. Even without literal fire. And then after a few drinks of that they don’t have a nice buzz like they thought. They have a full on blackout drunk where they aren’t in control of themselves AT ALL.
That was my cocktail of choice 20+ years ago. Just a glass, pour in the 151, and that’s the drink. Your “chaser” is that you lick a pussy riiiiiight after. I’ve been told it’s a weird sensation. Like a warming and tingle on the clit, as it’s being licked.
That’s why you gotta order them wet so there’s more.vermouth in there. I prefer them dirty as well (splash of olive brine)
The price of liquor!
So, I would love to know your recipe. Because that’s where I’d guess you fucked it up.
I would guess you used vodka and used either too much vermouth or too little. (I’d guess you used too little rather than too much…) But what do I know?
You used dry vermouth, not sweet?
Who uses sweet vermouth in a martini? That’s a different drink.
Martinis are gin or vodka and extra dry vermouth.
That is absolutely correct.
I was asking the op if he used sweet vermouth to determine if op used sweet vermouth. Because that would be a Manhattan. Sorta.
Some very early martini recipes call for equal parts gin and sweet vermouth. There’s been a century-long trend toward dryer and dryer martinis until we arrive at the modern recipe:
fill a tumbler full of ice, add three ounces of gin, pour half an ounce of dry vermouth down the sink next door, stir, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a green olive.
I noticed in my younger years that despite vodka’s fairly neutral quality, I find that it can cause the worst halitosis after a heavy session of imbibing. Brushing and mouthwash doesn’t make it go away. I’ve not experienced this with other distilled spirits. It’s epecially nasty kissing someone who was drinking lots of it the night before.
