Hello my Foodie Friends!
With summer, comes entertainment and happy times with our family and friends many who come to the area to enjoy the Saratoga Springs offerings. One of my wife’s favorite times is to enjoy the creative Martini’s made by one of our good friends. The classic Martini is a cocktail that dates back to the 1880’s made with “dry” vermouth. The popularity of the Martini emerged in the 1950’s with the addition of gin to it, and vodka in the 1970’s. Product placement in the movies also has played a big part in the popularity of Martini’s with Ernest Hemingway, Marlene Dietrich, and Humphrey Bogart seen drinking Martini’s on the screen. However, no real or fictional character has done more for the classic Martini than James Bond. The term “shaken, not stirred” has become a catch phrase from the James Bond fictional character of Ian Fleming’s novels that have become much followed movies. In the film “Casino Royale,” James Bond instructs the bartender how to make his Martini; “A dry Martini. Three measures of Gordoni, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.” This Martini has also taken on the title of the “Vesper.”
Here is the official recipe for “The Vesper Martini:”
• 60 ml. gin
• 20 ml. vodka
• 10 ml. Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano.
Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Then pour into a chilled Martini glass. Add a lemon twist.
The Martini glass is long-stemmed and distinctive with an inverted conical shape and flat base. The reason for the wide brim is said to produce surface tension that brings out the bouquet of the gin. The cone shape helps to keep the ingredients of the drink from separating. The drinker can hold the stem instead of the bowl so that the heat does not change the temperature of the drink. The Martini glass comes in various sizes and styles. Contemporary Martini recipes usually call for 4, 6, and 8 oz. glasses. Above is a delicious summer Martini recipe.
Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store located at 33 Railroad Place in Saratoga Spring’s for Martini Glasses, misters, shakers, zesters, and other accoutrements to assist you with your cocktail creations. Have fun entertaining this summer with friends and family…and maybe even catch up on some James Bond flicks! Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
Take Care,
John & Paula
