Head Bartender Brendan Miles of The Emporium Cocktail Bar comes to the party with the good martini, the vodka martini and Emporium’s martinis molé
James Bond got it wrong when he asked for his martini “shaken, not stirred”. Because it should be stirred, not shaken. Shaken martinis have too much-diluted ice and water which takes away from the profile of the drink.
| A GOOD MARTINI |
As a rather savoury beverage, a good martinis should always be about the spirit, whether it be gin, vodka, or more recent remedies. A gin martinis should be very dry with almost no vermouth, and different levels of dirty (the olive brine), which again, is dependent on the gin.
Gin Mare Martinis
60ml Gin Mare
5ml Dry vermouth
5ml Olive brine
Rosemary sprig and oliveStir in a glass with rosemary and ice until a nice dilution occurs.
Strain into your martini glass and garnish with a rosemary sprig, skewered with an olive.
| THE VODKA MARTINI |
A vodka martini should be wet with dry or semi-dry vermouth. This enhances the flavour and texture of the vodka. Garnish with a nice big lemon twist to give a citrus blend. I prefer CÎROC – a very nice grape-distilled French vodka.
CÎROC Vodka Martini
60ml Vodka
10ml Dry or Semi-Dry vermouth
Lemon peelStir in glass with lemon peel and ice. Once sufficiently chilled, strain into your martini glass and garnish with a nice, big lemon peel twist.
| THE EMPORIUM MARTINI MOLÉ |
Here at The Emporium, we’ve come up with our own tequila-based chilli and chocolate martini. It has the initial hit of dry chocolate with a fresh burst of chilli. The smooth oakiness of the tequila helps provide an even balance between the contrasting flavours and we stay true to the dryness of the martini, replacing the dry vermouth to liven up the taste.
Martini Molé
30ml Reposado Tequila
30ml Tamborine Mountain Choc N Chili liqueur
15ml Mozart Dry Chocolate Liqueur
2 slices red chilli, crushed
Stir in glass with chilli and ice. Once sufficiently chilled, strain into your martini glass and garnish with either a chocolate stick or chilli slice.
And remember, as George Burns always says “I never go jogging. It makes me spill my martini.” So whatever you do, don’t go jogging!
Photo Credit: Lady Lex
