Elements of a classic: the martini | Restaurants

“It started in the 1990s, with chocolate martinis, espresso martinis,” explains Simons. DeGroff agrees, reserving a particular anger for the pineapple and Chambord flavored French martini (which is, in this writer’s opinion, delicious). Simons, 28, also has strong opinions, but ignores the need for animosity. People should drink what they like, he says. He just wants to help people learn more and explore cocktails, so they can stop ordering out of desperation.

For example, “An extra-dirty martini usually starts with a panic order,” he says. “You are at the bar, there is a line of people behind you. You’re 21 and don’t really know what you like, but in the old movies people order an extra-dirty martini. And then you get used to it. If you don’t progress further into cocktails and learn more about them, you’ll stay in your comfort zone. There’s nothing wrong with it, and you might like the brackish, crunchy, and cold drinks.

When asked what a “James Bond martini” is, he launches into a voice of Sean Connery. “It’s called a Vesper. One measure of Gordon’s Gin, one ounce of French vodka and Lillet Blanc. Shaken, not stirred, with a lemon zest.

Simons spoke with Pasatiempo on the history of martinis, classic recipes, the taste of vodka, and other martini-related topics.

Pasatiempo: When was the martini invented?

Weston Simons: Whenever the story and the alcohol get mixed up, things get a little blurry. But as far as we know, the martini was invented in the early 1800s, most likely near London, as it was the largest shipping port. They would have been the first to have French vermouth. The original recipe is two and a half ounces of gin, half an ounce of dry vermouth, two dashes of orange bitter, mixed, served, with a lemon zest. Vodka martinis didn’t become really popular until the 1970s in the United States.

Pasa: When did olives enter the scene?

WS: I do not know. I could do more research on this, but I guess it comes from the traditional consumption of vodka in Poland and Russia. You drink cold vodka, and you have it with a bunch of snacks – caviar, olives, almonds. Usually something with a bit of salinity, which makes up for the crunchiness of a good cold vodka.

Pasa: There are so many options when it comes to martinis. It’s like custom juice.

WS: It’s a good name for all spirits – made-to-measure juice! The cool thing about a martini is that it’s the ultimate form of self-expression in a cocktail. No one orders “a martini”. They order an extra-dirty, shaken gin martini with extra olives. Or a classic gin martini, mixed with a lemon zest. Or an extra-dry gin martini. Everyone’s palate is different and no one is wrong.

Pasa: What happens when you shake or stir?

WS: Shaking it will dilute it further and make it cooler, below 28 degrees. The colder something is, the less sensitive your taste buds are to it, with the exception of bitterness and salinity, or salty. These are the two flavors that are unaffected by temperature. When something is really cold, you will taste more salty and less alcohol burns. A stirred cocktail is usually between 32 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, you will get more flavor, more plants from the gin. It’s a much more complete flavor profile.

Pasa: Do you shake metal or glass?

WS: Always shake in the metal. Glass has a higher thermal mass, so it will absorb more heat … and dilute your drink too much. They are also very dangerous. I almost lost my trembling thumb in the glass. I was shaking two of them at a time and accidentally bumped them into each other, and it shattered in my hand while I was holding it.

Pasa: Santa Fe Spirits vodka tastes more earthy than many vodkas. It’s very different from, say, Gray Goose.

WS: Most people distill their vodka 10 times or more, for purity, then they filter it multiple times, which goes against the more traditional Polish and Russian vodkas, where you distill it less and don’t filter it that much. only that. The popular trend for vodka is to be “clean” and “neutral,” but distilling less leaves more flavor and more character. Vodka is supposed to taste! Our Vodka Expedition is made from corn, and we distill our vodka much less than other producers. It has a sort of silky quality on the palate, a bit of floral and a bit of warm corn sweetness. Most vodkas – Absolut, Gray Goose, Ketel One, Chopin – are made with French winter wheat. It is soft and mellow, with light notes of fruit. Very soft. Ciroc is made with grapes. Belvedere makes a rye vodka that has a bit of spice. If you can ferment it, you can turn it into vodka. You could make vodka with carrots if you wanted. And it would taste like carrot, depending on how many times you distilled it.

Pasa: Is Santa Fe Spirits gin different from other gins?

WS: Our Wheeler’s Gin is in its own category. It’s a dry western gin, also a corn-based spirit, and we only use five herbs, all locally sourced in Santa Fe. Desert white sage, juniper, osha root, cascading hops and Hand-harvested cholla cactus flowers, which have a lovely dusty floral quality that prevents sage from becoming soapy or fragrant. We perform a process called fractional distillation, where we infuse each botanical individually and then blend them together. What I like about our spirits is that they all have a terroir. It is a winemaking term which means that the soil in which it is grown affects the flavor profile. All of our spirits are representative of New Mexico.

Pasa: Does the quality of your alcohol matter when making a martini?

WS: Absoutely. That’s five parts gin to one part vermouth, so your gin better be pretty darn good, or you’ll notice it. The original recipe is 2.5 ounces of gin and half an ounce of vermouth. It’s a bit loud for my taste, so I usually go 4: 1, but it can be great up to a 50/50 ratio.

Pasa: Many people keep their vodka in the freezer. Is it beneficial for a martini?

WS: Again, it’s all a personal preference. … If you drink your vodka very cold, you burn a little less ethanol. But a lot of people who keep their vodka in the freezer don’t make martinis. They drink pure vodka. â—€

I love cocktails that take a classic formula and add a new dimension without getting too messy or muddy. For me, a classic cocktail variation is good if it has its own unique identity, and the Summer Blush certainly does that by becoming a delicate floral version of the original. In a sense, the Summer Blush is not a real martini because there is only one original recipe for the martini. But, like so many other classic cocktails, the martini has transcended being a specific recipe and over time evolved into its own category of drink, much like daiquiri or margarita. I would consider it a “real” martini in that it sticks to the heart of the mind, balanced with a fortified wine and accented with a small amount of another ingredient. – Weston Simons

1 bar spoon of homemade grenadine

Combine all the ingredients on ice, serve in a chilled Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a lemon zest.

(For a classic gin martini, remove the rose water and grenadine, and add 2-3 dashes of bitter orange.)

1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses

1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water

Combine all the ingredients and stir until completely dissolved. Store in an airtight bottle or container and refrigerate. Keeps for 1 to 2 weeks.