That OXO zester is perfect for drinks, but I would highly recommend the microplane zester ( http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=148189 ) for your various cooking adventures.

Also, nice to see you chose the correct gin.

Not bad, but one drop of vermouth is plenty, and I much prefer the Beefeater.

I like Bombay Sapphire, but I have had quality results with Tanqueray Ten, as well.

Beefeater and Seagrams, of course, are fit only for cleaning tile grout.

Stephen...

If you want a really, really good gin martini, here's what you do:

1) Get some Hendrick's Gin.

2) Pour into the shaker over some ice, swirl it around (or shake it... doesn't really matter) for about 4 seconds... just long enough for it to get cold, really.

3) Pour into frosty glass.

4) Add a 1/4 tsp of olive juice, add some olives.

5) Drink.

Hendrick's is the most wonderful stuff... you don't need Vermouth, you don't need water, really. It's the smoothest, most mild, and FLAVORFUL gin I've ever tasted.

I'm a scotch and wine collector myself, but when I'm ready for a martini, that's the only way to fly.

-Michael

Sorry, folks, but the only gin for a proper martini is Plymouth, straght from the freezer.

Problem is that gin tastes like pine trees...and ass.

Steve,

I'm impressed, since last time we talked you said that even the shadow of the vermouth bottle on the martini glass wasn't dry enough. Now we just need to work on getting some bourbon (Maker's Mark) included in your bar offerings.

No, no, no! SHAKE VIGOROUSLY!

A major delight is the tiny chips of ice floating in a very cold martini. Sorta a grownup Slurpee effect.

As to gin, the juniper extract has a reputation for aphrodisiac properties. Any field reports?

Too much work. My recipe: Pour cheap vodka in a glass with ice.

Drink.

Gin? GIN?!

Blasphemy! Infamy! May adjectives that mean BAD!

Frosted glass. V.O.D.K.A. The merest vapor of vermouth. A sliver of orange peel. And shake the hell out of it so it's cold enough to shatter teeth. As it should be, and so as it is.

Gin. Jeebus. Next you'll be telling us to put cranberry juice and triple sec in the bloody things.

A thousand martini drinkers shaking a thousand tumblers will turn out a thousand varieties of martinis.

But you can't go wrong with the Sapphire over ice, a single drop of dry vermouth, stirred until the shaker shows heavy condensation on the outside and strained into a proper glass with a thin sliver of lemon.

FWIW, Ian Flemming's Commander Bond pretty much drank anything and everything. Different cocktails in every story. Hollywood decided that he needed a signature drink and picked one of his choices.

I cannot second the suggestion of Hendrick's gin thoroughly enough.

Pure ambrosia... at least if you like gin. Otherwise, well, at least it doesn't taste as much like a juniper bush, and has a cucumbery overtone.

.....and this is why scotch or bourbon neat is eminently preferable!

The perfect amount of vemouth can be achieved by pouring it into the martini glass (prior to the Bombay Sapphire), swirling the glass so the vermouth touches all of the insides, and then pouring it out. The vermouth that coats the inside of the glass will be the perfect amount.

As the comments above demosntrate, the best martini is obviously the one you make yourself. :)

Or the one you make with sweet vermouth and Marker's Mark, and call a Manhattan.

I'm of the "shake till the cobble chills your hand" school. I also have a fondness for the citrus note of Calvert gin.

As for the Manhattan, I make it with Talisker and call it a Rob Roy.

There's a reason why James Bond said "shaken, not stirred"...he was ordering a vodka martini. This Straight Dope article has a full explanation. (Cecil Adams, and his minions, know everything.)

I am a big fan of the Gin Martini (If I remember correctly, that is how I sumbled upon this place initially...that is another story). This is a fantastic recipe although, I've found that I actually like Tangueray 10 and Hendricks a bit better than Sapphire. Perhaps, I should say different instead of better. Nevertheless, worth a try. The Hendricks is made infused with cucumbers and rose petals...I'm thinking a cucumber garnish would be fancy.

First, I second the Plymouth reference. Second, each to his/her own taste, but putting cirtus zest in a gin (read "real") martini is certainly a holdover from the vodka recipe (where some additive is needed for taste). Third, rather than the zest, a good olive will do the trick. Finally, shaking and stirring really have no different effect on how chilled the drink will get. Shaking of the gin martini is the preferred approach because gin is an aromatic liquid and the shaking releases aromas, adding to the enjoyment of the act of drinking.

Damn you people to hell.

First of all, the term "Perfect Martini" has a definition, and that definition includes sweet vermouth in it's recipe. Bleech!

Second of all, anyone acting as if vodka belongs in a martini (with no offence to this site and it's wonderful title and top graphic...), anyone saying that vodka is an ingredient in a martini is talking out of their, er, butthole.

Nah, it's their ass.

Third of all, while there have been different trends for different decades for martini garnish, the proper garnish for a martini is not lemon/orange/bathroom soap zest, and it's certainly not a fucking tiny onion (again, bleech!). It's one, two, or three olives. This is your opportunity to make the drink your own, or at least you can join a third or so of other martini drinkers with this option. It's up to you. Go wild.

In the case of multiple olives, a toothpick to connect them is nice, but not required.

Fourth, at least a couple of folks here did get this part right... throw the stir-stick and pitcher away and get thee a proper shaker, fill it with ice, pour in the following ingredients, and shake the living fuck out of it, until a layer of near-frost has built up on the outside of the shaker. This both gets your martini cold as hell, which is the way it's meant to be enjoyed, and adds those lovely little ice-flakes for both visual as well as oral-tactile exitement.

Follow these hard, fast rules, and when you get to the Great Beyond®, Frank, Dean, Sammy, and the other one will not beat the living shit out of you.

Ingredients:
20 parts gin (dry)
or
5 parts gin (not dry, but... why?)
or
3 parts gin (dirty... blech!)

1 part dry vermouth

...and that's it!

garnish with your favorite olive(s)

The comment that linked to the Straight Dope is correct, a vodka martini should be shaken just to get it colder. Never, ever shake gin! It truly does get bruised.

Also, anyone that puts vermouth in Vodka or fruit in gin is nuts. Vodka just doesn't mix well with vermouth, and gin has enough flavor without adding citrus. Olives are the way to go.

If my recollection serves me, it is Winston Churchill's recipe that I prefer:
"Pour gin over ice whilst glancing at the vermouth bottle"
There is no mention of brand, but I choose Sapphire.
Thank you for an enjoyable site.

I tried this recipie, and immediately overdid the vermouth.

Bartender friend of mine gave me a tip - just pour some vermouth in the martini glass, swirl it around a bit, then dump it.

That, and no lemon. Stick with the olive, and maybe a splash of olive juicy goodness.

*damn* - just noticed that Ken above already posted the hint.

There goes my claim to second-hand originality.

The best way to enjoy a martini...

1)Mix according to (any of) the above recipes.
2)Pour into a glass and hand it to that snooty little priss of a boyfriend that your sister/gay brother brought home for the holidays.
3)Pour three fingers of Maker's Mark into a chilled rocks glass and drink like you like girls.

/sorry SG, it was just too easy.