Sidebar, Judge.
I'm using "purist" in the sense that we did in the '60s when we talked about why we wouldn't use LSD. Not "natural" enough. Of course, that left enormous numbers of other mind-altering drugs--all so much more "natural"--that we could turn to. Rationalization is a lovely thing.
So, Ever the Purist...
When I became serious about drinking, which sounds worse than it is, and moved on from Sloe Gin Fizz and Kahlua & Cream to drinks that didn't taste like Shirley Temples or milkshakes, I became really "serious." For years, I wouldn't go beyond straight shots of Single Malt Scotch or Small-batch Bourbon. Then someone handed me a Martini. Wow, suddenly I was Dorothy Parker and Nora Charles and Craig Rice. I became a member of The Museum of the American Cocktail. Sophistication swirled around me and my cigarette smoke; bon mots flipped off my tongue as easily as I flipped off bad truckers; I even looked good in a cloche. Ok, except for the museum, that's all a lie. But, damn, if I didn't think it tasted just, well, really good.
Everything seemed so simple for a time. Gin, vermouth, ice, maybe an olive. Heaven in what is possibly the worst designed glass for drinking out of but the best for showing off. Then, cocktails became "trendy." And all you ever saw when you walked into a bar (sounds like the start of a joke) was a wall of Vodkas. Vodkas, of all things. And drinks with fruit and chocolate and brightly colored liquers all called some version of "Martini": Appletini, Razztini, Chocolatini. My bullshit meter went off and my purist button was pushed. Let me say this as loudly as the typewritten word will allow: I was not going to ever drink Vodka--especially in a Martini--so help me Dale DeGroff!
By now, you know what's coming. I found a drink I like Vodka in and it is, kinda, sorta, maybe, a Martini: James Bond's drink, The Vesper.
The Vesper is still a very simple drink. Arguments abound about proportions but if you want the basic gist and aren't worrying about exact ounces, go for:
2 Parts Gin
1 Part Vodka
1/2 Part Lillet Blanc
Shake (this is Bond, remember, "shaken, not stirred") over ice (big ice--that's for another blog entry), pour into a cocktail glass (a proper size cocktail glass, not a ten ounce monster--also the subject for another blog) and garnish with a lemon peel.
Lillet Blanc is a pale gold aperitif. Keep it chilled in your frig and you can sip it straight as well. A bottle will last you forever. Gins come in lots of odd permutations these days but don't be weird; stick with something nice and basic: Beefeater; Boodles; one of those "B" named brands (why do so many gin brands start with that letter?). I recommend against using Plymouth Gin for this drink--too soft and like Vodka to mix with it. And at that point, I'm stumped. After eschewing Vodka all these years, I really don't know the brands at all. I've been using Stoli but, hey, I've shown I'm capable of learning, if not new tricks, at least new drinks, so let me know. . .
Posts
Stoli and Boodles, an excellent combination.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post and am somewhat of a fan of the Martini myself.
Many thanks - EB
Hi,
ReplyDeletetravelling a lot to Finland, I would suggest Koskenkorva 13. It's a very dry vodka at 60degrees. I do not know if you can find it where you are, but if you do, give it a try. Very good in the Vesper and very good on its own (freezer-glasses, please).