How Naked is Your Martini?

World Martini Day, celebrated shortly after World Gin Day, highlights one of the most iconic and enduring cocktails in global drinking culture. The Martini is more than a drink; it is a statement of taste, character, and ritual, whether enjoyed dry, dirty, shaken, or stirred. Traditionally made with gin rather than vodka, the classic Martini reflects over a century of evolving preferences, techniques, and myths surrounding its origin. From late nineteenth-century Genever-based recipes to today’s crisp London Dry Gin expressions with a whisper of vermouth, the Martini has remained the gin drink of choice worldwide. Its enduring appeal lies in its simplicity, theatre, and the deeply personal way each drinker defines the “perfect” serve. Undoubtedly the most famous of gin cocktails and the epitome of elegance and taste is the Martini. Ernest Hemingway once reflected on how a Martini made him feel, “I had never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized.”

Only a week on from World Gin Day is now World Martini Day on Saturday 19th June. Can it be as equally a huge event. According to Gin Monkey, World Gin Day generated over 10,000 posts on Instagram reaching 62 million people and a further 15,000 tweets on Twitter reaching 75 million.

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Whether you like your cocktails wet, dirty, dry, shaken like Ian Flemings fictional secret agent James Bond or stirred, here's what you need know and explore the deliciousness of a Martini. It is fair to say that how you prefer your Martini says a great deal about your character.

Our blog shall use gin rather than vodka as a classic original for making a Martini with just a whisper of vermouth garnished with an olive. Described by the author E. B. White as “the elixir of quietude” the Martini has several myths about its origin. Before you indulge take onboard that a Martini is a personal choice. Shaking for about 20 seconds increases the rate at which the drink reduces in temperature, introduces air bubbles and may alter the opaqueness of the drink compared to stirring. A dirty martini is simply the addition of olive juice that presents a cloudy appearance but disrupts the clean flavours but still tasty.

The origins of the Martini start in the late 19th century but all of the stories are ambiguous ranging from the drink being born in the Julio Richelieu’s bar in Martinez in 1870 during the Californian gold rush; named after a British rifle called the Martini & Henry or named after the New Yorker Judge Randolph B Martine. Whatever the actual origins it has remained since its creation the gin drink of choice around the world.

The early version of the Martini consisted entirely 1:2 or 1:1 parts Genever (rather than gin) and sweet vermouth along with a mix of simple syrup or bitters. Today, the theatre of the perfect Martini is served in a pre-chilled Martini Glass with predominantly 5:1 mix between gin and a light touch of dry vermouth and a lemon twist or olive. The lightest of touches is known as a “Naked Martini”.

Naked Martini

• Style: We like both shaken and stirred as options – but use a cocktail shaker

• 50ml London Dry Gin

• 5ml - 10ml dry vermouth

• Use an Olive to garnish (Lime Stone has strong citrus tones)

Assembly

Place your Martini Glasses in the chiller for several hours before serving. Stir the gin, dry vermouth and cubes ice together or put them in a cocktail shaker to combine. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Serve with an olive on a cocktail stick.