Another great programme from Simon Hopkinson yesterday evening (Simon Hokinson Cooks, More 4, Monday Evenings), in which he made a classic Dry Martini. I know that this blog is in danger of becoming a tribute site to Mr Hopkinson, but he really is exceedingly good. And he made his Martini exactly how it should be made- right down to the Harrys' Bar glass pitcher.
First point- it's a gin martini. Gin. Not Vodka (Mister Bond got that one wrong), nor, god forbid, apple juice. No cherries, slices of limes, "inspired" extra flourishes, garnishes or anything like that.
Second point- it's stirred, not shaken. Stirred. (Mister Bond got that one wrong, too).
How to make it? Greasy Spooners won't need to be told. But if you're a new reader, this is how you do it:
You get hold of large glass pitcher or mixing jug and you pour into it a decent amount of fresh ice. Simon H rinsed his ice off with running water to get rid of the 'fridge smells- and that seems like an excellent plan.
Into the pitcher goes a decent splash of a dry white vermouth. Noilly Pratt (to rhyme with cat) would be great. Or, of course, Martini Extra Dry. Simon H probably put in a bit more vermouth than I would have done, but, hey, each to their own. Swirl the ice around with a mixing stick, spoon or chopstick.
Next, in goes the cold neat gin. Plymouth Gin would be an excellent choice, as would Tanqueray. The proportions of vermouth to gin should be about 1: 9 or 2:8. Something like that.
The Martini is poured into cold, frosted glasses- straight from the deep freeze. My own preference is for dinky, small glass tumblers, rather than those Martini glasses everyone seems to use, and you see on television. But, again, that's me.
Finish it off with a twist of lemon peel. Simon H just twisted his peel over the glass, so that the citrus oils floated onto the Martini- and then discarded it. I like the simplicity of this. No fuss. No garnishes. Just a classic Dry Martini, made properly. Simple, and served very, very cold. In small tumblers.
