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Martini’s have been enjoyed as a gin and vermouth cocktail for many, many years and are now considered one of the most timeless serves there is. Served in bars, restaurants, and pubs all over the world, you can sip on this serve just about anywhere. With World Martini Day coming up, we wanted to talk more about the history of this drink, including how you can change it up, swapping out the classic gin, for a new twist - vodka! In this article, we will be looking at the history of World Martini Day and the Martini itself.

As connoisseurs in the world of alcohol, there is no better time to celebrate, than a day that puts a classic cocktail such as the martini at its forefront. World Martini Day is a widely recognised event across many bars, restaurants, and brands, as a way to celebrate this wonderful cocktail. Many places will come forward, showing their own unique spin on this first-class beverage, whereas others will show their favourite ways to serve it. So, grab your glasses and get ready, to learn all about this sophisticated serve.

The Martini has a rich, and full history as it took its journey to become the classic drink we know and love today. Firstly, it appeared in print as a cocktail called the ‘Martinez’ in 1887, being front and center in a bartending manual, which was published in San Francisco. In 1911, this famous serve made its way into New York City at the hands of a bartender called Martini Di Arma Di Taggia. He started serving an extremely fancy, and for the time, a revolutionary cocktail that included gin, vermouth, orange bitters and garnished with olives. This is considered the true birth of the Martini.

Whilst New York is considered this drinks hometown, over the years the Martini has become very popular in Manhattan, amongst the socialites, and has since been deemed a classic cocktail that will never go out of style.

Not to mention, the glasses themselves are iconic. Typically served in a cocktail glass that is stemmed and has an inverted cone bowl, now known to us as Martini glass - only the most prestigious cocktails get a glass named after them. The stem of the Martini glass is to avoid the liquid getting lukewarm from the human touch, as commonly, people tend to sip on this serve sans ice. No one wants a warm Martini, and this helps it stay cooler, for longer. The Martini has truly made its mark in cocktail history.

As this serve has been around for decades, there are many mentions of it in pop culture. The most famous one is James Bond of course. James Bond’s well-known drink of choice is first mentioned on the big screen in 1962, which was the very first Bond film. He gets a medium-dry Vodka Martini, which is delivered to his room with a twist. Not to mention, in the series of Fleming novels and short stories about James Bond, he drinks 19 vodka and 16 gin Martinis, shaken not stirred of course!

Famous faces throughout the years, such as Ernest Hemingway and Franklin D. Roosevelt have also listed the Martini as being one of their go-to favourite beverages to order at a bar. Humphrey Bogart, another famous face on the American acting scene was said to mix Martini’s with beer with Drambuie, and his last words were reportedly ‘I should have never switched from Scotch to Martinis’.

Now that we know everything about this serve, let’s get into how to make one using X MUSE vodka. This cocktail was first served in the Helicon Workshop reception and was created by Denis Broci.

You will need:
60ml of X MUSE Scottish Barley Vodka
10ml of Schofield’s by Asterley Bros, English Dry Vermouth
2.5ml (2:1) Simple Syrup
3 Dashes of Salt
Garnish: Lemon Coin
Glassware: Coupette or Martini Glass

To make this serve, simply stir down the ingredients, fine strain, and pour into a chilled glass - with no ice!